Lesson 0 · What PLM is, and why

A PLM keeps one true version of every part; SODOO PLM does it in the same database as the ERP.

Goal of this lessonTo understand the problem a PLM solves, and what changes when it lives in the same database as the ERP.

One true version of every part

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) keeps one true version of every part: its number (engineering code), its version (revision), its drawings and CAD models, its bill of materials and every change made to it — who made it, when and why. The aim is that purchasing, production and sales always work from the released design, never from an old print on somebody's desk.

A separate PLM compared with one databaseSeparate PLM + ERP (classic)PLMpart, drawing, BOMERPpurchase, productionintegration interfacetwo copies · delay · mismatchThe impact of a change is guessed:open orders are not visible in PLM.SODOO PLM (one database)PLMcode · revisionstate · document · BOMERPpurchase · productionsales · stockThe impact analysis reads live data:open production, purchase, sales, stock.
One record is engineering's and purchasing's and production's at once; there is no copy to transfer.

SODOO PLM is built on the open-source OdooPLM and follows the change process of enterprise systems such as Teamcenter and Windchill (the CMII closed loop). Its biggest difference is where it lives: PLM and ERP share one database. A change request sees the part's open manufacturing orders, purchase and sale lines and stock on hand at that moment; there is no second copy to transfer or reconcile.

A part on the screen: what we look at

The form of the released part PW-KIT-75012345
  1. Status bar: the part is Released — valid for production and purchasing, locked.
  2. The blue guide box: says what this state means and what to do next.
  3. Request a Change: the only way to change a released part is a change request.
  4. Part number: the engineering code and the revision together name one exact design.
  5. Take Baseline: freezes the released structure as it is (Lesson 5).

Compared with Teamcenter and Windchill

CapabilitySiemens TeamcenterPTC WindchillSODOO PLM
Part and document versioning✓✓✓ code + revision
Life cycle and workflow✓✓✓ five states, release right
Bill of materials (EBOM, MBOM, spare)✓✓✓
Where-used✓✓✓
Change managementECR / ECN / ECOProblem Report → Change Request → Change NoticeECR → ECO (CMII)
CAD integration✓✓✓ OdooPLM client
Viewing in the browser✓ JT✓ Creo View✓ PLM 3D + CAD Viewer
Link to the ERPthrough a connector (e.g. SAP)through a connector (ESI)the same database
Baselines (frozen structure) and comparison✓✓✓ by hand and on every applied order
Effectivity: date, serial number, lot✓✓✓ warned on manufacturing orders
Variant configuration (150% BoM)✓✓✓ requires rules, configurator

The table describes the state on this course's publication day (8 October 2026); SODOO PLM keeps growing, and the course describes what works in the system today.

Caution: released data is never edited in place
A PLM is trusted because of its history. “Quickly” fixing a released part or drawing silently makes wrong what everyone who bought or built it holds. A change always starts with a change request (Lesson 6).

Mini case: the old print in the workshop

Situation
The welder builds the bracket from the print on the bench: rev 0.
Problem
Rev 1 was released two weeks ago; the weld size grew.
With PLM
The manufacturing order uses the released revision's BoM and documents; rev 0 is marked Obsoleted and enters no new work.

Check yourself

Which two pieces of information name the “one true version” a PLM keeps?
The engineering code and the revision: the code is the part's number, the revision its version.
What sets SODOO PLM apart from Teamcenter and Windchill the most?
It shares the database with the ERP: a change's impact is read live from open orders and stock.
You find a mistake on a released part. What do you do?
You do not edit it; you raise a change request with Request a Change.