CADENAS PARTsolutions is demonstrating the power and versatility of their Standard Parts Management (SPM) platform at PTC Live June 15-18 in Boston, MA. Working as a standalone platform or in tandem with a PLM system, such as PTC Windchill, the PARTsolutions SPM software enables engineers to streamline their parts selection and engineering processes. PARTsolutions Strategic Parts Management gives engineers the power to search, sort and classify their standard parts, like no other platform can.
“PARTsolutions SPM brings added versatility and flexibility for users of any PLM system, including PTC Windchill,” says Tim Thomas, CEO of CADENAS PARTsolutions. “We enable large organizations and multi-cad environments to work more closely with one another, and to work more closely with their purchasing department. By cleaning up their ‘jungle of parts,’ they can prevent expensive errors and duplicates and move their business forward in a much more streamlined manner.”
PARTsolutions parts management technology platform supports SPM initiatives by providing a single authoritative source for all standard part types (supplier, industry and internal standard parts). Using the PARTsolutions SPM platform, companies are able to re-use existing parts and reduce their parts footprint which results in substantial savings. PARTsolutions is also accessible to procurement so they can help guide engineering to specify preferred parts and vendors, enabling significant cost savings.
Implementation of SPM technologies establishes enterprise-wide standardization for all part types, resulting in:
- Elimination of duplicate parts
- Reduction of engineering re-work
- Increased productivity
- Guided selection of company approved parts and suppliers
- Part data visibility across all systems (ERP, PLM, PDM and CAD)
- Compliance for industry standard / commodity parts
- Greater order accuracy and procurement efficiency
What are standard parts?
The term “standard parts” has often been used to describe only the smallest components used in a design, the fasteners such as bolts, nuts and washers. While this is true, it is a very narrow picture of which parts are “standard” to an industrial manufacturer. In actuality, standard parts comprise 40-80% of most manufactured products, far too big to ignore.
Standard parts fall into 3 main categories:
- Supplier Standards: Parts externally sourced to be used in combination with other parts and result in a complete product structure. For example, parts like bearings, resistors, cylinders, switches, springs, connectors and other off-the-shelf items that are typically purchased from a supplier to fulfill standard functions.
- Industry Standards: These are parts manufactured in accordance with specifications and inspected for conformance by standards developing organizations (SDOs). These are usually fasteners such as screws, nuts, and rivets. These represent what is sometimes considered a “commodity part” and sourced from a variety of sup pliers, often driven by price and availability. Although less glamorous than other standards, industry standards are critically important as they are specified for use in critical, life-or-death applications.
- Internal Standards: Parts you make internally rather than buy. These are the components which are fabricated and assembled along with purchased parts to make your final product or system.
