Why engineering change management breaks down in multi-disciplinary machine design – and how to fix it
When a customer change request arrives mid-project, it doesn’t always goes smoothly.
Engineering scrambles to assess the impact, production timelines slip and what should have been a profitable order suddenly threatens margins.
This all-too-common scenario plays out daily in companies across the industrial machinery landscape, and it stems from fundamental ineffective engineering change management.
Without an integrated Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system designed specifically for machine builders, your organization is likely wasting time, losing money and missing out on the competitive advantage you bring to every project.
Learn more: Product lifecycle management for machine builders | Ebook
Industrial machines and equipment are only getting smarter, more connected and increasingly complex.
Engineers are being asked to design more flexible, agile machines to meet constantly changing customer requirements while staying competitive against low-cost global competitors.
They need a PLM solution to manage and take control of this complexity.
The hidden costs of fragmented engineering processes
Machine builders operating without integrated PLM systems face an abundance of costly challenges, all of which are rooted in siloed processes.
Mechanical engineers, electrical designers and controls specialists work in disconnected environments, leading to miscommunication and errors that only surface during late-stage integration or commissioning.
Without a single source of truth, teams waste valuable hours searching for the latest design revisions. Customer requirements get lost in email chains, and engineering changes ripple through projects with negative consequences.
Release processes become time-consuming and costly. Traceability becomes challenging, and human error inevitably creeps in. Engineering struggles to assess the impact of changes on manufacturing, and the handoff and release of parts from engineering to production often require extensive manual coordination.
According to IBM Institute for Business Value research, organizations struggle with inconsistent product information across departments, inability to reuse proven designs, and a constant need to “reinvent the wheel” on similar projects.
The measurable impacts are significant. Projects that should take weeks stretch into months, eroding both profitability and customer relationships.
The challenges of engineering change management in multi-disciplinary machine design
Today’s industrial machines and equipment represent the convergence of mechanical engineering, electrical systems, software, automation and controls. The machine only works when all these elements integrate seamlessly.
The challenge arises because each engineering discipline has specialized tools and workflows.
Mechanical engineers design in CAD, electrical engineers work in separate systems and automation engineers work in yet another environment. Keeping these parallel efforts aligned requires constant manual communication and verification.
Without a shared platform, coordinating multi-disciplinary machine design drains resources and extends timelines.
The problem only intensifies when changes occur.
A modification to the mechanical design might require changes to the electrical routing and software updates. Without automated change propagation and impact analysis, teams discover conflicts only after significant work has been completed, resulting in costly rework and schedule delays.
Cloud-based PLM provides a flexible, managed environment that enables multi-disciplinary teams to automate activities, work together and execute tasks in parallel, lowering costs, accelerating development time and first-time-right quality.
Creating accurate quotes when engineering changes are inevitable
Accurate quoting for engineer-to-order (ETO) and configure-to-order (CTO) projects requires a precise understanding of engineering effort, material costs and production timelines.
Without an integrated PLM, this becomes educated guesswork at best.
Underestimated quotes win orders, but lose money. Conservative estimates protect margins and price the company out of competitive opportunities.
Research shows companies leveraging PLM and automation for configuration are twice as likely to generate accurate quotes, cut lead times and reduce engineering workload compared to those relying on manual processes.
Every bid aims to win a customer order at a profitable price with an achievable delivery date. PLM enables this and eliminates the need for engineering to check every order.
A PLM solution built for machine builders
PLM for machine builders represents a specialized solution tailored to the unique challenges of the industrial machinery industry.
Unlike general PLM software designed for discrete manufacturing or consumer products, it addresses the specific needs of companies operating in ETO, CTO and assemble-to-order (ATO) environments.
This specialized approach helps businesses overcome siloed processes by providing an integrated approach to project management, machine configuration and bill of materials reuse.
The solution incorporates three critical capabilities that work together to improve machine building processes and operations:
Project, Process, and Requirements Management
Integrated project management tools built on industry best practices provide increased transparency and traceability into orders through real-time dashboards. Everyone works from the same plans, enabling requirements traceability and understanding of how changes impact schedules.
Machine Configuration and Reuse
The ability to source, clone and manage machine structures and CAD documents as business objects transforms how machine builders approach similar projects. Workflow and version management track development and order maturity, providing visibility into project status at every stage.
Blended ETO/CTO Functionality
By adopting a modular approach to engineering, machine builders can select and lightly customize different modules, then immediately store project data and BOM information that can be reused across projects of similar scope. Once machines have been proven in the field, machine builders can accurately quote more orders to expand their profitability.
PLM for machine builders streamlines engineering change management
At its core, PLM software providesreal-time collaboration, workflow automations and a single source of truth, all of which result in more efficient engineering change management.
PLM breaks down the silos between engineering domains, automatically flags and updates projects with engineering changes and holds a library of institutional knowledge that enables faster machine building.
Engineering change management doesn’t have to drain your profitability or delay your deliveries.
Machine builders worldwide are transforming their operations with PLM systems designed specifically for the challenges you face daily.
If you’re ready to learn more about PLM for machine builders, download our comprehensive ebook, “Product Lifecycle Management for Machine Builders: Improve Business Processes With an Instant-On Solution” to discover how cloud-based PLM can help your organization.
Download the free ebook now or try it for yourself in this free 30-day trial.
Frequently asked questions about engineering change management
What is engineering change management in machine building?
Engineering change management is the systematic process of controlling, documenting and implementing modifications to machine designs throughout the project lifecycle. Effective engineering change management ensures changes are properly evaluated for impact, communicated to all stakeholders and implemented without disrupting project timelines or quality. PLM systems provide the tools and workflows needed to manage engineering changes efficiently, offering configurable processes that can be set up to be quick and easy while maintaining traceability and control.
How can machine builders reduce project delivery times?
Machine builders can reduce project delivery times by implementing PLM systems that enable BOM reuse, modular machine engineering, multi-disciplinary collaboration and real-time project visibility. By avoiding the need to start from scratch on every project and reducing late-stage rework through better change management, organizations can deliver machines significantly faster while maintaining quality and profitability. Real-time dashboards help teams deliver on project milestones and avoid costly bottlenecks that delay customers.
What are the minimum system requirements for cloud-based PLM for machine builders?
Cloud-based PLM solutions typically require only a modern web browser and reliable internet connectivity, making them accessible from virtually any device. This eliminates the need for expensive server infrastructure and IT maintenance associated with on-premise systems. Specific requirements vary by vendor, but the instant-on nature of cloud PLM means machine builders can begin realizing value within days rather than months, with automatic updates and improvements delivered continuously.
How can machine builders choose the best PLM software for their needs?
Machine builders should evaluate PLM software based on industry-specific functionality for ETO/CTO environments, ease of integration with existing CAD and ERP systems, cloud-based architecture for distributed collaboration, implementation speed and complexity and vendor experience working with machine builders. Look for solutions configured with industry best practices that support design management, project execution and blended CTO/ETO delivery. The best approach is to start with a pilot project that tests the solution against your specific workflows and challenges before committing to enterprise-wide deployment.
How does PLM integrate with existing CAD, ERP and MES systems in a machine building environment?
Modern PLM systems offer open architecture and standard APIs that enable integration with leading CAD tools, ERP systems for procurement and costing and MES platforms for manufacturing execution. These integrations ensure that design data, BOMs, and manufacturing processes flow seamlessly between systems without manual re-entry, reducing errors and keeping all stakeholders working from consistent, up-to-date information. BOM data can be integrated and used across several enterprise applications, creating a single source of truth for the entire organization.
