User Reviews
PDXpert PLM by Active Sensing
USER REVIEWS - All reviews
Purchased Date: January 01, 2012
Specialist Product Invation Advisor, Manufacturing Advisory Service
April 12, 2012
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Pros
The system is very capable but at the same time does not try to incorporate functions outside of its primary remit which often causes complication with other vendor systems. The ability to hold information within one database and produce quick reports giving key financial and material data is something that is just not possible easily with spreadsheets often used by smaller enterprises. The ability to easily produce structured BOM's and keep track of where parts are used is something that should not be underestimated. Changes of parts are immediately reflected throughout without having to think about and potentially miss with manual systems.
The technical support provided through your own dedicated application engineer is exemplary. For a UK based enterprise the initial concern is how do we cope when we need help. That has been completely dispelled by the swiftness that questions have been answered.
Cons
We have not fully implemented the sytem so am unable to realistically comment on any day to day issues. We have experierienced some hanging of the sofware that has been resolved by reinstallation. This could pose a problem if it occurred when fully installed as it gave concern about the integrity of the data entered the first time it occurred.
The online tutorials are very good and help to visually explain where to go within the database to achieve the initial creation of a product and assembly.
It would be very helpful to expand these tutorials to cover all aspects of online help as hand / eye coordination embeds learning so much quicker than reading text.
The only potential downside we see about using US based support is when fully implemented and issues occur outside of support hours given the different time zones.
Overall
PLM software comes into its own when parts need to be controlled and or repeated and are part of series production. Given this the investment in time to enter the data will pay significant dividends as the number of product lines increase and I would certainly recommend PDXpert for anyone running just such a business. Its ability to be customised and its scalability allows it to grow with the business without the fear that at some point it will be necessary to move to another system.
Purchased Date: April 01, 2011
Engineer, RA Warren Equipment Ltd.
December 22, 2011
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Pros
Existing part number / description database imported without any problems. Logical layout of windows makes finding and using data easy. Excellent search function. Comprehensive 'Help' system makes system easy to learn for new users. Extensive technical help files available from Technical Support for more advanced users, and for 'Best Practice' advice. Rapid and knowledgeable response from Application Engineer to all our questions. PDXpert makes finding the interrelationship between all of our parts effortless, including our Suppliers' part numbers. Clicking on file references within PDXpert immediately opens the corresponding drawing, specification, document or file, saving hours of time and greatly improving the use and reuse of parts in new and revised designs with substantial reduction in cost of inventory.
Cons
No problems with PDXpert itself. However, we have not yet integrated the PDXpert database with our Business / Accounting system - which is due for replacement. Many of the Business / Accounting systems we have looked at so far attempt to perform some of the part interrelationship functions that are handled much better by PDXpert. Therefore we are looking for a replacement Business / Accounting system that can synchronize part data with PDXpert either using PDXpert's standardized database system (preferably) or via a custom data integration program.
Overall
Computer assisted design and drafting systems (CAD) are nice to have, but in my experience a good Product Lifecycle Management System (PLM) is essential. If absolutely necessary, we could live without CAD and use manual techniques, but there is no known way to handle the complex interrelationship between parts without access to a well designed Product Data Management system. A PLM system is even more useful! I am convinced that the return on investment from our PDXpert PLM system is far greater than the ROI from our CAD system. However, it is difficult to prove because we can only record time and money spent, there is no accurate way that we know of to estimate how much time and money we do not have to spend now that we have a better way to handle our increasing data management requirements.
Purchased Date: January 01, 2010
Manager, Engineering Processes, Wireless Seismic, Inc.
September 13, 2010
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Pros
The system was very easy to implement. PDXpert meets all of our needs. It is flexible enough to allow us to configure it the way we want it. The customer support is fabulous. If I have any questions, I just pick up the phone and call. They are very responsive. I've been using PDXpert for 8 months and it has really helped our engineering and operations organizations get our item master, bills of materials, and engineering documentation under control.
Cons
As with any system, PDXpert has it's limitations. The limitations are minor, however. The out-of-the-box reports are adequate. We paid for 1 custom report and will probably get more reports in the future. But, for now, we have what we need.
Overall
I highly recommend this system - very easy to use, great search engine, lots of flexibilty.
