Arena PLM vs SAP PLM

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Our analysts compared Arena PLM vs SAP 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.

Arena PLM Software Tool
SAP PLM Software Tool

Product Basics

Arena PLM is a cloud-based solution that gives internal and external users access to relevant information throughout the entire design lifecycle. It provides capabilities such as project management, document management and collaboration functionality. It enables users to save money by developing useful bids and improving productivity through the automation of various workflows.

Compliance with ISO and FDA standards is also supported to ensure everything is “up to code.” Simple deployment with no coding needed is a vital feature.
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SAP PLM offers portfolio, project management and product lifecycle costing solutions for the complete product lifecycle experience. Users receive full clarity of teams, costs and fresh product innovations while also managing whole project lifecycles in one place. Users can also conduct portfolio traceability, planning, estimation accounting and closure.

Other notable tools include resource management, analytics and reporting, inbound and outbound integration, thorough product scope and more.
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$3,000/User, Annually
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$15,600/User, Annually
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Centralized Information: Store product data in one place so every user can access and review the most relevant information. It reduces redundancies and miscommunication among those with access to the system. 
  • Internal and External Collaboration: Share information and work with supply chain partners through this program. Users may also share notes, documentation and more to ensure that everyone is on the same page and understands the project's scope or task. 
  • Cloud Deployment: Deploy this solution through the cloud so users can easily access it anytime and anywhere with a strong internet connection. 
  • Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance: Guarantee businesses meet every regulatory requirement and industry standard such as ISO, FDA and more. 
  • Simple Implementation: Install this platform seamlessly. No coding required. 
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  • Increase Efficiency: This solution offers product engineering, quotes and lifecycle costing so users can improve and boost their productivity on projects.  
  • Forecast Costs: SAP PLM allows users to evaluate and predict the costs of projects before implementing them. It enables users to cipher and determine various product costs in the preliminary brainstorming and design phases before committing to its production, saving money and resources.  
  • Rapid Market Time: The application enables collaboration so users can streamline production, enhancing the research and evolution of a product. This allows the product to go to the market quicker and minimizes expenses.  
  • Centralized Insights: Users can evaluate prompt insights on project progress and cost efficiency throughout numerous worksites. All of these insights are stored in the platform and conveniently accessible in one central place. 
  • Manage Priorities: This solution helps users to align workflows and procedures with corporate policies and business objectives while freeing financial and human resources to guarantee victorious project achievements. 
  • Combine Departments: Users can link project management with financial and logistics hassle-free to draft project reports for stakeholders and important decision-makers effortlessly. 
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  • BOM Management: Control current, past and pending product revisions. Manage complex assemblies that consist of aspects such as electrical and mechanical components, documentation and software. It also sorts the information into a multi-tiered hierarchical assembly structure. 
  • Arena Exchange: Provide stakeholders with access to relevant product information in one centralized location. The chat feature allows internal and external users to discuss any arising issues during the gaps between formal processes. Partners may comment, view or download updated information such as reports, BOMs, AMLs and AVLs. 
  • Document Management: Share, track and store various documents while ensuring compliance with FDA, ISO and other regulatory standards. Users obtain authorization to product specifications, instructions, drawings and changes. This module also includes standard operating procedures, safety specifications and training records. 
  • Change Management: Manage entire product records and any related processes. Route, draft, release and trace engineering changes. Reviewers receive notifications via dashboards and email alerts. Visualization of factors such as backlog, change cycle time performance and progress are also available for all product lines. 
  • Item Management: Develop accurate and complete item records with structured documents and part information, efficiently permitting users to configure their hierarchical bill of materials structures. This feature tracks and manages manufactured assemblies and purchased components. 
  • Project Management: Connect files, changes, items and tasks to product records at all schedule levels and enable team collaboration. This apparatus tracks project progress through customizable phases that contain assignable tasks and milestones. Users may also gather data and use it to perform comprehensive cross-project analysis. 
  • Demand Analysis: Forecast the total components used to better negotiate with external partners. This tool is available for even the smallest component level, giving customers a leg-up over competitors that aggregate demand only for their most expensive parts. Users gain profit from untracked, inexpensive components as well as expensive ones. 
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  • Portfolio Management: This software's portfolio management tool offers users rapid reliable overviews of their whole portfolio consisting of projects, programs, services and more. This tool facilitates enterprise project portfolio management (EPPM) for whole visibility on capital expenses, R&D efficiency and the skills of professional and IT tasks. 
  • Project Management: The project management accessory authorizes users to tackle numerous responsibilities such as project structuring, scheduling, visualization and more. Users can also advocate several implementation and finance supervision models such as Six Sigman, phase gate, critical path and product and cycle-time excellence (PACE). 
  • Resource Management: The project and portfolio management solution offers resource management that enables users to enhance their capital and equipment assets based on project needs, qualifications and availability. Users can also pinpoint future resource needs and allocate them accordingly with their company structure, location, skill and business requirements.  
  • Product Cost Formulation and Simulation:  This accessory enables users to carry out cost calculations with manual overrides and recalculation abilities. Users can also implement what-if scenarios and target costing with the simulation tool.  
  • Data Modeling and Extensibility:  Users can employ the data modeling and extensibility module to receive several costing sheets and component splits. They can administer local master data support and integrate with Microsoft Excel and enterprise software.  
  • Inbound and Outbound Integration: SAP PLM permits users to import and export crucial company data through SAP ERP, Microsoft Excel and other platforms using the application program interface (API) component. 
  • Pricing: Users can leverage the pricing accessory to work with countless currencies and dimensions. They can also cipher overhead costs through multiple counting sheets.  
  • Analytics and Reporting: The analytics and reporting module can be implemented throughout the entire product lifecycle, costing categories and other areas. Users can also access version comparisons and use this module for management reporting. 
  • Teamwork and Security: Users can control who has access to projects and activate traceability to track who works specific projects and products. They can also implement collaboration tools for various roles and users.  
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Product Ranking

