How Simon connected engineering and manufacturing across four continents with ISFsoft Viewer
Simon designs and manufactures electrical switches, sockets, lighting, and connectivity solutions for markets across the globe. With over 200 engineers based in Barcelona and China, and manufacturing plants operating in Brazil, Mexico, India, and Poland, the company runs a genuinely international product development operation. A decision made in Barcelona has direct consequences on a factory floor thousands of kilometres away.
Keeping engineering and manufacturing aligned at that scale is not a given. It requires more than a good PLM system. It requires that the people who need engineering data can actually get to it, reliably, and without depending on someone else to retrieve it for them.
That was the problem Simon needed to solve.
The situation before Viewer
Simon's engineering team works in PTC Windchill. Their product data, assemblies, components, drawings and specifications, is structured, versioned, and controlled inside the PLM environment. But Windchill access was limited to the engineering team. Manufacturing teams at international sites had no direct, reliable way to consult that data.
The result was a gap between what engineering knew and what manufacturing could act on. Errors were surfacing too late, at the manufacturing phase, when the cost of fixing them is significantly higher than catching them upstream. An initial attempt to bridge this with PTC Navigate View licenses proved difficult to scale across a geographically distributed organization with multiple sites, each with its own operational reality.
Something more flexible was needed.
The solution: ISFsoft Viewer as the access layer
ISFsoft Viewer was implemented in combination with PTC Navigate View, providing a dedicated visualization server that makes Windchill data accessible to non-engineering teams, without requiring PLM licenses or expertise.
A Windchill workflow was configured to publish data automatically to the Viewer server, distributing up-to-date engineering information from Barcelona to manufacturing plants in Brazil, Mexico, India, and Poland. The moment engineering updates something in Windchill, that change becomes available to every site through Viewer.
The rollout was gradual and site-driven. Rather than imposing a uniform change across four countries at once, each manufacturing plant defined its own adoption timeline and product strategy. This meant the implementation could flex around operational realities, reducing friction and accelerating actual adoption on the ground.
The results across 150 users
With ISFsoft Viewer in place, manufacturing teams at every site now have direct access to current engineering data. The impact has been visible across several dimensions.
Error discovery moved upstream. Manufacturing teams can now identify issues before they reach the production floor, reducing the cost and disruption of rework. The engineering team, no longer fielding data access requests from across four time zones, recovered significant capacity.
And for the first time, every site, Barcelona, Brazil, Mexico, India, Poland, is working from the same version of the truth.
But the most significant outcome may be structural. With Viewer providing a reliable, shared view of engineering data across the organization, Simon had the foundation it needed to go further: moving from folder-based project management to a structured, Windchill-based PLM approach. Viewer was not just a fix for the access problem. It was the trigger for a broader shift in how Simon manages its product data at a global level.
A bridge that scales
What the Simon implementation illustrates is a pattern that applies across manufacturing organizations of similar complexity: the value of a PLM system is not just in the data it holds, but in how accessible that data is to the people who need to act on it.
ISFsoft Viewer connects to Windchill and exposes the relevant data, assemblies, components, drawings and attributes, through an interface that manufacturing, quality, procurement, and other teams can use without training, without licenses, and without creating risk to the PLM environment. For multi-site organizations, it also solves the synchronization problem by design: one source, one published view, always current.
Does your manufacturing team have direct access to Windchill data?
If your engineering team is the gatekeeper of data that manufacturing, quality, or procurement need to do their work, ISFsoft Viewer is designed to change that, without disrupting your existing PLM environment.
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More real-world examples
Simon is one of several manufacturing companies that have transformed the way they connect engineering and production with ISFsoft. Explore more case studies to see how other teams are getting more out of their Windchill investment.
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How Figueras Seating eliminated manual data management in Windchill without changing their PLM
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.
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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.
