There is a situation that many Windchill environments share, even in companies that have invested heavily in PLM: the system holds the data, but people are still doing the work of moving it.
Every new project triggers a wave of manual tasks. Items created one by one. BOMs copied and adjusted by hand. Files sent to suppliers without any guarantee they are the right version. And underneath it all, a Windchill environment quietly filling up with outdated and duplicated content that no one has time to clean.
This is not a technology problem in the sense that Windchill is broken. It is a workflow problem — and it tends to go unnoticed precisely because teams adapt to it. They build routines around the gaps. Until the volume grows too large, or a mistake costs too much, or someone stops to calculate how many engineering hours are spent on data management instead of engineering.
Figueras Seating reached that point.
A precision business with a manual data problem
Figueras designs and manufactures premium seating for auditoriums, theatres, cinemas, and stadiums in more than 150 countries. Every installation is different: seat dimensions, curvature, positioning, and finish are all defined by the specific geometry of each venue. There is no off-the-shelf configuration — each project is a custom engineering exercise.
That level of customization generates a high volume of items, versions, and CAD documents. And for every project, that data had to be loaded manually into their ERP system (Microsoft Navision), with no automated connection between PLM and ERP.
The consequences were predictable, though no less costly for being so.
The four problems that were costing the most
1. Loading project data into Windchill and ERP was slow, manual, and error-prone
Each new project meant creating and updating items one by one across both systems. With complex, customized BOMs — where every seat in a venue can have its own configuration — the volume of manual input was significant. And manual input means inconsistencies: data that does not match between systems, items created with errors, versions that diverge.
The time cost was real. So was the risk. In a business where every installation is unique and tolerances are tight, a data error does not stay in a spreadsheet — it travels downstream into production.
2. Windchill was accumulating noise it could not clean itself
Without an automated and controlled flow for creating and updating items, obsolete and duplicated content builds up over time. Items that were replaced but never removed. Versions that should have been superseded but were not. A PLM environment that was meant to be the single source of truth was instead becoming a source of uncertainty.
Cleaning this manually is time-consuming and disruptive. Most teams deprioritize it. The noise grows.
3. Errors in data became errors in production
When the connection between engineering data and manufacturing is handled by people rather than systems, the margin for error is wide. An outdated BOM reaching the shop floor. A component specified incorrectly because the item in ERP did not reflect the latest version in Windchill. Rework, delays, costs that should not have been there.
In high-precision, high-customization manufacturing, the cost of a data error is not just the error itself — it is everything that flows from it before anyone catches it.
4. Suppliers and partners were working without version certainty
Distributing project documentation to external partners — suppliers, subcontractors, site teams — was done without a controlled mechanism to ensure they always received the correct, current files. 2D drawings and 3D models sent outside Windchill lose their connection to the source. Someone builds from a drawing that has since been updated, and no one necessarily knows until it becomes a problem on site.
What changed with Windchill Utilities
Two applications from the Windchill Utilities suite addressed these problems directly.
Bulk Creation & Update Tools introduced an automated, Excel-driven interface between Windchill and Navision. Instead of creating and updating items manually in each system, the team now manages data through a structured process that keeps both platforms consistent. The Windchill mBOM and the ERP BOM for each project stay aligned, without manual synchronization.
Download Baseline Components gave the team a controlled mechanism for distributing project documentation externally. Files — primary content, attachments, and object representations — are grouped into structured baselines directly from Windchill, ensuring that suppliers and partners always receive the correct version of 2D and 3D files. Windchill remains the single, authoritative source.
The results
- Manual input eliminated across complex, customized BOMs — significantly reducing both time and errors when loading project data.
- Obsolete and duplicated items no longer accumulate, removing the overhead of periodic cleanup and restoring confidence in the PLM environment.
- Fewer errors reaching production, with a direct impact on rework costs, delivery speed, and product quality.
- Suppliers and partners always receive the correct, up-to-date file versions — distributed directly from Windchill baselines.
- A stable, maintainable environment that can evolve alongside both Windchill and ERP without accumulating technical debt.
Is your team spending engineering hours on data management?
If any of the situations above feel familiar, the gap is likely not in your PLM platform — it is in the workflow connecting it to the rest of your operation.
Windchill Utilities by ISFsoft is a suite of productivity applications designed to automate routine tasks, eliminate manual data management, and keep your Windchill environment clean, consistent, and ready to scale.
Explore Windchill Utilities →
See how other manufacturers are working smarter with Windchill
Figueras is not the only company that has transformed the way it manages engineering data. Explore more real-world examples of how ISFsoft helps manufacturing teams eliminate inefficiencies, connect their systems, and get more out of their PLM investment.