Aras®, the leader in open product lifecycle management (PLM) software for the enterprise, today announced availability of version 11 SP14 of the Aras PLM Platform, which features Effectivity Services. Aras delivers a flexible, multi-factor approach to effectivity to enable manufacturers to manage complex effectivity at scale. Using Aras’ Effectivity Services, organizations are able to create and apply customized effectivity rules and manage all variants in a single, dynamic product structure. The result is a massively simplified approach for engineering teams to specify and manage large numbers of variants and customized product configurations, collaborate on designs, and incorporate effectivity into the Digital Thread.

Flexible Effectivity a Requirement for Complex Products

From low-volume manufacturers developing individual tail numbers and hull numbers to high-volume manufacturers tracking date or batch, effectivity – when and how engineering change goes into effect – is critical for managing product complexity, coordinating design and manufacturing teams, and customizing products to meet customer requirements. Each organization also requires the ability to customize the way effectivity is implemented and apply it differently depending on its business.

To date, managing effectivity has been a stumbling block for organizations due to inadequate and disconnected tools. Existing enterprise software in the market has been inflexible and unable to support organizations’ individual requirements. As a result, manufacturers have resorted to manual processes and spreadsheets that expand rather than reduce complexity. These manual approaches lead to extensive reconciliation and increase risk of error, delays, and impact to quality and customer satisfaction.

Platform Approach for Scalable Effectivity Across Disciplines

The Aras PLM Platform approach overcomes these problems by offering flexible Effectivity Services that are inherently integrated with configuration, change, and variant management. A single platform increases cross-functional collaboration by improving visibility for teams, bridging process gaps, and eliminating inefficiencies in managing data in multiple applications and tools. Aras simplifies how organizations manage effectivity by allowing it to be managed as part of a single data structure rather than multiple disconnected structures.

 Aras’ flexible effectivity delivers to teams:

• Support for modeling effectivity factors, e.g., date, unit, factory, region or custom criteria in a generic way for application to products, product lines, or batches
• Ability to apply designated effectivity factors to any data structure, including BOMs, variability rules, technical documentation, etc.
• A common product structure – and its effectivity – to validate engineering changes and decisions across design domains during development and into manufacturing
• An effectivity engine that quickly resolves structures for any given effectivity criteria

Using Aras’ flexible Effectivity Service, organizations can enable engineer-to-order (ETO), configure-to-order (CTO), and assemble-to-order (ATO) development and manufacturing.

To learn more about Aras’ flexible Effectivity Services, teams can view the Aras Demo Series Effectivity Services and download the sample application.

Availability

Aras Innovator V11 SP14 software is available immediately to enterprise subscribers for no additional charge. All software upgrades, regardless of customization, are also performed by Aras as part of enterprise subscriptions.

Supporting Quote:

“Effectivity is a critical overlay of configuration and variant management and is a centerpiece for manufacturers developing complex products on a custom basis. The hard-coded way that legacy systems handle effectivity is impractical, and customers have been asking for a new approach. With our platform-based approach, effectivity is inherently integrated with configuration, change, and variant management and provides the flexibility organizations require to manage effectivity at scale.” –  John Sperling, VP of Product Management, Aras

Additional resources:

• The Aras PLM Platform
• Aras Effectivity Services
• Aras Effectivity sample application

About Aras 
Aras enables the world’s leading manufacturers of complex, connected products to transform their product lifecycle processes and gain a competitive edge. Aras’ open, flexible, scalable, and upgradable PLM platform and applications connect users in all disciplines and functions to critical product information and processes across the extended enterprise. Aras customers include Airbus, BAE Systems, GE, GM, Hitachi, Honda, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Microsoft. Visit www.aras.com and follow us on Twitter @aras_plm and LinkedIn