How Manufacturers De-Risk the PLM Decision

The technical side is only part of the equation

As a result of working closely with many companies implementing PLM, we have seen that the technical side is only one part of the equation. The technical side is only part of the equation. Manufacturers also worry about adoption, disruption to day-to-day work, and whether the investment will deliver value over the long term. These three manufacturers approached that challenge differently, but they all found practical ways to reduce risk and move forward.

Why invest in PLM now: Vahterus

Vahterus grew from three people working in a barn to a global manufacturer managing over seven billion possible product variants. As the company grew, the processes that had once worked well started to become harder to manage. Product data was scattered across ERP, CAD, and spreadsheets and design and production didn't always see the same version of the truth.

Vahterus wanted to centralize product data management into one system to bring clarity and manageability to its operations. They also needed to get ready for the upcoming ERP renewal. Leadership knew that if product data wasn't sorted first, the ERP project would inherit the same mess/underlying issues. 

Rather than going straight to full implementation, Vahterus started with a Proof of Concept, and did the less visible work of standardizing item codes and cleaning up duplicate data before building anything new.
Standardizing item structures was demanding but it paid off directly in data quality and made PLM adoption itself much smoother.
— Mika Härkönen, Design Engineer, Vahterus

What implementation really looks like: Hycast

Hycast's implementation didn't follow a perfectly straight path, which is typical of projects of this size. The implementation plan needed adjusting along the way, and getting there took real collaboration. 

Implementation was carried out systematically and in close collaboration with Symetri. There were challenges along the way that both sides worked through together.
— from Hycast's case study

Looking back, Hycast highlighted three factors that helped keep the project on track:

• Change management is crucial: Early and ongoing training is essential for user adoption.
• Stakeholder engagement: Involving key users during implementation ensures that the system meets practical needs.
• Phased implementation works: Rolling out modules gradually allows for adjustments and minimizes risk.

What changes for leadership: Planet Platforms

Improvements such as fewer errors and faster engineering changes are easy to measure. What is often harder to quantify is the impact on the company's capacity to grow.

At Planet Platforms, a UK manufacturer of bespoke safe access equipment, growth had been building for years but constant interruptions from the shop floor were quietly restricting how much the team could deliver. Once that friction was gone, the change showed up directly in output:

"...the most significant transformation we've achieved is that we complete more projects every month."
— Carl Geldard, CAD Manager, Planet Platforms

In Planet Platforms' case, the benefit wasn't just efficiency. Removing day-to-day bottlenecks enabled the business to handle a greater volume of work without increasing headcount. 

Why the decision still holds up: Planet Platforms

A decision that's aged well usually shows a few things: PLM is embedded in the very core of the company’s operations and knowledge has grown internally rather than stayed fully outsourced. The partnership is still active and the use of PLM is expanding as time goes by.

Carl Geldard puts it simply: years on, he still finds the whole Symetri team easy to work with, and says they've backed Planet Platforms through its growth without hitting a problem they couldn't work through together.

Want to see how this fits your business? Open the PLM Decision Checklist

Curious where your own PLM decision stands? This short checklist helps you spot the risks worth planning for - and what to look for in a partner - before you commit. And it only takes a few minutes.