Product Data Management (PDM)
While production planning and control is using trans-sectoral computer integrated tools for their daily work, designers are still working with specialised isolated applications, e. g. CAD, FEM. In quite a lot of enterprises data is stored in internal file systems with the usual problems regarding access control or when looking for a certain information. On the other hand a powerful system called PDM has been developed during the last years, that is capable to serve as backbone and integrating platform for computer integrated product development. Its main focus is to ensure a consistent storage of all data relevant to the development process as well as the co-ordination of the processes to generate such data. The following chapters give a short introduction into the PDM topic.
If you want to know more you might want to visit the downloads page and download EAPSTRA Deliverable 1 that gives further details for PDM and also cover many allied technologies.