Sovelia PLM
NewIcon accelerates deliveries to its customers through product lifecycle management
With all product information available in one place, it is now easier for NewIcon to manage the lifecycle of equipment from start to finish and the product documentation becomes easily available.
NewIcon is a health tech company specialising in pharmacy automation systems based on advanced software and robotics. NewIcon focuses on health technology which enhances safe, efficient and rational pharmaceutical service in hospitals and pharmacies across the globe.
As a company grows, so does the number of product items and managing them becomes increasingly important. Symetri’s Sovelia PLM solution helps NewIcon for example to ensure that product information meets the criteria set by the company and to identify obsolete and duplicate items.
Sovelia PLM covers the management of entire lifecycle of the products, also after our pharmacy automation equipment has been delivered. It manages items, product structures and documents like drawings and 3D models. We are in the process of enabling quicker design and smoother management of product related information,
says Mauri Kankkunen, Supply Chain Manager at NewIcon.
With all product information available in one place, it is now easier for NewIcon to manage the lifecycle of equipment from start to finish and the product documentation becomes easily available. Developers can manage the status of the products and items, whether they are in design stage, ready from design or approved for production.
PLM reduces workload enormously. The cost savings are gained specifically on the reduced workload. The aim is also to reduce project lead times, improve reliability of deliveries and predictability,
Mauri Kankkunen continues.
Challenges
- As the company grew, managing items and product information became challenging
- Maintaining product information was laborious, as it was maintained separately in the design and production systems
- Reusing existing items was challenging
- Scheduling and implementing engineering changes was problematic
- Distributing product information to subcontractors was laborious and prone to errors
- Managing a product over its entire lifecycle was impossible
Solution
- After the introduction of the new Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP), we expanded from Product Data Management (PDM) to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with initial focus on item and product structure management, engineering change management and controlled release of product information into the ERP
- Moreover, Sovelia’s extranet feature gives subcontractors access to view selected product information
Benefits
- Product information is managed in one system allowing product to be managed throughout its lifecycle from the start to finish
- Significant cost savings through reduced workload; the product information is available in a timely and reliable manner. No need to repeat a job already done
- Sending product information to suppliers comes to an end, as suppliers have easy access to the product information they need
- The creation and management of items and product structures were integrated into the design tools and process
- Sales now have access to the most up-to-date product documentation
- Sovelia controls the quality of product information making it easier to reuse
- The product structure now includes all parts of the product, both mechanical and electrical