Windchill vs Agile PLM

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Our analysts compared Windchill vs Agile 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.

Agile PLM Software Tool

Product Basics

Windchill is a product lifecycle management and supply chain system that utilizes the latest developments in technology to optimize operations. Automation and AR capabilities are some of the modern technologies that can be included in the system. The program increases the visibility of product concepts as they move throughout the lifecycle by collecting real-time CAD data.

Its automation capabilities also allow for changes made downstream to be reflected in other areas, such as in technical documents and promotional materials. These changes can also be reflected in graphical representations of a product to ensure accuracy. Windchill works to reduce duplicate work and communication errors as a product moves throughout the lifecycle.
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Agile PLM gives organizations visibility across the product lifecycle while also ensuring consistency and regulatory compliance. The program is deployable through the cloud, making it accessible to users at any time and any location, provided an internet connection is available. It centralizes operations to reduce duplicate processes and provide users with actionable insights to optimize production.
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$1,000/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$13,800 Annually, Quote-Based
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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24/7 Live Support
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Product Insights

  • Increased Visibility: Look at products as they move from one aspect of the lifecycle to another. Components of this include the ability to look at quality aspects and feature changes. 
  • Boost in Productivity: Boosts productivity among workers. Centralization and a single view of data can reduce the amount of time that employees spend looking for information. 
  • Use the Latest Tech: Can integrate with Vuforia, an AR tool. This allows users to look at their designs in a real-world setting and to use that information to inform aspects of a product. As technology advances and more features become available, it can be helpful to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest tools. 
  • Reduced Costs: Cost is an essential factor to consider when looking at different software solutions. Reduces costs through the efficient creation of product variants, which is typically time-consuming and costly. 
  • Automation: Leverages automation to help update content and users as features and definitions are altered. This ensures consistency and reliability of information. 
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  • Visibility: The program offers dashboards to help users share information and insights from across the product lifecycle. 
  • Collaboration: Employees from various departments can work together on designs and ensure that all relevant ideas are put into action. Engineering collaboration is a key feature included in the solution and allows everyone to be on the same page when it comes to product developments. 
  • Accessibility: Agile PLM is available as a cloud-based solution, meaning it’s accessible at any time and any location as long as there’s an internet connection. 
  • Compliance: The system helps ensure compliance with industry standards. You can also configure your solution so that all of your processes adhere to your unique business requirements. 
  • Quality Control: The program aligns elements such as workflows and product requirements across the entire lifecycle to ensure consistency. 
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  • Product Design and Visualization With AR:  Offers integration with Vuforia, an augmented reality (AR) platform. Design 2D and 3D objects not only on a screen, but also in a real-world setting. Collaborate with others across the world on these designs. 
  • Change Management: The change management can make alterations during the product life cycle in a centralized location so that other users can access the most up-to-date information. This tool also provides visibility of how change impacts an organization throughout the product life cycle. 
  • Product Quality Monitoring: Integrates quality measures into product development. This allows employees to see what type of quality issues occur and to work to solve them for future and ongoing iterations of a product. 
  • BOM Management: Digital Bill of Materials (BOM) is provided through this system. A parts-centric approach to BOM is available with a single source of truth for all organizational product data. This program is closed-loop throughout the entire lifecycle from conceptualization to product release. 
  • Product Variation: Developing a product variation can be time-consuming and expensive. This system works to assist in the complete production process of product variants to ensure customer satisfaction and cost-effectiveness. 
  • Unified Data: Windchill centralizes data from multiple aspects of a business into a single view to make access easier and less time-consuming. Real-time CAD and product data are some of the sources included in this feature. 
  • Automatic Content Updates: When changes are made to a product during the development phase, Windchill allows for the automatic update of content in accordance with these changes. This tool can also manage content that is gathered from multiple sources. 
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  • Collaborative Environment: The program lets users centralize and manage aspects such as SKUs, finished products, assemblies and sub-assemblies. The user interface offers System Navigators, Quick Views and Structure Navigators, as well. The program gives all users visibility by tracking factors such as products in transition, items in review and issues in resolution. 
  • Quality Management: Agile PLM helps ensure that developed products are of the highest quality by aligning process preferences, organizational goals and regulatory needs across your company. The system also gives you instant visibility when issues or resolutions occur within the product record. 
  • Portfolio Management: Distributed task management, Phase Gate project management and dynamic portfolios give users more visibility, regulatory control and development flexibility when working on projects. You can manage resources, deliverables, product development schedules and add dynamic links to other PLM processes in this system. It also includes a Gate chart editor, which offers direct interaction with enterprise PLM process context and gives users more flexibility. 
  • Cost Management: Agile PLM lets suppliers input whether or not they can meet your company’s volume requirements and cost targets through a secure Request for Quote (RFQ) process. The solution enables your company to interact with various suppliers about elements such as pricing, performance and strategic relationships. 
  • Governance and Compliance: The system contains a compliance engine that’s integrated with the enterprise product record. The engine offers open workflows, which can be configured to meet a company’s unique requirements. When issues arise, the program supports a resolution in a recorded, complete and closed-loop manner. Design for manufacturing, design for compliance and design for quality also complement one another within the solution. 
  • Centralized Engineering: This function includes substantive and visual interaction coupled with authoring tools to help with modeling and product creation. The solution lets you easily transfer data from design authoring tools to generate accurate visual representations of assemblies and parts. 
  • Analytics: Role-based, easy-to-use dashboards provide more visibility into the product lifecycle. This assists with the identification of product risks, quality trends and failure modes to improve product performance and quality. 
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Product Ranking

