A Review on Valuable Trends of Product Data Management (PDM) Occupied in New Product Development (NPD)

Abstract

Presently the prime task of manufacturing engineers is to make products within a short span by maintaining the best quality at minimum cost. Recent market trends confirm the continuation of New Product Development (NPD) as a change agent for many more years to come with a focus on high product variety and shorter product life cycles. The effective introduction of new products is critical to the performance of manufacturing industries in more industrial sectors. It is a measure of an industry's strength in innovation and competitiveness in NPD. Manufacturing industries are forced to accept that the focus on NPD is on increasing product variety and shorter product life cycle. For many manufacturing industries, mass customization with "voice of customer", agility and leanness are some of the vital prerequisites to survive in the current global competitive environment. NPD is no longer an isolated process; it requires close integration between all active members within the supply chain such as customers, suppliers, manufacturers, etc. and must be viewed as an integrated business process. The proper use of advanced IT has enhanced NPD in manufacturing enterprises. It facilitates shorter product lead-times and increases responsiveness to changes in the market along with improved product quality, as well as maintaining low product cost.