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The hidden cost of disconnected Windchill PLM and ERP systems in manufacturing
Digital transformation in manufacturing often begins with the implementation of powerful platforms such as Windchill PLM and a robust ERP system. On paper, the technological landscape looks complete: engineering manages product structures and revisions in Windchill PLM, while operations, procurement and finance rely on ERP to plan and execute production.
However, in many industrial organizations these systems do not truly operate as one.
When Windchill PLM and ERP are not properly integrated, the gap between engineering and operations quickly becomes a structural weakness. What initially appears to be a technical limitation gradually turns into an operational problem that affects cost control, product quality and time-to-market.
The operational risk of disconnected systems
Modern product development is significantly more complex than it was just a decade ago. Companies design products that combine mechanical components, electronics and software while coordinating engineering teams, suppliers and manufacturing sites across multiple locations and time zones.
In this context, product information cannot remain isolated inside engineering tools.
When Windchill PLM operates independently from ERP, the organization begins to fragment. Engineering defines product structures and revisions in Windchill PLM that production may not immediately see reflected in ERP, while manufacturing teams update operational data that rarely flows back into engineering environments. Procurement and finance may therefore work with cost or planning data that does not fully match the latest design reality.
The result is not immediate chaos, but a gradual accumulation of inefficiencies. Manual exports, spreadsheet bridges, duplicated data entries and email confirmations become routine practices that compensate for the lack of system synchronization.
Over time, these workarounds create a fragile operational model that slows the organization down.
BOM inconsistencies: the most visible symptom
One of the areas most affected by the lack of integration between Windchill PLM and ERP is the Bill of Materials. The BOM represents the backbone of manufacturing operations, connecting engineering design with procurement, planning and production.
When BOM structures or revisions must be transferred manually between Windchill PLM and ERP, inconsistencies inevitably appear. A component revision may be outdated, a variant configuration may be incomplete, or a manufacturing process may not reflect the most recent engineering change.
These inconsistencies quickly move beyond the system and into the shop floor. Production errors increase, rework becomes more frequent and inventory levels grow unnecessarily because outdated or incorrect data drives operational decisions.
What initially appears to be a minor data synchronization issue can therefore translate into measurable financial impact and operational inefficiency.
Engineering changes without synchronization
Engineering Change Notices and Engineering Change Orders are essential for controlling product evolution. Windchill PLM provides the structure and traceability needed to manage these changes, but the benefits disappear if the changes are not automatically synchronized with ERP.
Without integration, production may continue manufacturing based on obsolete revisions while procurement orders components tied to previous versions of the product. Project schedules may also fail to reflect the real impact of engineering modifications.
In global manufacturing environments where production operates continuously, this lack of synchronization increases operational risk and complicates compliance and traceability requirements.
More importantly, it undermines confidence in enterprise data. When teams cannot fully trust the information available in their systems, decision-making slows down and additional validation steps become necessary before moving forward.
The hidden impact on time-to-market
Many organizations believe their time-to-market challenges come from product complexity or limited resources. In reality, the underlying problem is often data inconsistency between Windchill PLM and ERP.
Before launching a product, teams frequently spend significant time verifying that engineering data and manufacturing structures match across systems. They review BOM revisions, validate routing information and manually reconcile discrepancies that appear between platforms.
These activities do not contribute to innovation or product improvement. Instead, they compensate for disconnected systems.
When Windchill PLM and ERP are properly integrated, synchronization becomes automatic and the number of data errors decreases significantly. As a result, product launches move faster because teams can focus on engineering and manufacturing decisions instead of resolving system inconsistencies.
Integration as a strategic capability
Integrating Windchill PLM with ERP is not simply a technical improvement but a fundamental step toward operational coherence. When engineering, manufacturing and business systems are properly connected, product information flows consistently across the organization and teams can rely on a single source of truth.
This alignment allows companies to reduce errors, improve collaboration and accelerate decision-making while maintaining full traceability of product and manufacturing data.
