Best way integrate PLM system to IFS application?

Hi @Adarsh,

We use a third party application called CADLink to transfer Engineering and Inventory Parts and BOMs between PLM and IFS. This was much more cost effective than having the PLM vendor carry out the integration.

Hi @GPIE , 

I’m looking for this kind of link as well.

Could you tell us to which PLM system did you connect IFS ? 

You wrote  that the link you created allows you “transfert Engineering and Inventory Parts and BOMs between PLM and IFS”. 

Are these transferts working in both directions (PLM to IFS and IFS to PLM) or only in the PLM to IFS direction ? 

Which kind of BoMs are you talking about ? EBoM for the IFS PDM, or directly mBoM ? 

Many thanks in advance 

Hi @Clément B,

We use Siemens Teamcenter for PLM. I believe that it works in both directions and that it supports the creation of parts, PDM BOM and mBOM.

What do you want to integrate? The word “integration” is very general.

The fact that we are talking about integrating PLM pretty much defines what needs to be integrated (synchronised between systems), eg part and BOM data as discussed. 

Hi @GPIE 

Thank you for your reply, 

I’m actually investigating the capacities of interface between Windchill from PTC and IFS. 

Ideally, we would like to use our PLM as master for parts, CAD BoMs , eBoms (which are not the same as CAD BoMs), mBoM and routings.

All theses BoMs and routings are largely configurable, reason why we would like to use the PLM’s capabilities to design them before transfert of configurable mBoM and configurable routing to IFS. 

@GPIE could you let me know of the details of the integration and how you did it please?

Regards,
Antony

@Clément B We’re doing the sane. CADLink simply displays the data from PLM and IFS side by side in a spreadsheet comparison style interface with colour coding. You can then choose what to copy and in which direction, so it is an interactive process rather than a behind-the-scenes synchronisation, with up versioning obviously  

@anbouk We installed Teamcenter client and the CADLink utility on a couple of vPCs and that’s about it. There is a bit of configuration and customisation involved but not much. Very straight forward. 

@GPIE thanks for the info 

Please note that the drawings/files stored in the PLM need the BOM structure saved when they are created in order to be read by CADTalk and processed by the interface. If there’s no structure data in the files you start with, the possibility is there, but the results are depressing.

Hi Adarsh,

We have an off-the-shelf integration that includes, among others, connectors for

PTC Windchill

and

IFS

Hope this helps,

Ricardo.