OpenBOM vs. SAP Integrated Product Development

OpenBOM is well suited for users who require the ability to have a "structured sandbox" when it comes to part, BOM, and vendor management. By having this structure, it allows for consistent capturing of key information, in a structured way, while also being dynamic where approved users can modify the information without too much overhead. We're using it for a medical device.

Incentivized

SAP PLM is suited for big organizations with no economic constraint since the price of SAP PLM is high. But it makes developing and maintaining applications easier through it change management and status management process. SAP PLM is suited in organizations with high skilled workers because it is complex to handle.

Incentivized

• E-BOM management with an intuitive interface.
• Import/export from/to popular systems.

Incentivized

• Provides lower-cost calculation
• This makes processes related to the product consistent, efficient, and simpler.
• It manages product development, support, and recycling projects effectively.
• It allows us to control the whole process.
• It allows us to see the future status of the products.

Incentivized

• Consistent log-off/ log-ins required (despite saying stay logged in)
• Default "custom use" of fields (vs. requiring the user to check this each time a new parameter is selected).

Incentivized

• The interface is that of your typical SAP program, it's not very user friendly to a person who doesn't use it every single day.
• Some simple Windows commands do not work in SAP PLM, such as a copy and paste.
• Right click menus generally produce unconventional results if the user is more familiar with Windows right click menus.

Incentivized

It is easy to use and we decide the context ourself

Incentivized

Once implemented, it provides seamless integration between PLM and ERP systems.

Incentivized

OpenBOM is mainly BOM-centric, whilst PLM solutions have much wider functionality, suitable for cross-department activities. We are in constant search and evaluation of a one-fits-all solution and, I must say, after a price spike, OpenBOM doesn't look as attractive as it used to.

Incentivized

SAP PLM encompasses SAP BW and SAP PRD. We tend to focus more on the SAP PRD portion as it directly involves more closely to production. We selected SAP PLM because it gives us a great visibility in the life cycle of materials, products and overall costs. SAP PLM compliments the other packages very well

Incentivized

• My company has avoided (literally) hundreds of misconfigurations, saving us months of development cycle time.
• We have been able to streamline vendor management/ approval (or disqualification), reducing the overall time from ~8 hours to <2 hours per vendor. And our maintenance of the vendors (e.g. requalification) has similar savings.

Incentivized

• Accurately able to order raw materials which are necessary for the current production run, thus reducing overhead.
• The negative impact would be the initial cost of the software and how long it would take to ROI that cost.
• It has allowed us to control batches of product creation much more closer and have the ability to cut some erroneous costs which were found in large batches.

Incentivized