A novel low-cost product data management system

Many small and medium size companies have multiple products with a complex supply chain. To these companies, managing their product data is vital and yet may be headache because of the complexity of the product, the manufacturing processes and the supply chain. There exist some commercial Product Data Management (PDM) software systems. However, these PDM systems are expensive. Moreover, they are difficult to use. This paper presents a novel low cost product data management system. This system is developed based on Microsoft Foxpro® but can simply run in the MS Windows® environment. It integrates the design (CAD files), the supply chain (MS Excel® files), the production schedule (MS Project® files), and the database (MS Foxpro®). Moreover, it can be expanded to include other information, such as manufacturing simulation. Its Graphic User Interface (GUI) makes the system easy to use and to maintain. A practical demonstration example on mechanical watch movement is included. © 2008 CAD Solutions, LLC.