Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Part of the worlds-biggest-software-project initiative.

An AI-native, open-source PLM platform for engineering BOM, change management, document control, and compliance — without Tier-1 enterprise pricing or implementation timelines.

Product Lifecycle Management software is the system of record for how discrete manufacturers design, change, and release physical products. This project is for engineering teams, configuration managers, and regulatory affairs groups who need rigorous BOM and change control but find existing platforms either prohibitively expensive (Teamcenter, Windchill, 3DEXPERIENCE) or too lightweight for serious manufacturing (OpenBOM). It targets the underserved gap where compliance, change traceability, and AI-assisted impact analysis must coexist with modern, API-first deployment.

Why Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)?

The PLM software market reached USD 50.17 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow to USD 73.91 billion by 2031, yet no credible open-source enterprise PLM exists today.
Tier-1 platforms (Teamcenter, Windchill, 3DEXPERIENCE) carry custom enterprise pricing with 12–24 month implementation timelines and high total cost of ownership.
Mid-market cloud PLM such as Arena starts at approximately USD 750/user/month and OpenBOM at USD 150/user/month — still inaccessible to many SMB hardware teams who need real change management.
GenAI copilots from incumbents (Siemens, PTC, Dassault, Oracle) remain siloed inside each vendor's data; natural-language querying across the full digital thread (PLM + ERP + CRM + field data) remains shallow.
Automated compliance screening (REACH, RoHS, conflict minerals) typically happens at release gate rather than at the moment a component is added — a gap that is costly to remediate late.

Key Features

BOM and Item Management

Multi-level BOM management (EBOM, MBOM, SBOM) with revision control and BOM comparison between revisions
Item master and part catalogue with custom properties and classification
Variant and configuration management linked to product structures
Inline BOM diff to highlight deltas across revisions

Engineering Change Management

ECR to ECO workflow with configurable multi-level approvals
Full audit trail and electronic signature support aligned with FDA 21 CFR Part 11
Contextual "Where Used" queries to surface affected assemblies for impact analysis
Deviation and waiver handling tied to baselines

Document, CAD, and Compliance Control

Document management with version history and role-based access control
CAD connectors for SOLIDWORKS and Onshape as initial high-demand targets
Compliance attribute tracking at the part level for REACH, RoHS, and conflict minerals
Material declaration tracking across the BOM

Quality and Supplier Collaboration

QMS module covering CAPA, NCR, and supplier corrective actions linked to product records
Supplier collaboration portal for sharing BOMs and requesting component qualifications
Manufacturer and supplier records linked to parts and BOMs

Integration and Extensibility

REST API with OpenAPI 3.x specification for ERP and third-party integration
ERP sync connectors targeting SAP S/4HANA and NetSuite initially
Webhook support for event-driven workflows

AI-Native Advantage

AI-assisted engineering change impact analysis automatically traverses the multi-level BOM to surface every affected assembly, document, test case, and downstream work order — compressing ECO cycle time from weeks to hours. Natural-language search lets engineers query the full product knowledge graph in plain language across structured BOM data and unstructured documents. Intelligent component substitution recommends approved, lifecycle-stable, in-stock alternatives when a part is end-of-life or non-compliant, and automated compliance screening flags REACH, RoHS, and conflict-mineral violations the moment a component is added rather than at release.

Tech Stack & Deployment

The project is intended as an API-first platform with a REST API exposed via an OpenAPI 3.x specification, suitable for self-hosted and cloud deployment. CAD integration is delivered through plugins for SOLIDWORKS and Onshape as initial targets, with ERP sync connectors for SAP S/4HANA and NetSuite. Relevant open standards include ISO 10303 (STEP) for product data exchange, IPC-2581 for PCB design data, and IEC 61360 for electrotechnical component properties. Regulatory frameworks AS9100, FDA 21 CFR Part 820 / ISO 13485, and REACH/RoHS/CMRT shape the document control, audit trail, and material declaration requirements.

Market Context

The global PLM software market reached USD 50.17 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow to USD 73.91 billion by 2031 at an 8.06% CAGR, with cloud deployments rising from USD 21.75 billion to USD 36.61 billion over the same period (Mordor Intelligence). Incumbent pricing ranges from custom enterprise contracts at Siemens, PTC, Dassault, Oracle, and SAP, through Arena PLM at approximately USD 750/user/month, down to OpenBOM at approximately USD 150/user/month. Primary buyers are VPs of Engineering and CTOs at discrete manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, electronics, and medical devices, alongside Engineering Change Board members, Configuration Managers, Regulatory Affairs teams, and Supply Chain leaders managing supplier BOMs.

Project Status

This project is in the research and specification phase.
Contributions, feedback, and domain expertise are welcome.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from developers, domain experts, and potential users. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Important: All contributions must be your own original work or clearly attributed open-source material with a compatible licence. Copyright infringement and licence violations will not be tolerated and will result in immediate removal of the offending contribution. If you are unsure whether a piece of code, text, or other material is safe to contribute, open an issue and ask before submitting.

Licence

Licence to be determined. See discussion for context.