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Achieving mass personalization with modern technologies and processes
PLM as a foundation for personalization
Modern PLM platforms designed to support end-to-end product lifecycle visibility enable teams to work with structured, itemlevel data rather than static documents. This allows users to access and update relevant information in real time based on roles, permissions, and business context. This makes it easier to manage complex product configurations and personalize offerings at scale.
These solutions also support secure collaboration beyond organizational boundaries. With the right controls in place, manufacturers can share specific data and actively collaborate with external partners, such as suppliers or service providers, to reduce delays, align deliverables, and drive greater efficiency across the value chain.
Enabling continuity with the digital thread
A digital thread connects a product’ s data across the entire product lifecycle – from design and engineering to manufacturing, maintenance, and even product end-of-life. In the context of mass personalization, this continuous flow of information is crucial for managing complexity across multiple product variants and rapidly evolving customer demands.
By linking every stage of product development and delivery, the digital thread ensures that product data remains consistent, traceable, and up to date. This enables teams to identify dependencies and impacts of changes quickly, which is especially important when dealing with customized configurations.
For example, if a customer orders a product with a specific feature or material, the decision to create a new product variant and make it available for future customer requests flows through engineering, supply chain,
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