International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management 

About: International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management is an academic journal published by Inderscience Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Product lifecycle & New product development. It has an ISSN identifier of 1743-5110. Over the lifetime, 222 publications have been published receiving 2683 citations. The journal is also known as: Product lifecycle management & IJPLM.

Product lifecycle management – from its history to its new role

Abstract: This paper is a result of comprehensive consultation among the authors, with the scientists and leading actors in the area of PLM, which is a reference term for a list of phenomena currently ongoing in the industrial community. This paper discusses the pervasive concept of product lifecycle management (PLM), starting from its history to its constituent elements and its role in the current industry. The authors propose and elaborate their vision for the future steps of the PLM in terms of emerging issues and topics that industrial practitioners and researchers need to address.

Extending total life-cycle thinking to sustainable supply chain design

Abstract: Conventional supply chain management (SCM) practices have focused only on three life-cycle stages: pre-manufacturing, manufacturing and use. The fourth stage, post-use, probably the most important from a sustainability perspective, is often addressed on a piece-meal basis, only when such practices deliver economic benefits. This paper introduces a total life-cycle-based approach to sustainable SCM (SSCM) that extends beyond the 3R's of reduce, reuse and recycle to 6R's that includes recover, redesign and remanufacture. A new definition for SSCM that adopts the total life-cycle approach and triple bottom-line (TBL) is presented. Two existing supply chain frameworks: supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model and the global supply chain forum (GSCF) framework, are evaluated in the context of SSCM to improve economic growth while ensuring environmental protection and societal well-being. The review finds that neither framework explicitly captures the non-economic aspects of SSCM, but the broader view of the GSCF framework offers much promise.

PLM roadmap: stepwise PLM implementation based on the concepts of maturity and alignment

Abstract: Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is increasingly important for organisations acting in dynamic and competitive markets. In practice however, companies struggle with implementing PLM. Because PLM is rather a concept than a system, as its main premises are to improve sustainable advantage through agility and innovation. The concept implies structural, cross-functional and long-term cooperation between actors in- and outside the firm. This complexity hampers the achievement of successfully implementing PLM that truly integrates all organisational aspects and levels. The central aim of this paper is to develop a PLM framework to assess and guide PLM implementations. This framework builds upon insights from capability maturity and business/IT-alignment. The results of a first empirical assessment of 23 Dutch organisations are presented, which were used to empirically validate the framework and to provide benchmark data. Based on the framework and benchmark organisations can develop their own PLM Roadmap to increase the success of their PLM implementation.

Organisational change and knowledge management in PLM implementation

Abstract: PLM, Product Lifecycle Management is a new organisational, technology based, business model to run Company activities for accomplishing current product innovation requirements. The PLM business model may be applied both in the manufacturing sector, in the engineering & contracting and in the service sector. PLM is being considered as one of the major technological and organisational challenges of this decade to face the shortening of product lifecycles, the trend toward collaboration in product design and product manufacturing and, in general, to deal with the large amount of product related data amongst business actors in interenterprise contexts. The implementation of the PLM approach can foster a company's product innovation ability, supposing that organisational change and knowledge management are jointly conducted.

A state-of-the-art of industrial sustainability: definitions, tools and metrics

Abstract: At present, a wide range of stakeholders including consumers, regulators, shareholders and public bodies are demanding that companies address sustainability in a more comprehensive way. However, even if a company actually wishes to innovate its processes for improving the way to account for sustainability, it will face relevant difficulties to deal with different guidelines, tools and methods currently addressing the matter from various points of view. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise literature on sustainability from an operational point of view with the objective to help companies to answer to three main questions: What is sustainability? (How it has been defined), How can sustainability of processes and products be achieved and measured? (What are the different existing means and indicators) and How can they be improved? In such a context, this paper investigates and debates the role of technological development, as an enabling factor of sustainability within the companies.