Home > PLM Software > Aras > Aras vs Arbortext

Aras vs Arbortext

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Aras vs Arbortext based on data from our 400+ point analysis of PLM Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

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Product Basics

Aras enables efficient control of the entire product lifecycle. It contains change management tools that can provide notifications to relevant users when adjustments are made to ensure consistency throughout the lifecycle. It also accounts for a variety of regulatory standards to help with product compliance.

The included visibility capabilities are robust, and user access is definable based on what’s relevant to each individual person. Multiple sources can be leveraged to develop insights, and multi-level bills of materials can be created as well.

PTC Arbortext is an end-to-end publishing and content authoring solution designed to help manufacturing organizations streamline the delivery of technical publications. It allows users to maintain a digital thread of dynamic data to boost consistency with real-time synchronization and a single source of data truth.

Users can create high-quality content by writing XML documents and creating stylesheets, complete with 2D and 3D illustrations. Automation capabilities include auto-generating content, automating publishing, formatting and printing. It also supports multi-channel delivery and multi-language formatting.

$2,500/User, Monthly

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$700/Seat, One-Time

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Product Insights

Control of Entire Lifecycle: Aras gives users control of the entirety of the product design lifecycle, from the time a product idea is conceptualized to final delivery.
Adaptability: Users can tailor business processes within the system to adhere to their company’s unique requirements.
Consistency: Information is centralized in Aras, making it easier for users to see the most up-to-date product specifications. This allows business processes and product development to become more consistent.
Collaboration: With this program, users can track and manage changes while retaining visibility of product status.

Improve Productivity: Save time with reusable XML component-based content and automated formatting. Minimize programming by creating, updating and simplifying stylesheet creation.
Simplify Content Management: Gain a single source of truth for all your technical documentation. Centralize stylesheets, layouts, formatting, and service and product information, eliminating scattered information and streamlining your content lifecycle.
Enhance Technical Content Quality: Deliver error-free documentation by enforcing stylesheets that automate information layout and delivery. Improve content reusability, enforce style guides and ensure regulatory compliance with approved information.
Increase Automation: Minimize manual tasks by automating publishing processes, formatting, layout tasks, and the delivery of multi-channel and multi-language service and product information.
Reduce Publishing Production Costs: Develop a single source for styling criteria and formats to eliminate disparities and rework from multiple stylesheets, languages and document types. Minimize the costs of distributing and printing paper copies of product information.

ALM Integration: Aras can be integrated with existing ALM environments to develop a singular visualization of a variety of products. This feature is also connected to processes such as change management and BOM. With this connectivity, the source code is managed within the ALM program.
Bill of Materials: The program controls the bill of materials across the entire supply chain. Aras Innovator provides visibility in a centralized location and leverages information from multiple sources to aid in the development of insights. With this tool, users can develop structured, multi-level bills of materials associated with each product lifecycle stage. The system also syncs with MBOMs and EBOMs to give users visibility of cross-disciplinary change statuses.
Change Management: This tool controls assessments, change requests, orders and plans. It gives all users throughout the supply chain visibility of engineering change status through the automatic capture and recording of change histories. The program also contains automated impact analysis, group voting, escalation, delegation, standard best-practice templates created using CM2 principles and more.
Component Engineering: The component engineering feature streamlines the approval, selection, compliance and sourcing workflows for electronic components. The program offers real-time technical data. It contains information on obsolescence and compliance from millions of board-level components gathered from global manufacturers as well. The system includes basic and parametric search functionality along with color indicators, alerts for aspects such as EOL and PCN, IPC 1752A material declaration and compliance with RoHS and REACh.
Configuration Management: The system maintains a hierarchical set of data from the entirety of a product or system’s lifecycle. The program contains configuration identification, status accounting, control and verification. It can also track baselines at different lifecycle stages, including as-built and as-designed. It also sends users email notifications and reminders to keep them updated and on-track with product developments.
Document Management: Aras stores all important documents in a centralized location that is both searchable and secure. The system supports multiple file formats, and version and change control are included for all documents. Some supported file types include PDF, Microsoft Office and TIF. Full-text search mode makes finding relevant information simpler, and user access can be restricted on a user level.
Manufacturing Process Planning: This solution supports MBOM, graphical and concurrent process plans and work instruction authoring. It also offers automatic real-time reconciliation of EBOM/MBOM. Process plans are version-controlled through this tool and contain information regarding parts consumed, steps, skills, resources utilized, etc. MBOMs and process plans for specific plants are available as well.

Content Creation: Use the editor to create standardized content for multiple media formats. Auto-generate text using language-specific collation rules. Incorporate editable, intelligent graphics and embed 2D and 3D animation or illustrations in web and interactive content.
Structured Editor: Simplify technical content creation with word-processing capabilities like change tracking, drag-and-drop editing and keyboard macros.
Real-time CAD Data: Gather and use real-time CAD data to develop illustrations and animations more quickly. Ensure product information and graphics are accurate with IsoDraw’s ability to update objects and change specifications throughout the production cycle. Create output in multiple data formats including raster graphics, 2D, 3D and animations.
Automated Document Creation: Automate formatting and document layouts prior to publication with the Advanced Print Publisher tool. Minimize time spent manually editing graphics, text and other features in formats including XML, JPG, GIF, CGM and SVG.
Stylesheet Creation: Create stylesheets with the styler tool, which allows users to develop a set of standards and rules across stylesheets. Ensure content and product quality and consistency along the product lifecycle in multiple layouts and languages.
Multichannel Content Delivery: Generate one or more different types of dynamic output simultaneously to multiple formats. Take single-source content and publish it across multiple channels.
Multi-Language Formatting: Export generated text as a separate file to translate and create multi-language stylesheets. Increase reusability by using multiple numbering schemes to meet regional numbering rules and mirroring page layout definitions for right-to-left languages.

