What is Product Data Management

How PDM Helps Businesses Manage Product Data More Effectively

Product Data Management (PDM) is a type of software that centralizes and controls product-related data, such as computer-aided design (CAD) files, drawings, and documentation. By managing versions, revisions, and access in a single system, PDM helps engineering and product teams collaborate more effectively and accelerate development. It ensures that everyone works from the latest data, improving efficiency and supporting faster, more reliable product innovation.

PDM Key Features:

A centralized platform to store and manage product design data
Version control and revision tracking to ensure teams always work from the latest data
Secure, role-based access to protect sensitive design information
Integration with CAD and PLM systems to support seamless workflows
Collaboration tools to coordinate across engineering, design, and manufacturing teams
Searchable file management for quick retrieval of design assets and documentation

What data does PDM store?

PDM systems store essential product design and development data, including CAD files, technical drawings, 3D models, engineering documentation, bills of materials (BOMs). They also manage version histories, change orders, part numbers, and metadata related to materials, specifications, and compliance. This centralized product data ensures teams work with accurate, up-to-date information throughout the design and development process.

Benefits of PDM

PDM systems help streamline product development by organizing and controlling design data in a single, secure location. They reduce errors through version control, improve collaboration across teams, and accelerate time-to-market. With centralized access and structured workflows, PDM ensures data accuracy and supports better product quality throughout the lifecycle.

Challenges & Impacts

Challenge	Impact
Can’t find the right file	Delays in product development and time-to-market
Using outdated design versions	Costly manufacturing errors or rework
Uncontrolled access to files	Security risks and unauthorized changes
No version control or audit trail	Confusion over which design is final or approved
Manual handoffs between teams	Slower workflows and missed deadlines
Siloed design data	Poor collaboration and misalignment across departments
Lack of change tracking	Missed updates leading to quality issues or compliance risks
Disconnected tools (CAD, PLM, ERP)	Inefficient processes and data inconsistency
Duplicate file storage across systems	Increased storage costs and error-prone data management
No centralized data governance	Difficulty maintaining product quality standards at scale

How PDM Works

Store CAD files, technical drawings, and specifications in one secure system
Ensure teams access the latest versions of design documents
Eliminate data silos by unifying product information across engineering teams

Track revisions and manage engineering change orders efficiently
Automate approval workflows and document updates
Maintain a clear audit trail of product data and changes

Enable secure, role-based access to design files across departments
Facilitate real-time collaboration between design, engineering, and manufacturing
Reduce manual errors and speed up product development cycles

Gain visibility into the status of design projects and product data
Access version histories and change logs for informed reviews
Improve alignment between teams with a single source of truth for product information

How PDM Helps the Entire Team

Marketers

A PDM system helps marketing teams by giving them early access to up-to-date product specifications, CAD visuals, and approved documentation. This ensures that marketing materials are aligned with the latest product designs, reducing the risk of promoting outdated or incorrect information. With consistent and accurate design data, marketers can build more trustworthy messaging and support stronger product launches.

eCommerce Managers

PDM supports eCommerce managers by providing accurate product data—like dimensions, materials, and specifications—straight from the source. This helps create precise product listings and reduces the likelihood of returns caused by inconsistent information. It also enables faster coordination with design and engineering teams for updates or product changes that impact listings.

The C-Suite

PDM provides leadership with greater visibility into the product development process, helping them oversee progress, manage risk, and maintain product quality. By streamlining collaboration between engineering, manufacturing, and marketing, PDM supports faster innovation and more efficient go-to-market strategies. This directly contributes to business growth, cost control, and competitive advantage

IT Teams

PDM reduces system complexity by centralizing product design data and integrating seamlessly with CAD tools, PLM systems, and other enterprise software. It eliminates the need for disjointed file storage and manual version tracking, improving data integrity and user access control. IT teams benefit from simplified maintenance and fewer support tickets related to lost or outdated product files.

How Akeneo Can Help

While PDM focuses on managing technical product design data, Akeneo’s Product Information Management (PIM) and Shared Data Manager (SDM) solutions extend the value of that data downstream, enabling businesses to deliver accurate and engaging product experiences across channels.

From Engineering to Experience

Once product data is finalized in the PDM system, Akeneo PIM takes over to transform that data into compelling, channel-ready content. With support for rich attributes, multilingual content, and localized details, PIM ensures that teams receive the most accurate and complete product information to publish across websites, marketplaces, and other platforms.

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Centralized Collaboration & Data Governance

Akeneo SDM centralizes and simplifies the collection and correction of product data from suppliers, bridging the gap between upstream and downstream operations. With collaborative Supplier Access, brands can share templates and data guidelines directly through the SDM portal, streamline file import and mapping, and adapt the process to either delegate, internalize, or collaborate on product data correction.

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Faster Time-to-Market & Lower Risk

By connecting PDM with Akeneo’s PIM and SDM, businesses can reduce manual re-entry of product data and accelerate product launches across markets. Structured workflows, validation rules, and role-based permissions ensure that everyone is working from the same up-to-date source of truth.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

PDM focuses on managing technical product data used in engineering and design, like CAD files, drawings, and specifications. PIM, on the other hand, is used to enrich, manage, and distribute product information for marketing, eCommerce, and customer-facing channels.

No, Akeneo PIM is not a replacement for a PDM. Instead, it complements your PDM system by ingesting finalized design data and turning it into enriched, market-ready content for all sales and marketing channels.

Akeneo SDM serves as a collaborative platform for collecting and normalizing product data, especially from suppliers or external partners. It ensures that only clean, validated data enters your PIM, improving overall product data quality and reducing time-to-market.

Yes, Akeneo PIM can integrate with most PDM or PLM solutions. These integrations allow you to automatically import essential technical data and avoid repetitive data entry, keeping your product content pipeline efficient and aligned from design to digital shelf.

By connecting PDM with Akeneo PIM and SDM, you’ll reduce manual tasks, improve data accuracy, streamline collaboration between teams, and accelerate time-to-market. You’ll also gain better control over how product content is localized and distributed across channels.

Not at all. While SDM is ideal for onboarding supplier data, it can also be used to collaborate with internal teams, subsidiaries, or partners who contribute product information. It supports a wide range of use cases where structured product data needs to be collected and shared.

No, but using them together offers the best results! PIM handles enrichment and omnichannel distribution, while SDM ensures upstream data from suppliers and other partners is accurate before it reaches the PIM. When combined with your PDM system, this creates a seamless product information ecosystem from concept to customer.

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