PLM’s Missing Link: Data That Works for People – Join Me at Share PLM Summit 2025

The future of PLM isn’t just about managing data—it’s about making data work for people.

I’m excited to be speaking at the Share PLM Summit 2025, an event where some of the most forward-thinking minds in product lifecycle management, digital transformation, and business innovation come together. If you care about the future of PLM, data, and the power of connected networks, this is the place to be.

Share PLM Summit is Different

PLM is changing. I’ve been following Share PLM trajectory for quite some time and it struck me with their ability to challenges the status quo of PLM. The following picture presented by Share PLM a few years ago speaks the best about why people often conflict with PLM ideas and technologies:

We’re moving beyond the era of rigid, monolithic systems toward something more agile, connected, and people-centric. That’s what makes this event so exciting—it’s not another rehash of old PLM debates. It’s about rethinking how we use data, networks, and collaboration to drive real business transformation.

The team at Share PLM has put together an amazing idea and group of people —industry leaders, innovators, and practitioners who are actively shaping the future of digital transformation and PLM. This event is promising to be a no-nonsense conversations about where PLM is headed, the challenges we still need to solve, and the real-world impact of new technologies.

Have you ever found yourself frustrated by existing PLM practices or wondering why data still isn’t as accessible as it should be or doesn’t help you to make right decisions right now and right here? I want to invite you to discuss it during my presentation at Share PLM summit.

PLM’s Missing Link: Data That Works for People

Let’s be honest—PLM was built to manage data, but it often ignores the people who actually need to use that data. While PLM for years was focusing on how to streamline processes and centralize data management, the focus was not balanced. Many companies discussed how to build a better data management, but not better data usability for decision making. Too often, PLM systems make people work for the data, rather than the data working for them.

The Problem: Why Is PLM Still Too Hard to Use?

Creating a single source of truth was a mantra PLM strategists used for years as a goal to organize information and make it available. Guess what, the results are questionable. Here is a status of quo of a traditional PLM implementation:

• Data silos everywhere – Multiple PDM/PLM systems trap valuable product data, making it frustratingly difficult to access across teams.
• Overcomplicated tools – Engineers, procurement teams, and executives often find PLM so cumbersome that they resort to Excel just to get things done.
• Non collaborative user experience – When data is disconnected from real-time collaboration, it slows everything down. Teams need to dump the data to a spreadsheet to simplify collaboration
• The real question: If PLM is supposed to make life easier, why does it still feel like an obstacle course?

From Documents to Intelligent Data: The Future of PLM

PLM should evolve from static, document-driven systems to intelligent, dynamic data architectures that adapt to the way people work. Traditional PLM locks information in rigid structures, making it difficult to access, analyze, and act upon. The future of PLM lies in intelligent data that is connected, contextual, and capable of driving decisions in real time.

Instead of manually searching through outdated files, teams should interact with self-organizing, AI-enhanced data that delivers the right information at the right time. Collaboration should be effortless, powered by live, federated data networks that eliminate silos and provide real-time visibility across the product lifecycle. AI should move beyond simple automation to proactive insights, identifying trends, tracking changes, and suggesting optimizations before problems arise.

Cloud-native, multi-tenant architectures ensure that data is not only accessible but also continuously learning and evolving. The shift from documents to intelligent data is about turning information into a strategic asset—empowering teams, accelerating decision-making, and transforming how we innovate and manage products in a digital-first world.

The best PLM is one that fades into the background, seamlessly empowering people to get things done instead of becoming yet another system to wrestle with.

Data is Everywhere—But Are We Using It Right?

We live in a world that’s obsessed with data. Every company is generating more of it than ever before. But here’s the real question: Is PLM actually helping people use data effectively, or are we just drowning in it?

For too long, PLM has been focused on control, governance, and compliance—but not nearly enough on how people actually engage with data. Engineers, procurement teams, and supply chain managers are stuck dealing with disconnected systems that slow them down.

The Shift: From Data Management to Data Empowerment

At Share PLM Summit 2025, I’ll explore how PLM software and product data management will evolve from rigid SQL data models and document-driven systems to intelligent, connected data architectures that adapt to the way people work. The shift from static files to dynamic, data-driven networks is crucial for improving collaboration and decision-making across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams. It will change business processes and the way product lifecycle management (PLM) will be able to change customer expectations. It will include changes in multiple disciplines such as product development, product quality, supplier collaboration, service lifecycle management, and entire product development process.

A key part of this transformation is leveraging new data management technologies like graph models and AI. Federated, graph-based data models break down traditional silos by enabling seamless connections between different data points, making information easier to access, navigate, and analyze in real-time. AI further enhances this by automating data processing, surfacing insights, and predicting trends, turning raw data into actionable intelligence.

The transition to cloud-native, multi-tenant architectures is equally important. Unlike outdated, on-premise PLM systems, modern cloud solutions provide scalability, real-time collaboration, and continuous updates, ensuring businesses can stay agile in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

Join me as we rethink PLM, harness the power of graph data models and AI, and move toward a future where data doesn’t just exist—it works intelligently for the people who need it most.

Why This Matters – And Why You Should Join the Conversation

The PLM industry is at a turning point. Traditional systems are too rigid, too isolated, and too slow for the pace of modern business. Companies that fail to adapt will be left behind.

If you’re an engineer, supply chain expert, PLM professional, or digital transformation leader, you need to be part of this discussion.

Join me at Share PLM Summit 2025 as we discuss the big questions and explore how to finally make PLM work for the people who need it most.

🔗 Register now and let’s rethink PLM together: [Share PLM Summit 2025]. See you there! 🚀

Best, Oleg

Disclaimer: I’m the co-founder and CEO of OpenBOM, a digital-thread platform providing cloud-native collaborative services including PDM, PLM, and ERP capabilities. With extensive experience in federated CAD-PDM and PLM architecture, I’m advocates for agile, open product models and cloud technologies in manufacturing. My opinion can be unintentionally biased