Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a critical enabler for innovation, quality, and time-to-market in the automotive industry. Automotive companies manage highly complex products with numerous variants, strict regulatory requirements, and demanding supply chains. SAP’s PLM solutions provide a robust platform to integrate people, processes, and data across the entire vehicle lifecycle—from initial concept through design, manufacturing, and service.
To maximize the benefits of SAP PLM in the automotive sector, companies should follow best practices that align with industry demands and technological capabilities. This article outlines key best practices for implementing and leveraging Automotive PLM with SAP.
Automotive PLM should not operate in isolation. Integration with other SAP modules like SAP ERP, SAP S/4HANA, SAP Supply Chain Management (SCM), and SAP Quality Management (QM) ensures seamless data flow and end-to-end process visibility.
Automotive products are characterized by a high number of variants and options. Best practice includes using SAP Variant Configuration within PLM to:
This approach minimizes the explosion of data and ensures consistent product definitions.
Change management is fundamental in automotive PLM due to frequent engineering updates, compliance changes, and quality improvements.
Digital twin technology, integrated with SAP PLM, enables virtual modeling of vehicles and components.
Automotive manufacturers must adhere to stringent regulatory and quality standards such as ISO/TS 16949 and safety regulations.
Suppliers play a vital role in automotive manufacturing. Best practices include:
PLM implementation in automotive should follow agile methodologies:
Leveraging SAP Analytics Cloud with PLM data enables:
Effective Product Lifecycle Management is a strategic differentiator for automotive companies facing complex product portfolios and dynamic market conditions. By following these best practices within SAP’s PLM framework, automotive manufacturers can accelerate innovation, improve quality, reduce costs, and enhance collaboration across the value chain.
SAP for Automotive PLM delivers the tools to unify engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, and quality teams, ensuring that vehicles are designed and built to exacting standards while meeting market demands efficiently.