Collaborating, sharing knowledge and re-using data are critical to your success. But sharing often means wasting time searching for the right data. It means risking data loss when you accidentally overwrite files with older versions. It means wasting money when manufacturing uses the wrong version of a file.
You have problems. We have solutions.
Imagine you have product assembly data on your desktop. The designer next to you has related files on his computer, and a new designer 500 miles away has even more. Without a good data management solution, trouble is waiting to happen.
SolidWorks PDM software lets you create an efficient, scalable database with built-in safeguards against losing or overwriting data. It stores both CAD models and supporting documents, such as text and graphic documents and emails, in an repository that's easy to use. It also scales to accommodate growing amounts of data. SolidWorks PDM can help you
- Collaborate across multiple offices, multiple time zones and even multiple continents
- Reuse standard parts data cost-efficiently, rather than recreating them from scratch
- Ensure your team has immediate access to the latest product data available
- Save time and simplify searching through files and designs for the right data
- Streamline workflows, improve performance and cut costs enterprise-wide
A solution for any size business
SolidWorks PDM comes in two versions to serve the needs of different sized design groups: SolidWorks® Enterprise PDM and SolidWorks® Workgroup PDM.
Workgroup PDM
It doesn’t take a huge corporation to amass large design data archives. With the pace of product development today, just a few engineers can quickly create gigabytes of design data. It's easy for files to get lost or misplaced.
SolidWorks Workgroup PDM provides a simplified set of data management features, making it a good way to get your feet wet with PDM.
A real solution: The common data management “solution” of storing data in flat files on local hard drives is no solution at all. It increases the amount of time you spend looking for files and the chance of accidentally overwriting or corrupting data.
Easy to use: SolidWorks Workgroup PDM is easy to implement and manage—perfect for individuals and small work groups. A SolidWorks Workgroup PDM license is included with each SolidWorks Professional and Premium® license.
Everything in its right place: Workgroup PDM helps individuals and small work groups control file revisions and manage project data securely and efficiently with little or no IT support. It consolidates design data in a secure central repository (or vault) where advanced search functions let you quickly retrieve files by name, date and version. Automatic version control protects data from overwriting. Key functions include:
- securing access to engineering data
- facilitating design re-use
- enabling a workgroup design environment
- automating revision control
- reducing time spent organizing and tracking design data
- providing rapid ROI with limited IT support
Enterprise PDM
Have we designed anything like this before? Do we still have the CAD models? Is there any documentation? Who worked on it and when? Shouting across the room to ask one of these common questions doesn’t work when that person is a thousand miles and three time zones away.
SolidWorks Enterprise PDM (EPDM) provides an easy way for designers to collaborate on product designs without worrying about version control or data loss. It stores CAD models and supporting documents–anything from emails to images–in an indexed central repository that tracks versions and automates workflows to eliminate wasteful repetition.
EPDM is designed for organizations that
- have anywhere from three designers to hundreds
- divide engineering work among multiple locations; and/or
- outsource engineering work
Affordable and easy to implement: SolidWorks EPDM has a low cost of ownership. It's easy to deploy, and you don't have to sit through days of training to learn how to use it. And your IT Manager will be happy to know that he or she won't have to spend hours and hours supporting the system.
It's easy to share design data: EPDM's accessibility features let you store, search, share and manage product data more efficiently, and automate your document workflows. Streamlining processes between engineering and the shop floor yields better products, lowers costs, and helps you get to market faster.
EPDM keeps your data safe from loss or harm: Strong security and version control functions maintain data integrity. SolidWorks EPDM’s secure access and built-in audit functions protect data from accidental and deliberate damage while tracking who accesses design data, what they changed, and when.