Epicor Software Corporation has announced its popular Vantage manufacturing solution now offers integrated Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) capabilities.  Vantage PLM addresses new and emerging industry requirements, raising the bar for end-to-end integrated manufacturing solutions specifically aimed at the midmarket.

According to an AMR Research Alert: " 73% of midmarket companies are either likely or very likely to evaluate a complete PLM system."  Vantage PLM is a critical capability that enables midmarket companies to optimise the entire lifecycle of a product from initial design to manufacturing, service and support. 

"Given the declining costs to enter global markets and the decreasing time needed to develop new products, enterprises must continuously seek ways to economically develop innovative families of products that can expand market share, protect margins and continuously enhance brand value," said Marc Halpern, Research Director at Gartner, Inc. "Many enterprises that have already invested in ERP, supply chain management and CRM to improve operational performance are beginning to explore PLM."

Key features of the new Vantage PLM module include full integration with more than 12 CAD systems, including Pro/ENGINEER, AutoCAD and Solid Edge. Additionally, the module offers sophisticated management of all documentation associated with a product throughout its entire product lifecycle, critical for those organisations that need excellent audit tracking and document control across the enterprise.

"Vantage PLM offers a complete end-to-end solution to manage all aspects of a product's life as well as enabling enterprises to control the enormous amount of electronic documents that they produce," said Paul Farrell, Senior Director of product marketing for Epicor. 

www.epicor.com