Weave a Digital Thread throughout Your Product Lifecycles

For each new stage of product development, one source of information is created—a thread of data each department can use as the source of truth for a product.

PRO.FILE Solutions

What Is a Digital Thread?

A Digital Thread, supported by a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, is a platform that connects your company’s data to provide a detailed view of your product creation lifecycle, from ideation to design, manufacturing, supply chain, and future versions of the product. Data is securely stored, maintained, and monitored as it flows between business systems, internal departments, and external partners.

Implementing a Digital Thread ensures all parties involved can access up-to-date information across networks to understand the context and enable quick, informed decisions. Eliminate organizational silos and provide the right information to the right people when they need it.

Benefits of a Digital Thread

A Digital Thread evolves as product information changes and has many benefits:

Efficiency: Optimize your processes and save time with the digital connection. Automating processes allows employees to focus on important tasks.
Transparency: Ensure better clarity and data tracking while increasing collaboration between departments and minimizing sources of error.
Customer satisfaction: A Digital Thread establishes a process for managing change, enabling you to respond nimbly to queries and complaints, leading to higher satisfaction and long-term relationships.
Personalization: A Digital Thread allows your company to tailor products and services to the needs of your customers, helping you stand out from the competition and increase sales.
Collaboration: Employees, external partners, and suppliers in different locations can work together seamlessly for greater efficiency.
Internal communication: A central data repository and a separate application design for each department enable users to make changes themselves and quickly respond to comments or develop more innovative solutions.

PLM and Digital Thread

The Digital Thread revolutionizes how products are developed. This data-driven architecture enables the integration of information throughout the product lifecycle. In our whitepaper, we demonstrate how PLM software can be used to create a Digital Thread, improving communication and linking cause and effect. Learn how a Digital Thread can link complaints with the corresponding parts.

PLM Software Drives a Digital Thread

PLM software can be used as the technical basis for the digital thread and for integrating applications.

Manage product-relevant data

Storing and maintaining data in one location allows various teams to access up-to-date documents generated by different sources, such as MCAD, ECAD, ERP, and CRM systems.

Establish connections

When a PLM system links departments, it can trigger an information chain that quickly reacts to defects or problems by alerting applicable teams to address the issue before it affects more customers.

Increase competitiveness

Implementing a PLM system can help your company increase its efficiency by providing better customer service, leading to repeat business.

A Digital Thread is important for the success of your business. Pair it with the right PLM system, like PRO.FILE, to successfully integrate applications and link product-relevant data and documents for a digital information connection between all components.