Growth is a good problem to have - until your tools can’t keep up. For many businesses, managing Product Lifecycle processes with spreadsheets, emails, and outdated tools works for a while. But as product lines expand, team structures grow, and customer demands increase, these tools quickly become more of a burden than a solution.
So, how do you know it’s time for a change? Enter Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Software: a centralized platform designed to streamline workflows, eliminate errors, and improve collaboration.
This blog will walk you through the five clear signs that your business is ready for PLM Software, while providing a roadmap to help you confidently choose the right solution for your needs.
If your team spends hours sifting through Excel sheets and email threads to manage product data, you’re not alone. This status quo is a hallmark of many businesses before they transition to PLM Software. Unfortunately, outdated tools often result in:
How PLM Helps:
A modern PLM system, like Surefront, centralizes product data and automates workflows, ensuring that your team always has access to accurate, up-to-date information in one place.
| IKEA used PLM Software to streamline its product design-to-market process. By replacing spreadsheets with centralized data and automated workflows, IKEA reduced development timelines by 18%, enabling quicker launches for new collections. |
When teams are juggling hundreds or thousands of SKUs, staying organized becomes a herculean task. Whether they’re tracking historical product data, sourcing materials, or coordinating with suppliers, the manual effort required can leave employees feeling overwhelmed.
How PLM Helps:
By integrating all aspects of product management, PLM Software reduces the workload and gives teams back their time. Tools like Surefront allow you to store and retrieve historical data instantly, track product changes seamlessly, and collaborate with suppliers in real time.
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Unilever adopted PLM Software to manage its extensive product portfolio across global markets. This transition allowed teams to standardize processes, improving operational efficiency and reducing data management time by 22%. |
Disconnected tools create silos that prevent teams from sharing information effectively. For example:
How PLM Helps:
A PLM platform eliminates silos by creating a single source of truth. Everyone, from designers to merchandisers to suppliers, works within the same system, accessing the most recent updates instantly.
| Patagonia leveraged PLM Software to eliminate data silos between its design, sourcing, and production teams. This resulted in faster decision-making and a 25% improvement in collaboration efficiency, allowing the company to better align with its sustainability goals. |
When decision-makers can’t see what’s happening in the Product Lifecycle, inefficiencies creep in. Lack of transparency leads to bottlenecks, miscommunication, and repeated tasks.
How PLM Helps:
PLM Software provides clear visibility into every stage of the lifecycle. With features like visual workflows, dashboards, and activity logs, you can track progress, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions faster.
| Sephora implemented PLM Software to improve visibility into product development and supplier relationships. With dashboards that tracked every stage of the lifecycle, they reduced production delays by 15%, ensuring timely launches of seasonal collections. |
Rapid growth is exciting - but it can strain existing systems to the breaking point. As you onboard more suppliers, launch new product lines, and enter new markets, manual tools simply can’t keep up.
How PLM Helps:
PLM systems are built for scalability. They grow with your business, providing customizable workflows, advanced analytics, and seamless integration with ERP and PIM systems. Tools like Surefront enable businesses to scale without compromising efficiency or accuracy.
| H&M scaled its global operations with the help of PLM Software, which allowed them to efficiently manage supplier relationships and track product data across multiple regions. The result? Faster launches and improved inventory accuracy across 4,000+ stores worldwide. |
Recognizing the need for PLM is just the first step. Choosing the right system requires careful evaluation. Here’s a roadmap to guide your decision:
What are your top priorities? Whether it’s automating workflows, improving collaboration, or reducing errors, knowing your pain points will help you focus on solutions that address them.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) ensures you evaluate vendors systematically. Include details like:
When reviewing RFP responses, prioritize:
When selecting PLM Software, avoid these common mistakes:
The signs are clear: If your business is overwhelmed by outdated tools, disconnected data, and inefficient processes, it’s time to invest in PLM Software. The right system will centralize your workflows, improve team collaboration, and support your growth - setting your business up for long-term success.
Surefront is flexible. It works seamlessly when the buyer and vendor are meeting in-person or discussing products remotely.
You don’t want your data to be siloed. Your company’s CRM, PIM and PLM solutions shouldn’t operate in a vacuum, either. Surefront is a unified product collaboration platform to power growth and ROI. Our patented PIM, CRM, and PLM solutions streamline the omni channel sales, merchandising and product development processes. By combining these essential functionalities, Surefront creates a single source of truth throughout your Product Lifecycle, sales and listing processes.
The results? Up to 150% more revenue per employee and a 40% shorter product development cycle is just the beginning. Try our 10x ROI calculator to see your company’s potential profits. Or, skip the noise and book a custom demo with one of our unified product collaboration management experts today. The retail industry evolves quickly and has a lot of moving parts. We do all of the research, so you don’t have to. Stay ahead of market fluctuations, trends and new features by subscribing to our Unified Product Collaboration Management Blog.