Propel Software launched DesignHub, a multi-CAD integration solution that connects over 15 mechanical and electrical design tools to Propel’s PLM (product lifecycle management) solution, boosting productivity from design to release. DesignHub is available immediately as part of Propel’s Winter 2026 release. The release also includes expanded capabilities from Propel One, Propel’s agentic AI solution powered by Salesforce Agentforce.
DesignHub solves a persistent problem for manufacturers, getting accurate design data from computer aided design (CAD) systems to PLM. Design data often sits in shared drives with unclear naming conventions, leading to version conflicts, costly rework, and delayed handoffs. DesignHub drastically improves the connection between engineering teams and the rest of the enterprise, making design data a strategic asset accessible across procurement, product management, marketing, sales, and service.
“Our research reveals multiple CAD applications and complexity hampers new product development, with nearly three-quarters of companies facing inefficiency and delays due to multi-CAD challenges. The result is design errors, extra overhead costs, and suboptimal design decisions,” said Jim Brown, president and founder, Tech-Clarity. “The solution is integrating CAD data from across systems into a unified product data platform. This makes design information accessible to the entire organization from the earliest stages, boosting collaboration, enhancing decision making, and enabling on-time delivery.”
What DesignHub Does: Multi-CAD Integration
DesignHub centralizes design data from mechanical and electrical CAD tools with Propel's unified platform, eliminating version control issues and enabling engineering data sharing across the enterprise.
Propel DesignHub capabilities include:
- Multi-CAD connectivity: Connects 15+ mechanical and electrical CAD and PDM systems to Propel PLM
- Automated synchronization: Automatically generates part numbers, syncs BOMs, and maps attributes eliminating manual data entry
- Change management: Captures design changes and routes them into change order workflows with full traceability
- Enterprise access: Makes design information such as part and assembly drawings, thumbnails, neutral CAD formats, and interactive viewables available to procurement, production, marketing, sales, and service
- Version control: Tracks data flow across the product lifecycle, reducing errors
By breaking design information out of silos, DesignHub accelerates new product development, reduces costs, and improves time to market.
"Most manufacturers use multiple CAD solutions, and their engineering data needs to be accessible throughout the whole product lifecycle," said Eric Schrader, chief product officer, Propel. "DesignHub connects these systems without the cost and complexity of traditional CAD-PLM integrations. It breaks down silos between engineering and other departments, empowering every team to make faster, better informed decisions."
Propel One AI Automates Workflows Using Connected Data
The Winter 2026 release significantly expands Propel One AI, embedding agentic intelligence directly into the Propel platform. Built on Salesforce Agentforce, Propel One operates as a growing library of AI skills that work across item management, BOM, change management, quality, and training, using trusted product data from DesignHub and other connected sources.
Rather than providing simple attachment summaries, or navigating help documentation, Propel One draws from the full system of record including BOMs, change records, quality events, training assets, and technical documentation to automate and orchestrate work that spans teams and processes. Early adopters are using Propel One to:
- Accelerate change order efficiency: Users ask change order questions and receive context-specific answers drawn from the complete change record, including BOMs, documents, and affected items. AI generates summaries of complex changes, helping approvers quickly understand modifications without reading multiple documents.
- Turn complex documents into actionable content: Teams can ask questions about technical documents, specifications, and procedures in plain language. Instead of searching PDFs or navigating folders, they ask specific questions and receive relevant answers. The system generates document summaries based on actual content, reducing time spent on administrative tasks.
- Enhance training compliance by automating quiz generation: AI creates assessment quizzes from documents such as training materials, instructions for use, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). In this way, quality and regulatory teams can quickly and confidently ensure compliance and comprehension across manufacturing teams, field technicians, and service providers without need to manually author quizzes.
- Expedite bulk item creation: Reduces repetitive data entry for product introduction and change management. Users describe the parts needed, and the system generates multiple part numbers with appropriate attributes based on existing naming conventions and product structures.
Propel One automation works by connecting BOMs, changes, quality records, and commercial information on a single platform. This unified approach means AI has access to complete, accurate product data, not siloed information.
