Accelerate Product Development with Digital Transformation

In today’s fast-paced market, product development is more challenging than ever. Electronics are growing in complexity, with customers demanding more features, better performance, and lower costs- all while competition intensifies. If your company doesn’t deliver, a competitor will. So what’s the solution?

Digital transformation starts with better data management

Effective data management is the foundation of digital transformation, enabling seamless collaboration, faster decision-making, and innovation across all teams. Without it, even the best digital tools and strategies will fall short. Also, product and process data management are core to creating a digital twin that optimizes product performance. On the other hand, inefficient product and process data management can be as harmful as having no management at all.  So, what should the right solution provide?

A single source of truth provides multiple advantages

First, the data management system must offer a single source of truth for all stakeholders, enabling seamless collaboration and data reuse.  The system should be continuously updated, always accurate, and easily accessible. Because time spent searching for information across multiple sources is time lost that could have been spent advancing product development. 

Next, the system must integrate with the various design processes your company has invested in across its global teams. Teams cannot fully benefit from a product and process data management system without seamless integration.

Digital transformation and PLM – turning complexity into opportunity

Modern Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software provides the digital backbone to connect applications, people, and processes across the global enterprise. By creating an integrated digital thread, PLM accelerates access to project, product, and process data—including change management—enabling business, design, engineering, and manufacturing teams to collaborate earlier and make faster, data-driven decisions.

A well-designed PLM system also supports a consistent, product-level BOM, integrating mechanical, electronic, and software data for seamless collaboration and continuous innovation.

Don’t just replace – dramatically improve!

Most importantly, digital transformation goes beyond just replacing systems and processes. 

Instead of simply mirroring the functionality from the “as-is” environment to the “to-be” environment in the example below, electronics companies can use the opportunity to dramatically increase and improve functionality.

The next example below shows how digital transformation can expand and dramatically improve existing systems and processes, not just replace them.

Digital transformation is a prime opportunity to eliminate silos

It allows companies to integrate systems like CAD data management, BOM management, design development, and supplier collaboration into a unified platform. By embracing digital transformation, organizations can take a more holistic approach, implementing comprehensive solutions that streamline processes and systems.

The ideal solution must be intuitive and accessible

The system should integrate seamlessly into the native design environment, allowing engineers to benefit from Integrated Lifecycle Management without needing to be PLM experts.

Flexibility is key

The power of flexibility lies in its ability to adapt to your unique needs—whether they’re data security, regulatory compliance, scalability, or cost management. Digital transformation is built to empower your team with the flexibility to choose the right solutions that align with your company’s goals and requirements.

Digital Transformation is inherently designed with the flexibility to let you and your team choose the right solutions for your company.

The Importance of choosing between on-premises and cloud solutions

On-prem solutions provide control over sensitive data and allow for customization, while cloud platforms offer scalability, lower upfront costs, and ease of collaboration. The flexibility to choose between these options helps manufacturers strike the right balance between security, operational efficiency, and business needs, ensuring the solution fits their unique requirements.

Siemens Xcelerator offers a whole new level of seamless collaboration for the entire team with interoperable tools to accelerate innovation throughout NPI programs. Siemens Xcelerator offers a PLM solution that provides a specialized, integrated approach for managing the complexities of product development. Available in on-premises or cloud solutions, it ensures that all data, processes, and teams involved in electronics development are aligned and will stay aligned as the product is developed.

Digital transformation is a journey, not a destination

By embracing it step by step, companies can evolve into more competitive, agile operations—empowering collaboration and innovation to thrive in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing global marketplace. Reach out today to learn how we can help transform your business.

For more information, visit https://www.sw.siemens.com/SW