When you search for “what is PLM?” one of the first results is a Reddit post from 2011 — a thread that has become a go-to resource for engineers trying to define Product Lifecycle Management.
The post remains popular, but most of its answers reflect discrete manufacturing — industries like automotive, aerospace, and electronics. At Trace One, we see PLM from a process manufacturing perspective, where the “product” is a recipe, formulation, or chemical composition — not a collection of parts.
So, we’re revisiting this Reddit classic to see what’s still true, what’s outdated, and how PLM has evolved for today’s process manufacturing world.
👉 Learn more about how process manufacturing differs from discrete manufacturing in our blog:
It’s a great question — and one we hear often from food and beverage, cosmetics, and specialty chemical manufacturers beginning their digital transformation journey.
According to Federico Fontanella, Head of Strategic Innovation and Product Partners at Trace One, PLM “is a solution used by enterprises to manage the lifecycle of the products they manufacture.” Its goal is to serve as a single source of truth for all product data, especially across R&D, quality, compliance, and supply chain functions.
In process manufacturing, PLM helps teams track every formulation change, ingredient update, and regulatory requirement. That means if a product faces a recall or audit, the company can instantly see what changed, when it changed, and why — a vital capability for both compliance and consumer safety.
“At their most basic level, these software packages are designed to control who edits what, when, and makes sure everyone always has the most recent file. They are designed to work WITH processes put in place to make sure people use the software, and use it correctly. Without a supporting process these software packages will not do their job.”
By u/crispyfry
Fontanella: “You’re right that PLM began as a way to control versions: who edits what, when, and ensuring teams always had the latest file. But modern PLM goes far beyond that. Today, PLM platforms embed processes directly into the system, providing a single source of truth for product data, guiding teams through workflows like product development and change management, ensuring compliance, and connecting departments and partners. In other words, it’s no longer just about managing files, it’s about orchestrating the entire product lifecycle.”
“Having worked at a company that used PLM and a company that had zero lifecycle/config management, I can say without a doubt that SOME CM process is an absolute necessity in order to avoid mass chaos. It doesn't necessarily have to be PLM, but for God's sake you need something beyond tracking everything in excel spreadsheets.”
By u/crispyfry (#2)
Fontanella: “Absolutely! Some level of configuration and lifecycle management is essential to avoid chaos. Excel spreadsheets or ad-hoc tracking just can’t scale for complex products. PLM provides a structured, centralized system to manage data, processes, and changes across the entire product lifecycle, reducing errors, improving collaboration, and ensuring teams are always working from a single source of truth.”
“It's a terrible, terrible thing. It sounds good on paper, but when it comes to implementation, it takes you twice as long to get anything done.”
By u/nalc
Fontanella: “PLM can feel complex at first, and implementation does require investment in time and training. But when done right, it pays off by streamlining collaboration, reducing errors, and providing a single source of truth for product data. The initial effort may take longer, but it ultimately speeds up development and improves decision-making across the product lifecycle.”
“The PLM solution that you choose has to be dependent upon what your requirements are. I find the biggest problem is companies that don't seriously consider what their PLM requirements are. Not everyone needs Oracle's Agile PLM and the $100k price tag that comes with it. A single contractor can get away with implementing his own CM by using descriptive file names and revision letters on a shared drive. For most small companies, its some where in between. This requires someone that is more engineering minded in setting up processes that are flexible and low overhead enough for the company but also provide at least the minimum level of functionality that is required.”
By u/systolic_array
Fontanella: “Absolutely, choosing the right PLM solution always depends on your actual requirements. The biggest challenge is when companies don’t take the time to define what they truly need. Not every organization requires a full-scale, enterprise solution with a six-figure price tag. Today, smaller teams can leverage out-of-the-box, SaaS PLM solutions that provide essential functionality without heavy overhead. And for companies of any size, having someone experienced in PLM best practices, like our Professional Services team, can make all the difference, helping design processes that are both flexible and effective while ensuring a smooth implementation.”
“Basically they are software that manage all the documents along the whole life of the product. That includes collaboration on documents and archiving. It's not only for manufacturing. Also, they are software but it's not only a software, it's a different way of managing documentation and collaboration (that job is much more than setting up and managing a software). It's quite beneficial to have a system like that working, but it takes a lot of work to get it started, mostly because you have to get everyone to use it. Lots of people offer resistance and continue to do their own local backups and manual versioning, and send the files by email for "collaborating". They often require engineering skills to work on that because you need to understand a bit what are these documents you're trying to organize.”
By u/jesuisauxchiottes
Fontanella: “They’re spot on; PLM is much more than just software. It manages all product-related documents across the entire lifecycle, enabling collaboration, archiving, and version control, and it applies far beyond manufacturing. Implementing PLM effectively is about changing the way teams manage data and collaborate, which can be challenging because people often resist leaving old habits like local backups or email-based sharing. That’s why having the right expertise, whether in engineering/R&D, product data, or best practices, is critical. Our Professional Services team works closely with customers to design processes, train teams, and ensure successful adoption, making the transition smooth and effective.”
“I work in a large manufacturing environment and the internal logistics involved are complex beyond belief, to make such a large amount of things and make millions from it requires some real skill and experience. Especially when real industrial expertise is required your files, documentation and planning are all key factors to a sooth operation.”
By u/FruitPastel
Fontanella: “Large-scale manufacturing operations are incredibly complex, and managing files, documentation, and planning is critical to keeping everything running smoothly. PLM plays a key role by centralizing product data, linking it to processes, and enabling collaboration across teams. With the right system and expertise, companies can reduce errors, improve efficiency, and ensure that industrial knowledge and best practices are consistently applied throughout the product lifecycle.”
“At my company, PLM covers everything from managing our product lines, deployed/contracted equipment and products, documentation, drawings, etc.. In its most fundamental sense (at least as far as I am concerned) it is a revision control system that tracks changes of all of these things (down to the component level, up to the system level) and the release status of all of these things. It is a monumental challenge to navigate the system and get work done quickly, but it is absolutely necessary to ensure that we have control over what our product actually is, how it evolves, how we share drawings and technical information with customers and suppliers.”
By u/No_Kids_for_Dads
Fontanella: “Beyond just tracking changes, PLM provides a framework for understanding the full context of a product: how components interact, how changes affect downstream processes, and how decisions impact quality, cost, and compliance. It enables teams to analyze product performance, anticipate potential issues, and coordinate across multiple departments and suppliers. While it requires an initial investment in setup and training, PLM ultimately gives organizations the visibility and control needed to accelerate innovation, maintain consistency, and confidently scale their operations.”
The world of PLM has evolved dramatically over the past 14 years. Fontanella highlights several key shifts shaping how modern manufacturers use PLM today:
PLM has evolved from a back-office file manager to a strategic innovation and compliance platform that connects people, data, and decisions across the entire product lifecycle.
Process manufacturing is a world apart from discrete industries — and it requires a unique approach to PLM.
According to Fontanella, process-based companies face:
These challenges demand systems that move from data management to decision intelligence — helping R&D teams predict risks, spot market trends, and respond to regulatory changes faster.
Fontanella envisions the next evolution of PLM as a connected ecosystem that links suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and regulators — a self-optimizing product lifecycle platform powered by AI and real-time data sharing.
Reddit was a good starting point, but today’s challenges demand more.
Modern process manufacturers need tools that not only manage data but also accelerate innovation, ensure compliance, and measure sustainability impact across their entire value chain.
Trace One Devex PLM helps process manufacturers transform their product lifecycle — from concept to consumer — with agility, intelligence, and confidence.
👉 Explore Trace One PLM solutions.