Walmart Transparent Dream for PLM Applicable to All
March 16, 2012
Typically, engineers and IT managers located deep in the bowels of manufacturing plants are the only ones interested in the ins and outs of product lifecycle management (PLM). Walmart wanted to thrust PLM into the hands of buyers with a program that turns the usually dense practice of PLM into a transparent method of determining a product’s value. In the article, VIEWPOINT: Has Walmart lost sight of its green vision?, on Just-Style, Walmart’s dedication to ‘going green’ through focusing on PLM is challenged by their lack of evidence as proof.
The author explains Walmart’s noble yet inconceivably difficult aspiration:
“Suppliers would be required to calculate the full environmental costs of making their products and the ultimate vision was to see clothing labels that would not only display size, price and care instructions but also information like how much cotton was used and how many product miles were consumed to get an item such as a T-shirt into the store.”
Walmart is unique in its desire to push PLM into the forefront of the marketplace but the idea of breaking down the barriers separating PLM experts back in the IT department from the rest of the team is on the money. For PLM to truly be successful there must be accountability. To have accountability there must be a broad understanding across departments of large companies. One of the many benefits of hiring a smaller-sized PLM provider is the intimate relationship that develops between the provider and customer. As part of the package employee training and customer support is the cornerstone. As usual Walmart’s idea is great and smart businesses will pick up where they have left off and make PLM more transparent in their own companies.
Catherine Lamsfuss, March 16, 2012
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