Product Ranking

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#9

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Analyst Rating Summary

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User Sentiment Summary

74%

of users recommend this product

Aras has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 74% when considering 29 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

84%

of users recommend this product

Arbortext has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 26 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

3.9 (11)

4.2 (25)

3.43 (7)

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Awards

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Centralized Platform: Aras provides a single, unified platform for managing all product data, eliminating data silos and ensuring consistency across the organization.

Customization and Flexibility: Aras's modular architecture allows users to tailor the system to meet their specific needs, providing flexibility to adapt to changing business requirements.

Enhanced Collaboration: Aras facilitates collaboration among cross-functional teams by providing a shared workspace for real-time communication and document sharing.

Traceability and Compliance: Aras's robust traceability features enable users to track changes and maintain compliance with industry regulations, ensuring product safety and quality.

Scalability and Performance: Aras is designed to handle large volumes of data and complex workflows, providing scalability and performance to meet the demands of growing businesses.

Intuitive User Interface: Aras's user-friendly interface makes it easy for users to navigate and access product information, reducing training time and increasing productivity.

Open Architecture: Aras's open architecture allows for seamless integration with other enterprise systems, such as ERP, CAD, and CRM, streamlining data exchange and eliminating manual processes.

Improved Collaboration: Foster seamless collaboration across engineering and design with manufacturing and marketing departments. The centralized platform eliminates information silos and ensures everyone has access to updated product data, reducing communication errors and delays.

Enhanced Product Quality: Facilitate a controlled and standardized approach to product development with features like change order tracking and revision control. Real-time updates ensure everyone is working on the latest version of product specifications, minimizing the risk of errors and improving overall product quality.

Streamlined Supply Chain Management: Integrate with supplier databases and other supply chain management tools to improve communication and coordination with suppliers, leading to more efficient procurement processes and faster time-to-market.

Complexity: Aras can be complex to implement and use, especially for large organizations with complex product development processes.

Cost: Aras can be expensive to implement and maintain, especially for organizations with limited budgets.

Limited Integration: Aras may not integrate well with other enterprise systems, such as ERP or CRM systems.

Lack of Flexibility: Aras may not be flexible enough to meet the specific needs of all organizations.

Steep Learning Curve: Aras can have a steep learning curve, which can make it difficult for users to get up to speed quickly.

Complex Implementation: Implementing a PLM system can be complex and time-consuming. Businesses need to invest time in data migration, user training and system configuration to ensure a smooth transition.

High Initial Investment: The cost of PLM software is not as cheap as chips, especially for larger companies with complex product lifecycles. Licensing fees, implementation costs and ongoing maintenance charges can add up quickly.

Data Migration: Migrating existing product data from legacy systems to a new PLM platform opens a whole new can of worms. Incomplete or dirty data or inconsistent formatting can lead to problems down the road, so data quality and consistency require careful attention during migration.

Aras is a cloud-based PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software solution that is trusted by users for its ability to connect people, processes, and data across the entire product lifecycle. Users rave about its strengths, such as its adaptability, ease of use, and robust capabilities. Aras outshines similar products with its ability to be customized to fit specific business needs, making it an ideal choice for companies looking for a tailored solution. It also offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies adoption and training, reducing the time and effort required for implementation. Additionally, Aras's comprehensive capabilities cover the entire product lifecycle, from design and engineering to manufacturing and service, providing a single source of truth for all product-related information. These strengths make Aras a valuable asset for businesses looking to improve collaboration, streamline processes, and drive innovation. However, some users have expressed concerns about the complexity of the software, particularly for users with limited technical expertise. Additionally, the cost of implementation and maintenance can be a barrier for some businesses. Despite these drawbacks, Aras remains a top choice for companies seeking a powerful and flexible PLM solution. Its ability to connect people, processes, and data, combined with its adaptability and robust capabilities, make it an ideal choice for businesses looking to optimize their product lifecycle management. Overall, Aras is best suited for medium to large-sized businesses with complex product lifecycles and a need for a customizable and comprehensive PLM solution. Its ability to connect people, processes, and data, combined with its adaptability and robust capabilities, make it an ideal choice for businesses looking to improve collaboration, streamline processes, and drive innovation.

PTC Arbortext is a content authoring tool designed to streamline the creation, management and delivery of technical documentation. Its focus on reusability through XML components and automated formatting helps users save time and reduce errors. Additionally, it centralizes product information and enforces stylesheets to ensure consistency across various media formats.Beyond core content creation functionalities, it offers features like real-time CAD data integration, automated document creation and multi-channel content delivery. While pricing isn't publicly advertised, it likely follows a tiered licensing structure based on required features. Overall, it offers organizations an effective way to optimize technical content creation and delivery and maintain a digital thread.

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FAQ

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