In modern manufacturing environments where complexity continues to grow, the integration between Windchill PLM and ERP has become a critical capability rather than an optional improvement. Organizations that succeed in connecting these systems are not only improving their IT architecture; they are strengthening the foundation that supports their entire product lifecycle and operational performance.
This is precisely the role of ISFsoft Connect. Designed as an integration platform between Windchill PLM and ERP systems, ISFsoft Connect enables organizations to synchronize product data, engineering changes, manufacturing structures and operational information across systems in a controlled and traceable way. By creating a reliable bridge between engineering and operations, companies can eliminate manual data transfers, reduce inconsistencies and ensure that product information flows seamlessly across the entire organization.
Discover how ISFsoft Connect helps companies integrate Windchill PLM with ERP systems and build a truly connected manufacturing environment >>
From Excel to digital portal: Improving spare parts management in industrial environments
For many industrial companies, managing spare parts still depends on endless spreadsheets, manual updates, and long email threads between departments. While Excel has long been a trusted ally, it was never designed for the complexity of modern after-sales operations, where accuracy, visibility, and responsiveness are essential. Transitioning from traditional spreadsheets to a digital spare parts portal is not just a technological step forward — it represents a true transformation in the way organizations handle information, collaborate across teams, and serve their customers.
The Limits of Manual Management
Managing spare parts manually often seems simple at first. Spreadsheets are familiar, flexible, and inexpensive. But as product lines expand and the number of components increases, the cracks start to show. Data becomes fragmented across different files and versions, often inconsistent or outdated. Each manual edit increases the likelihood of human error, from incorrect references to duplicated items or missing information. Over time, the lack of version control and traceability makes it difficult to maintain quality or accountability, and operations begin to slow down as users spend more time searching for information than acting on it.
Another major challenge is the absence of real-time synchronization with core systems such as PLM or ERP. Engineering teams may update part numbers or documentation, but those changes rarely flow automatically to after-sales or logistics teams. This disconnect leads to inefficiency, errors in orders, and frustration both internally and for customers who rely on accurate information. In short, spreadsheet-based management is not scalable. It restricts visibility and collaboration precisely when industrial operations require both.
The Shift to a Digital Spare Parts Portal
Replacing spreadsheets with a digital spare parts portal means centralizing all critical product data — from 3D assemblies and technical documentation to live stock and version history — within a single, secure platform. It’s a shift from static data to a dynamic, connected system that evolves in real time. With a solution like ISFsoft Spare Portal, every stakeholder involved in the after-sales process can access consistent, accurate, and visually intuitive information.
Technicians can identify parts directly from 3D or exploded views, avoiding confusion between similar components. Engineering updates made in Windchill automatically synchronize with the portal, ensuring that part numbers, documentation, and availability are always up to date. At the same time, customers and distributors gain access to a modern self-service interface where they can search for products, confirm compatibility, and even place orders online without depending on manual intervention. The result is a leaner, faster, and far more reliable process for everyone involved.
Real-World Impact: From Reactive to Predictive
Consider the case of an industrial equipment manufacturer that manages thousands of spare parts across multiple product lines. In the traditional model, technicians spent hours navigating through Excel sheets, cross-checking codes, and validating availability manually. Mistakes were common, and each incorrect order meant delays, extra costs, and dissatisfied clients. After implementing ISFsoft Spare Portal, the company achieved a single source of truth for all spare parts data, seamlessly integrated with Windchill and the ERP system. Technicians now locate the right components in seconds, customers can view up-to-date product information, and service teams no longer rely on email chains to confirm compatibility.
This transition didn’t just reduce errors and lead times — it changed the way the company operates. Instead of reacting to issues as they arise, they can now anticipate demand, track version changes automatically, and plan inventory with greater precision. In other words, they moved from a reactive to a predictive service model.
