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Arbortext vs Centric PLM

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

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

Overview Pricing Benefits & Features Analyst Ratings Comparison Charts User Ratings Analyst Summary Screenshots

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Product Basics

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.

Centric PLM is a software solution designed to streamline the entire product lifecycle, from ideation and design to sourcing, production, and launch. It caters particularly to companies in fast-moving consumer goods industries like fashion, apparel, and homeware.

Centric PLM offers several key benefits. It centralizes product data, eliminating the need to search through scattered spreadsheets and emails. This fosters improved collaboration among internal teams and external partners.

The software boasts features like mobile applications for on-the-go access, visual collaboration tools, and integrations with 3D design software. These features can help companies reduce time to market, improve product quality, and gain a competitive edge.

While user experiences can vary, Centric PLM is generally praised for its scalability and modularity. Companies can choose the specific functionalities they need, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes. Pricing is typically based on a subscription model with tiers offering different features and user capacities.

Pros

Centralized Data
Improved Collaboration
Faster Time to Market
Scalable & Modular
Mobile App Access

Cons

Steep Learning Curve
Customization Challenges
Limited Real-Time Data
Potentially Costly
Subscription Model

$700/Seat, One-Time

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$1,000 Monthly

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Tailored to your specific needs

Small

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Product Assistance

Documentation

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24/7 Live Support

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Product Insights

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.

Streamlined Communication and Collaboration: Centric PLM acts as a central hub for all product information, eliminating the need for siloed data and communication across teams. Imagine a designer uploading a sketch, which can be instantly accessed and commented on by product managers, engineers, and sourcing specialists, all within the same platform. This fosters a collaborative environment that reduces misunderstandings and delays.
Reduced Time to Market: By centralizing product data and streamlining workflows, Centric PLM helps companies get products to market faster. For instance, designers can receive instant feedback on material availability from sourcing teams, eliminating the back-and-forth communication that can slow down the development process. This allows companies to capitalize on market trends and stay ahead of the competition.
Improved Product Quality and Consistency: Centric PLM's centralized data repository ensures that everyone is working with the latest product specifications. This reduces the risk of errors caused by outdated information or miscommunication. Think of it as a single source of truth for everything related to a product, from materials and technical specifications to quality control procedures.
Enhanced Cost Management: By providing real-time insights into material costs, production processes, and inventory levels, Centric PLM helps companies make informed decisions that can optimize their bottom line. Imagine a scenario where a material cost increase is flagged within the system, prompting the sourcing team to explore alternative suppliers. This level of cost transparency empowers companies to make data-driven decisions and minimize waste.
Increased Visibility and Control: Centric PLM provides a comprehensive view of the entire product lifecycle, from concept to launch. This empowers managers to identify potential bottlenecks, track progress, and make adjustments as needed. Imagine having a real-time dashboard that displays the status of every product in development, allowing for proactive problem-solving and course correction.

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 Data Management (PDM): Centric PLM acts as a central repository for all product information, including specifications, materials, bills of materials (BOMs), and technical drawings. Imagine a digital library containing everything a team needs to know about a product, from its initial concept to final production.
Sample Management: The software streamlines the sample creation and approval process, allowing designers and product managers to collaborate effectively on prototypes. Think of a digital workflow where designers upload samples, provide feedback, and track revisions, all within a single platform.
Calendar and Lifecycle Management: Centric PLM helps plan, schedule, and track all stages of the product lifecycle, from design deadlines to production milestones. Imagine a visual timeline that displays key development stages for each product, ensuring everyone is on the same page and deadlines are met.
Supplier Collaboration: The platform facilitates communication and collaboration with suppliers, enabling real-time updates on material availability, pricing, and production progress. Imagine a communication hub where companies can share specifications with suppliers, receive quotes, and track order fulfillment, fostering stronger relationships.
Mobile Applications: Centric PLM offers mobile apps that provide on-the-go access to product data, approvals, and communication channels. Think of designers sketching on a tablet and uploading concepts directly into the system, or product managers receiving real-time production updates while traveling.
Visual Collaboration Tools: The software features digital whiteboards and mood boards that enable teams to brainstorm ideas and collaborate visually. Imagine a virtual space where designers can share sketches, inspiration images, and product concepts, fostering a more creative and collaborative environment.
Integration with Design Software: Centric PLM integrates with popular 3D design software, allowing for a seamless flow of information between design and development stages. Imagine a scenario where a designer creates a 3D model in their preferred software, which can be directly imported into Centric PLM for further development and production planning.
Reporting and Analytics: The platform offers comprehensive reporting and analytics tools that provide insights into product development performance, costs, and supplier efficiency. Think of a dashboard that displays key metrics like time-to-market data, production costs per unit, and supplier performance ratings, empowering data-driven decision making.

Product Ranking

#9

among all
PLM Software

#32

among all
PLM Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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User Sentiment Summary

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.

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4.2 (25)

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

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.

Centralized Product Data: Eliminates scattered information across spreadsheets and emails, fostering collaboration and reducing errors. Imagine a single source of truth for everything related to a product, accessible by all teams.

Improved Time to Market: Streamlined workflows and faster communication help companies get products to market quicker. For instance, design teams can receive instant feedback from sourcing on material availability, avoiding delays.

Enhanced Collaboration: A central platform facilitates communication and information exchange between internal teams and external partners. Imagine designers, engineers, and suppliers collaborating seamlessly on a single product concept.

Increased Visibility and Control: Real-time insights into the product lifecycle empower managers to identify bottlenecks, track progress, and make proactive adjustments. Think of a dashboard that displays the status of every product in development, allowing for course correction as needed.

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.

Steep Learning Curve: Centric PLM's comprehensive features can be overwhelming for new users, requiring dedicated training time to become proficient. Think of a complex software program with numerous functionalities that take time to master.

Customization Challenges: While offering some customization, extensively modifying Centric PLM to perfectly match specific workflows can be difficult and resource-intensive. Imagine a system that requires significant development effort to align perfectly with unique business processes.

Potentially Costly: The subscription-based pricing model, coupled with potential implementation and training costs, can make Centric PLM a significant investment, especially for smaller businesses. Consider the software cost, along with setup and training expenses, which may be a barrier for some companies.

Limited Real-Time Data: Some users report a slight delay in data synchronization across the entire system. This means information updates might not be reflected instantaneously, which is important for businesses requiring constant real-time data accuracy.

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.

Recent user reviews of Centric PLM highlight its ability to centralize product data and streamline workflows, leading to faster time-to-market. One reviewer, a product manager at a fashion company, praised Centric PLM for eliminating scattered information across emails and spreadsheets, which previously caused delays in communication and product development. This centralized approach is particularly beneficial in fast-paced industries like fashion, where trends can change quickly and getting products to market swiftly is crucial. However, reviewers also noted challenges associated with Centric PLM's complexity. Some users reported a steep learning curve, mentioning it takes time for new users to become comfortable with the software's extensive features. This can be a hurdle for companies with limited training resources. Additionally, extensive customization can be difficult, which may not be ideal for businesses needing a highly tailored PLM solution. For instance, a small business with unique design processes might find Centric PLM's customization capabilities too cumbersome compared to more user-friendly options. Overall, Centric PLM seems well-suited for medium to large companies in industries like fashion, consumer goods, and homeware that value a centralized data repository, streamlined communication, and the ability to handle complex workflows. However, the steep learning curve and potentially high costs mean smaller businesses or those with unique process needs may want to explore alternative PLM solutions offering greater ease of use or more straightforward customization options.

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FAQ

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