#10

among all
PLM Software

#17

among all
PLM Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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SAP PLM
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Bill Of Materials Management Change Management Compliance Management Design Management Document Management Packaging And Label Management Part Management Platform Capabilities Project Management Quality Management Recipe And Formula Management Reporting And Dashboard Requirements Management Supplier Management 84 100 100 90 96 22 89 100 100 98 57 100 92 83 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 526 reviews
Good User Sentiment 81 reviews
82%
of users recommend this product

Arena PLM has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 82% when considering 526 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

77%
of users recommend this product

SAP PLM has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 77% when considering 81 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.7 (9)
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4.1 (228)
3.5 (46)
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4.42 (12)
4.0 (27)
4.4 (12)
4.1 (262)
4.0 (11)

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Implementation: Of the users who commented on this program's installation and interface, 57% said it's easy to install, simple to learn and the interface is clean.
Performability: Approximately 64% of users who addressed this solution's overall performance said it was user friendly, easy to navigate and reliable.
Modules: Of the users who discussed this platform's features, 48% stated that it offers a comprehensive dashboard, shares information with suppliers and tracks product progress.
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Streamlined Collaboration: Enables seamless communication and data sharing among design, engineering, and manufacturing teams, fostering collaboration and reducing errors.
Comprehensive Product Data Management: Provides a central repository for all product-related information, including design specifications, manufacturing instructions, and quality control data, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
Advanced Change Management: Facilitates efficient and controlled change management processes, ensuring that changes are tracked, approved, and implemented effectively, minimizing disruptions to product development.
Integration with Other Systems: Integrates seamlessly with ERP, CRM, and other business systems, providing a holistic view of product information and streamlining processes across the organization.
User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of all technical backgrounds and reducing the learning curve.
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Search Tool: Roughly 51% of users who addressed this application's modules said the search tool isn't on par because it can't search partial names or part numbers and it's a little tricky to find the right documents.
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Data Management: Limited capabilities for managing complex data structures and relationships, leading to data inconsistencies and difficulties in managing large product portfolios.
User Interface: Complex and outdated user interface that can be difficult to navigate and use, resulting in reduced productivity and user adoption.
Customization: Limited customization options and a rigid architecture that makes it challenging to adapt the software to specific business needs, hindering flexibility and agility.
Integration: Difficulties in integrating with other systems, such as ERP and CAD tools, leading to data silos and inefficiencies in product development processes.
Performance: Slow performance and scalability issues, especially when handling large product data sets, affecting productivity and collaboration.
Cost: High licensing and implementation costs, as well as ongoing maintenance expenses, making it a significant investment for businesses.
Support: Limited technical support and documentation, leaving users frustrated and facing challenges in resolving issues.
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Arena PLM is a complex solution that manages every aspect of a product's lifecycle. Users find it easy to implement and learn because it has simple navigation, frequent updates and high-quality document storage. Its modules — ranging from BOM management and demand analysis to item and change management — streamline tasks and permit users to collaborate with suppliers openly. Although some users dislike the search tool, most find this program a robust system worth the time and money.

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SAP PLM is a popular PLM software that has received mixed reviews from users in the last year. Many users praise its powerful features and integration with other SAP products, but some find it complex and expensive. One of the main strengths of SAP PLM is its ability to manage complex product lifecycles, including engineering, manufacturing, and service. It also offers a wide range of features for managing product data, such as CAD integration, bill of materials management, and change management. SAP PLM is well-integrated with other SAP products, such as SAP ERP and SAP CRM, which can provide users with a single view of their product data across the entire enterprise. However, SAP PLM can be complex and expensive to implement, and some users find it difficult to use. It is important to note that SAP PLM is best suited for large enterprises with complex product lifecycles. Smaller businesses may find it too expensive and complex for their needs. In comparison to similar products, SAP PLM is a more comprehensive and feature-rich solution. However, it is also more expensive and complex than some of its competitors. One of the key differentiating factors of SAP PLM is its ability to manage complex product lifecycles. It also offers a wide range of features for managing product data, such as CAD integration, bill of materials management, and change management. SAP PLM is well-integrated with other SAP products, such as SAP ERP and SAP CRM, which can provide users with a single view of their product data across the entire enterprise. Overall, SAP PLM is a powerful and comprehensive PLM software that is best suited for large enterprises with complex product lifecycles. However, it is important to note that SAP PLM can be complex and expensive to implement, and some users find it difficult to use. Smaller businesses may find it too expensive and complex for their needs.

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