What is actually built
PLM is the most partial module in the suite, and the navigation does not currently make that obvious — sections appear in the sidebar that lead to placeholder pages. Rather than let you discover that one section at a time, here is the complete position.
| Area | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Parts | Available | The part master, classification, where-used. |
| Structures / BOMs | Available | Multi-level bills of material, compare, baselines. |
| Suppliers | Available | Suppliers, manufacturers, approved lists. |
| Import | Available | Bulk load of parts and structures. |
| Search | Available | Across parts and structures. |
| Products | Planned | A product-level view above BOMs. |
| Changes — ECR, ECO, deviations | Planned | The nav lists them; there is nothing behind it. |
| Quality — NCR, CAPA, SCAR, FMEA | Planned | Same. |
| Documents and CAD | Planned | Same. |
| Reports and admin | Planned | Same. |
Engineering change orders, deviations, approvals and the change calendar are named in the navigation and have no behaviour behind them. If change control is why you are looking at PLM, this module does not do it today and you should plan accordingly.
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Northwind Manufacturing
What PLM is, and what an MRP is
This distinction decides whether the module is any use to you, so it is worth being blunt. PLM describes what the product is. It owns the engineering bill of material: which parts, in what quantity, in what structure, from which approved suppliers.
An MRP decides what to buy and build. It takes demand, nets it against stock and open orders, and tells you what to purchase and when. erp.io has no MRP — no material requirements run, no shop-floor control, no production scheduling — and building one is not planned. If you manufacture and need those, buy a manufacturing ERP.
A company that designs a product, buys parts, and has somebody else assemble it can run on PLM plus Accounting. A company running its own production floor cannot.
In this section
The part master in erp.io PLM: numbering, classification, where-used, and finding the duplicates that a part master accumulates.
StructuresAvailableMulti-level bills of material in erp.io PLM: building a structure, comparing two, and baselines that record what a product was at a moment in time.
SuppliersAvailableSuppliers, manufacturers and approved manufacturer lists in erp.io PLM, and the distinction between the two that trips people up.
ChangesPlannedEngineering change requests, change orders and deviations in erp.io PLM — named in the navigation and not built. What to do in the meantime.
QualityPlannedNonconformance, CAPA, SCAR and FMEA in erp.io PLM — listed in the navigation and not built.
DocumentsPlannedDocument management, CAD files, specifications and controlled copies in erp.io PLM — listed in the navigation and not built.
ImportAvailableBulk loading parts and bills of material into erp.io PLM, in the order that avoids a half-loaded part master.
What this does not do
No requirements planning, no scheduling, no shop-floor control.
ECR, ECO and deviations are not built.
NCR, CAPA, SCAR and FMEA are not built.
No CAD file handling, no controlled copies, no specification management.
PLM does not know how many you have. Neither does Accounting.
Questions
When will change control be built?
There is no committed date. Ask before depending on it.
Can we import from our existing PLM?
Parts and structures, yes. See Import.
Does it integrate with CAD?
No.