Top 11 Cloud PLM Software for Small Businesses

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is the tried and tested software of the manufacturing industry. Emerging in the mid-1980s, PLM was created to:

Bolster efficiency
Improve processes
Raise profit margins
Reduce manufacturing waste
Increase speed to market

Delivering on all these promises, PLM proved beneficial for many large enterprises.

In fact, it played a key role in helping the American Motor Company (now Chrysler) get the first iteration of jeeps off the ground and even contributed to the success of the Jeep Cherokee.

At this time, however, PLM was only accessible to large enterprise organizations with boatloads of cash.

It’s million-dollar implementation price tag, multi-year deployment, and expensive customizations are all reasons PLM wasn’t obtainable for small and mid-sized manufacturers.

Luckily, this is no longer the case in 2019, as PLM has been steadily improving since then.

Over the past thirty years, PLM has benefited from technological advances like the rise of software as a service (SaaS) and the shift to cloud solutions.

Combined, these factors have made it easier for small businesses to leverage PLM by dropping the cost, time to implement, and ongoing maintenance fees to a manageable level.

Today, PLM creates a comprehensive record of product data from cradle to grave and establishes workflows around this information so that manufacturing processes are fast, clear, and efficient.

Good PLMs pull data out of engineering software and push it across enterprise systems like ERP, SCM, and CRM, so that teams have access to the data they need, when they need it.

Now that we’ve recapped what PLM is, and how it evolved over the years, let’s take a look at where PLM is headed.

In 2018 we’ve seen investments in the millions pouring into the cloud PLM space, and a huge increase in appetite from small and medium businesses looking to counter rising product complexity and increasing pressure to stretch engineering hours further.

The result? Markets and Markets estimates the cloud PLM market to be worth a whopping $40.55 billion in 2021.

With 2018 a banner year for cloud PLM, we take a look at the best PLM tools to kickoff 2019.

Top 11 Cloud PLM Software for small Businesses:

UPCHAIN

Noted as a high-performer on G2 Crowd, Upchain is the top cloud PLM solution we recommend for small businesses.

Ranked in the top 5 for highest-rated PLM software, Upchain offers full PLM functionality at a price point SMBs can afford.

They deploy incredibly quickly, charge no implementation fees, and have unlimited support for every single customer.

Upchain’s easy to use interface, configurable workflows, and native plugins for every major CAD system are additional standout features that truly let teams work they why they want to.

And with users up and running in just a few days, manufacturers see a quick ROI as teams realize tangible benefits in weeks, not years.

UPCHAIN

PTC

PTC provides technology solutions that transform how products are created and serviced, helping companies achieve product and service advantage.

PTC

SOLIDEDGE

Solid Edge from Siemens is a portfolio of product development software: design, simulation, manufacturing, technical publications, data management & more.

SOLIDEDGE

FUSEPLM

FusePLM’s pricing is affordable and simple. Additionally, you can change your plan anytime. Upgrade from a free Trial to a Pro or Enterprise package. View our price packages here.

FUSEPLM

FXONDEMAND

WFX is a Cloud based Apparel PLM software for fashion business managing complete product life cycle and used by over 21,000 users across 30 countries.

FXONDEMAND

PROPELPLM

Propel is the platform for future brands. Propel’s cloud PLM, PIM and QMS software can help your company with digital transformation by getting everyone working together on launching world-changing products.

PROPELPLM

ARENASOLUTIONS

Arena is the Cloud PLM market leader. We have more customers using Arena than any other Cloud PLM vendor. If you want a reliable and proven solution to help share product, quality, and product development information–join more than 1300 customers that depend on Arena.