IT Infrastructure I: CAD and PLM as the Foundation of Product Design Integration

In this chapter argues that CAD and PLM are not merely engineering tools but foundational infrastructures for product knowledge integration in the ADX era. CAD digitalizes engineering cognition by translating design intent into structured representations of geometry, interfaces, and constraints, while PLM governs how this knowledge circulates and evolves across the product lifecycle. This chapter shows that manufacturing competitiveness depends on the coherence of product definition across design, production, suppliers, and later lifecycle stages. From an ADX perspective, CAD–PLM functions as the upstream grammar that makes downstream systems such as ERP, SCM, and IoT meaningful. At the same time, digital representation alone does not guarantee integration. Its value depends on architectural fit, governance, and cross-functional routines that preserve the meaning of analog engineering knowledge during digital translation. Thus, CAD and PLM form the epistemic backbone of manufacturing transformation by stabilizing product knowledge while enabling shared learning and coordinated execution.