Beyond Efficiency: Building a Connected After-Sales Ecosystem
Digitalizing spare parts management goes far beyond administrative efficiency. It is the foundation of a connected after-sales ecosystem where information flows freely between engineering, logistics, and service. When the spare parts portal communicates directly with PLM and ERP systems, any change made in design or production is immediately reflected across the entire service network. This ensures full alignment and eliminates the need for repetitive data entry, freeing teams to focus on value-added tasks.
Moreover, the integration of real-time data opens the door to advanced capabilities such as predictive maintenance, automated reporting, and data-driven decision-making. Each interaction within the portal generates insights that can improve product design, optimize inventory, and strengthen customer relationships. The shift from isolated spreadsheets to a digital platform ultimately transforms the after-sales function into a strategic asset for the business.
ISFsoft Spare Portal: The Next Step in Your Digital Journey
At ISF Innovation Experts, we believe that the digital thread should not end with manufacturing. Knowledge created in the design and engineering phases should extend all the way to after-sales service, where it delivers tangible value for customers and service teams alike. ISFsoft Spare Portal was developed with this vision in mind — connecting engineering data, service processes, and customer needs through a single digital platform.
By adopting ISFsoft Spare Portal, manufacturers can take a decisive step toward complete lifecycle digitalization, improving accuracy, collaboration, and customer experience. It’s not just about replacing Excel. It’s about creating a smarter, connected, and sustainable way to manage your after-sales operations.
From PLM to after-sales: Extending the digital thread with ISFsoft and PTC Windchill
Bridging the Gaps: Specialized Tools for a Complete Digital Thread
PTC’s Windchill PLM is a powerful foundation for managing engineering data. ISFsoft enhances that foundation with targeted capabilities that connect Windchill to downstream processes and external systems—making the digital thread operational beyond the PLM core.
1. Connect: Synchronizing Windchill and ERP
ISFsoft Connect is an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) that serves as the backbone of integration between Windchill and your ERP system. It ensures consistent, real-time data flow between engineering and business operations—bridging BOMs, part metadata, documentation, and lifecycle statuses across systems.
This connection eliminates manual duplication, ensures traceability, and enables better planning, procurement, and production alignment.
2. Sales & Product Configurator: From Engineering Rules to Commercial Offers
Our Product Configurator transforms engineering rules into configurable product logic, enabling accurate and error-free product definition.
The Sales Configurator uses that logic to generate customized offers, automatically aligned with engineering constraints and PLM data—reducing lead times and preventing costly misconfigurations.
Together, they bridge the gap between engineering and sales, streamlining the configure-to-order process and enhancing customer responsiveness.
3. Viewer: Visualizing Engineering Data with Precision
ISFsoft Viewer empowers technical and non-technical users to interact with complex 3D assemblies linked to Windchill. It provides instant access to exploded views, part metadata, and automated technical documentation.
This visual clarity improves communication between departments and reduces dependency on CAD experts—extending the value of engineering data throughout the organization.
4. Spare Portal: Elevating the After-Sales Experience
ISFsoft Spare Portal extends the digital thread to the post-sales environment. It allows customers and technicians to visually identify spare parts, place orders online, and access version-controlled product information—always synced with Windchill data.
The result: faster service, fewer errors, and a superior after-sales experience that boosts customer satisfaction and retention.
Enabling End-to-End Continuity
The strength of the digital thread lies in its connectivity, accuracy, and completeness. ISFsoft acts as a strategic layer over the PTC ecosystem—ensuring that the data created in engineering is not only preserved, but also leveraged across the product lifecycle.
From syncing your PLM and ERP systems, to simplifying complex configurations, enhancing 3D data usage, and digitizing spare parts management—we help companies go beyond PLM to achieve a fully integrated digital enterprise.
ISFsoft + PTC: Your End-to-End Digital Thread Partner
Digital transformation is not about isolated tools—it’s about creating a continuous flow of intelligence across your business. By complementing Windchill with specialized, interoperable solutions, ISFsoft empowers manufacturers to make real-time decisions, streamline operations, and deliver better service.
Together with PTC, we turn disconnected processes into connected value.