Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) covers the entire lifecycle of a product: from the initial idea through concept, development and prototyping to market launch, then on to service and spare parts support long after the product is no longer sold.

In practice, PLM systems focus primarily on development. They support activities such as project management in product development, CAD data and bill of materials management, change management, parts traceability and quality management. Well-known systems include Teamcenter from Siemens, Windchill from PTC and ENOVIA from Dassault Systèmes.

PLM and PIM

A PIM system covers only one part of the lifecycle: the phase in which a product is marketed and sold. The two systems complement each other: once a product is released, PLM provides technical data such as dimensions, materials and bills of materials. PIM imports this data, adds marketing copy, images and translations, and distributes it to the channels.

It is important to define clearly which system is the source of truth for each attribute. If the development team changes a dimension, that change should flow automatically into PIM rather than having to be entered manually.

When integration matters

A direct integration between PLM and PIM is particularly valuable for manufacturers in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or the automotive sector with numerous technical attributes and variants. Without it, development and product management teams maintain the same data twice.

See also: PDM · ERP systems · Variants and SKU · PIM for manufacturers