What is manufacturing process management?
Manufacturing process management (MPM) is a PLM-based discipline that enables concurrent engineering, allowing manufacturers to manage, and optimize how products are built—from early process planning through production execution. MPM creates a connected digital thread between engineering, manufacturing operations management, and the shop floor to ensure accurate, up-to-date manufacturing data is available at every stage.
By using a manufacturing digital twin, MPM allows teams to validate processes virtually, create visual work instructions, and manage configuration and process changes before production begins. This improves change management, supports lean manufacturing, and helps organizations reduce time to industrialization while increasing manufacturing consistency and flexibility.
Types of supported manufacturing processes
MPM supports a wide range of manufacturing models by standardizing process planning while enabling flexibility and mass customization.
Manufacturing process management provides a common foundation for planning, validating, and executing manufacturing processes across different production environments. By using a single source of truth within PLM, manufacturers can adapt processes to meet changing demand, product complexity, and regulatory requirements—without sacrificing speed or quality.
Repetitive manufacturing
MPM supports repetitive manufacturing by standardizing process plans, routings, and work instructions for high-volume production. By reusing validated process data and maintaining configuration management across product variants, manufacturers improve consistency, reduce errors, and support connected manufacturing environments.
Discrete manufacturing
For discrete manufacturing, MPM connects engineering BOMs to manufacturing BOMs, enabling accurate process planning and PLM and MES integration. Manufacturers gain better visibility into changes, improve manufacturing operations management, and accelerate time to market.
Custom manufacturing
MPM enables manufacturers to manage complex, low-volume production by supporting flexible process planning and rapid change management. Digital work instructions and a manufacturing digital twin help teams respond quickly to customer-specific requirements.
Continuous process manufacturing
In continuous manufacturing environments, MPM ensures process consistency, traceability, and compliance. By connecting process data across the digital thread, manufacturers can improve quality control and reduce downtime.
Batch process manufacturing
MPM supports batch manufacturing by managing recipes, routings, and process variations. Manufacturers gain better control over change management and improve efficiency across production runs.
What role does PLM play in manufacturing process management?
PLM is the foundation of manufacturing process management. By extending PLM into manufacturing, organizations connect engineering data with manufacturing operations management. This integration ensures a single source of truth for product definitions, process plans, and changes—enabling faster collaboration, better configuration management, and reduced time to industrialization.
Windchill: PTC’s platform for manufacturing process management
Windchill enables manufacturing process management by connecting product design, process planning, and execution within a single PLM platform. Manufacturers can create a manufacturing digital twin, manage changes, and integrate PLM and MES to support smart factory initiatives.
Key product features
Windchill MPMLink delivers manufacturing process management capabilities that connect engineering and manufacturing through a digital thread—enabling faster process planning, improved flexibility, and reduced time to industrialization.
Process planning and MBOM management: Windchill MPMLink enables manufacturing engineers to define routings, operations, and manufacturing BOMs directly from engineering data, improving collaboration and reducing downstream errors.
Manufacturing digital twin: Create a digital representation of the manufacturing process to validate production scenarios, resources, and sequencing before release—reducing risk and time to industrialization.
Visual work instructions: Deliver role-based, visual work instructions to the shop floor that reflect the latest product and process changes, improving quality and workforce productivity.
PLM and MES integration: MPMLink connects PLM with MES to ensure accurate, synchronized data flows from engineering to manufacturing operations management and execution.
Change and configuration management: Manage engineering and manufacturing changes in context, maintaining full traceability across product variants and supporting mass customization.
Manufacturing flexibility at scale: Support multiple plants, product variants, and production strategies while maintaining standardization—key to lean manufacturing and smart factory initiatives.
Plant master data management: Create plant specific MBOM structures including different views, part numbers, branches, and plant specific information.
Bi-directional associative EBOM to MBOM: Leverage 3D data and structured meta-data for BOM transformation with systematic traceability (equivalent links) and reconciliation between related BOMs.
3D visualization: Creo View for manufacturing process management can read information from manufacturing product structure.
Reducing time for industrial ramp-up with manufacturing process management
By validating processes early and managing changes digitally, MPM helps manufacturers reduce ramp-up time and bring products to market faster. Teams collaborate earlier, identify issues sooner, and execute with confidence.
Customer stories
Leading manufacturers use PTC’s manufacturing process management solutions to improve agility, quality, and time to market.