PLM for Product Quality: Ensure Closed-Loop Processes With the Digital Thread

Achieve more and speed up issue resolution across the lifecycle with automated processes and end-to-end traceability.

What is closed-loop quality? Why is it important?

Closed-loop quality is the practice of improving product quality through cross-domain collaboration enabled by connected PLM tools. It ensures all stakeholders work from the same information, leverage the same workflows and automation, and contribute to the overall quality of their products at each stage of the product lifecycle.

Use PLM to optimize your product quality processes

As a leader of your company, you need to close the loop on product quality while meeting growing compliance requirements. How do you focus on continuous product improvement when burdened with decentralized or manual systems and globally distributed teams?

With PLM, you will introduce digital traceability and data governance into your product development processes. The result? You will improve quality benchmarks and increase customer satisfaction while inspiring greater product innovation.

Benefits of closed-loop quality

Increased Collaboration

When all stakeholders have access to and confidence in their product data, they can spend more time constructively collaborating and less time collecting and aligning on the facts.

When all stakeholders have access to and confidence in their product data, they can spend more time constructively collaborating and less time collecting and aligning on the facts.

Increased Customer Satisfaction

Accelerating corrective actions and improving overall quality leads to fewer defects in the field, more on-time shipments, and overall happier customers.

Accelerating corrective actions and improving overall quality leads to fewer defects in the field, more on-time shipments, and overall happier customers.

Continuous Improvement

Better cross-domain collaboration and access to more downstream product data are essential to continuous quality improvement initiatives.

Better cross-domain collaboration and access to more downstream product data are essential to continuous quality improvement initiatives.

Digital Traceability

Ensure quality is preserved as engineering changes are made by assessing their impact across associated parts, designs, requirements, and processes.

Ensure quality is preserved as engineering changes are made by assessing their impact across associated parts, designs, requirements, and processes.

Improve product quality with PLM

By integrating PLM into your quality initiatives, you will gain direct visibility to traceable product information throughout every step of the lifecycle. The benefits? Addressing customer complaints and non-conformances immediately with corrective and preventative actions.

Here are a few metrics on how to achieve this with PLM:

Drive better compliance

Reduce the compliance cycle time on document gap analysis.

Optimize quality processes

Reduce the number of corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs) to speed up quality checks.

Reduce poor quality costs

Drive down costs with better quality products.

PLM capabilities for quality

For manufacturers embarking on a digital transformation, PLM provides a solid foundation for the smart, connected enterprise by enabling a digital thread of information.

BOM Management

Managing the part definition as a Bill of Material (BOM) with elements, such as electronics and software components, provides reliable access and change control to product information for improving quality.

Engineering Change Management

Using PLM for change management ensures a more rigorous, standard process, involving all necessary stakeholders with traceability and governance. Explore Change Management

Product Configuration Management

 Leverage options and variants, alternate/substitute parts, part effectivity, and BOM transformation to ensure the right product is being produced with the right components. Explore Configuration Management

Product Data Management

 Ensure all product data is readily accessible by managing multi-CAD data in a single system using tight integration with Creo, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and other CAD tools. Explore Data Management

Project Governance and Workflow

Manage and execute complex product development projects with powerful PLM collaboration tools such as change management workflows. Explore Design Collaboration

Quality Management

 Provide quality engineers with standard tools and workflows like CAPA, SCAR, and FMEA. Explore Quality Management

Variant Management

 Easily manage all product variants and their derivative documents to ensure quality actions are applied appropriately and their effects are propagated downstream. Explore Variant Management

Use PLM to integrate product and quality data

As a leader of your company, you need to close the loop on product quality while meeting growing compliance requirements. How do you focus on continuous product improvement when burdened with decentralized or manual systems and globally distributed teams?

With PLM, you will introduce digital traceability and data governance into your product development processes. The result? You will improve quality benchmarks and increase customer satisfaction while inspiring greater product innovation. Watch this short video featuring IDC analysts to learn more.
null
overlaycontent

Case studies

terumo logo margin
fresenius medical ogo 96x96 svg
bose logo margin

Terumo BCT

Hear experts from Terumo BCT and PTC discuss the roles that modern PLM and the digital thread play in improving product quality.

 Watch the Roundtable

Fresenius Medical Care

Learn how Fresenius went from paper-based to part-centric product development to improve quality through cross-discipline collaboration.

Watch the Interview

Bose

Learn how Bose quickly transformed itself to eliminate data silos, speed products to market, and meet safety regulations amidst product diversification.

Watch the Webcast
overlaycontent
How can we help you?
globe and mouse cursor icon Support Portal
chat bubbles icon Contact an Expert
person with graph icon Training and Skills
person with globe icon Join the PTC Community
Explore PTC
© Copyright 2025 PTC