#2

among all
PLM Software

#7

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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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 100 100 100 100 100 8 100 100 100 100 57 100 92 99 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Good User Sentiment 112 reviews
Great User Sentiment 137 reviews
78%
of users recommend this product

Windchill has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 78% when considering 112 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

81%
of users recommend this product

Agile PLM has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 81% when considering 137 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.8 (8)
5.0 (8)
3.8 (61)
4.0 (59)
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4.19 (21)
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4.2 (21)
4.0 (30)
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Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Windchill and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Bill of Materials Management, Design Management and Quality Management.

Bill of Materials Management Award
Design Management Award
Quality Management Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Integrations: All reviewers who mentioned integrations said that the system has robust integration options with a helpful set of integrated tools.
Functionality: Approximately 90% of users who talked about the system’s overall functionality noted that its suite of features and automation tools were stable and capable of handling critical daily processes.
Searching Tools: About 66% of reviewers who referred to search features noted that they were intuitive and helped find specific documents quickly.
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Improved Collaboration: Users highlight that Agile PLM facilitates better communication and teamwork, particularly between engineering and manufacturing departments.
Streamlined Processes: Many users appreciate the way Agile PLM helps to simplify and automate complex product development processes, leading to faster time-to-market.
Enhanced Visibility: Users value the increased transparency and real-time insights into product data that Agile PLM provides, enabling better decision-making.
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Ease of Use: Nearly 60% of reviewers who mentioned the system’s usability noted that the system required a steep learning curve with training requirements to master.
Support: Complicated issues took long periods of time to solve, with the overall support process being hit or miss, according to all reviewers who mentioned support.
Customization: All users that talked about customization said that customizing the system wasn’t easy and there wasn’t much room for customization in the first place.
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Usability Issues: Users have reported that Agile PLM can be difficult to use, especially for those who are new to PLM software. The interface is not intuitive and requires extensive training to learn. For example, some users have complained about the complexity of creating and managing workflows.
Performance Problems: Agile PLM has been known to suffer from performance issues, particularly when dealing with large amounts of data. This can lead to slow response times and make it difficult to complete tasks efficiently. For instance, users have reported slow loading times when searching for parts or documents.
Integration Challenges: Integrating Agile PLM with other business systems can be challenging. This is because Agile PLM uses a proprietary data model that is not compatible with many other systems. As a result, companies may need to invest significant time and resources to integrate Agile PLM with their existing IT infrastructure.
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Windchill’s PLM and supply chain management features are robust and help optimize and streamline daily operations. Powerful integrations with popular applications like CAD boost efficiency and add value to the product as a whole. Its automation features help users overcome manual tasks and streamline their tasks. While its features are impressive, it required significant time and training investments to familiarize users with the system. Customization options are available, but customizations were hard to implement without help. Support was often described as slow, especially when more complex problems occurred. Some reviewers also mentioned that the monthly maintenance costs were on the high side.

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Is Agile PLM nimble enough to navigate the complex world of product lifecycle management? Users of Agile PLM have given the software high marks for its ease of use, flexibility, and value for money. They also praised the software's customer support team, which was quick to respond to questions and resolve issues. Agile PLM is considered a well-rounded solution, especially suited for large enterprises due to its comprehensive nature. However, specific strengths, weaknesses, and differentiating factors, beyond general mentions of ease of use and flexibility, haven't been detailed in recent reviews. While users appreciate the customer support, this aspect doesn't necessarily differentiate Agile PLM, as good customer support should be a standard across similar products. Based on available information, Agile PLM appears suitable for companies of all sizes and industries seeking a user-friendly and adaptable PLM solution. However, without detailed insights into its specific strengths and weaknesses compared to competitors like Aras PLM or Teamcenter, it's challenging to definitively pinpoint its ideal user base beyond a general preference for ease of use and robust customer support. More nuanced user feedback would be needed to provide a truly in-depth analysis.

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