Next Generation Plm - An Integrated Approach For The Development And Management Of The Product Service Systems In The Telecommunications Industry

Consistent definition, categorization and operationalization of product service systems delivered to the markets and customized for different segments is one of the major challenges for the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in the telecommunications industry. Each lifecycle encompasses the processes, information, support systems, culture and people involved in delivering the related business functions. It can be argued that process supporting solutions like WFMS, PDM etc. exist today for the creation of a seamless environment for accessing, manipulating and reasoning about product information that is being produced in fragmented and distributed environment. A holistic approach that is suitable for aligning the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) business requirements to the potentials of new technology driven concepts in the information management like SOA as well as to the environmental and economic aspects over the complete product lifecycle is nevertheless still missing. The authors give reasons why the holistic view on the product lifecycle management is critical for an efficient PLM and present an integrated approach for developing of product service systems compatible with the requirements of sustainability and profitability for the business. In this paper four building blocks of Next Generation PLM are introduced: 1) Product Meta Model; 2) PLM-Process; 3) PLM IT-Architecture; 4) Lifecycle Value Management concept for steering the PLM process on a strategic level like, among other things, by considering portfolio effects. The paper closes with the presentation of a short case study validating the proposed concept for a company in the telecommunication industry.