Digi + Arena
REVOLUTIONIZING DIGI'S PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT THROUGH ARENA PLM INTEGRATION WITH PART ANALYTICS
“Having our BOMs automatically update across systems hasn’t just saved time, it’s revolutionized our sourcing operations.”
Greg Snell, Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager at Digi
Digi International (Digi) provides IoT connectivity products, services, and solutions for a wide range of industries and applications, from enterprise and industrial to transportation and smart cities. With over 35,000 customers across the globe, the next-generation technology provider aimed to enhance its product development and supply chain operations by integrating the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) information, living inside Arena PLM, with their sourcing and supply management platform, PartAnalytics. This change was driven by the challenges Digi encountered in aligning its engineering, sourcing, and supply chain operations—a common hurdle in the fast-paced electronics industry.
CHALLENGES
Diverging Data Sources
Engineering teams managed Bill of Materials (BOMs) within their PLM, while sourcing and supply chain teams used different platforms for their operations. This led to data silos, making it difficult to maintain a single source of truth across the product lifecycle.
Out-of-Sync BOMs
Changes to BOMs made by the engineering team were not automatically updated in the supply chain and sourcing data. This lack of synchronization led to error-prone, time-consuming manual data transfers impacting supply chain efficiency and responsiveness.
Siloed Operations
Data fragmentation fostered siloed operations within Digi, hindering effective collaboration among teams and with external partners such as OEMs, EMS suppliers, distributors, and component manufacturers—key players in maintaining a resilient and agile supply chain.
RESULTS
50% Efficiency Gains
The integration eliminated data silos through a unified platform, enhancing data visibility and real-time accessibility across key internal and external teams, resulting in 50% efficiency gains.
2x Negotiations Speed
The integration allowed Digi to strengthen collaboration with external partners, streamlining shared forecasts, cost negotiations, and risk management, facilitating seamless supply chain operations leading to 2x faster RFX cycles.
Cost Savings
BOM data inside Arena was enriched with critical insights from Part Analytics, including component availability, cost, lead times, and usage details, making sourcing activities more efficient and informed, and leading to numerous realized cost savings.
INTEGRATION DRIVES EXCEPTIONAL OUTCOMES
development and supply chain management. They experienced incredible improvements in operational efficiency, decision-making accuracy, and collaboration, both internally and with external partners. Notably:
- A significant reduction in manual data entry and synchronization errors.
- Enhanced visibility across the entire product lifecycle.
- Improved agility and responsiveness in the supply chain.
These outcomes drove impressive results. By digitizing their once-manual data management, and augmenting sourcing operations with automated analysis and alerts, Digi realized efficiency gains upwards of 50%.
“Before integrating our PLM data with Part Analytics, managing BOMs was challenging. There was constant back-and-forth between engineering our supply chain teams, and manual updates were cumbersome and error-prone, leading to delays and increased costs,” said Greg Snell, Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager at Digi. “Now, with both systems integrated, it’s like that true ‘Aha!’ moment. Our BOMs are always accurate and up-to-date, and our teams are all on the same page. This significantly streamlined our operations, cutting time spent on manual tasks in half and letting us focus on innovation rather than getting bogged down by data management challenges.”
Faster, smarter sourcing decisions and a better bottom line for Digi
The successful integration of Arena’s PLM data with Part Analytics exemplifies how leveraging advanced technological solutions can overcome complex challenges in the electronics industry. Using BOM data from Arena enriched with critical insights from Part Analytics allowed Digi to engage in more strategic decision-making and fully informed sourcing analysis. As a result, they identified and realized massive cost savings opportunities, demonstrating the substantial impact of integrating detailed component data into their procurement processes. Moreover, by bridging the gap with external partners, Digi has set a new standard for efficiency and collaboration, effectively doubling the pace at of their RFX negotiations.
“In electronics manufacturing, agility and collaboration aren’t just buzzwords, they’re essential components of success. The fragmented nature of our previous systems posed big barriers to achieving this. By integrating Arena and Part Analytics, we've effectively broken down those barriers, enabling seamless collaboration both internally and with our partners,” said Terry Schneider, Vice President Supply Chain Management at Digi. “This has not only enhanced our responsiveness but also provided us with the insights needed to make strategic decisions swiftly. The impact on our supply chain's efficiency and our bottom line has been profound. It’s clear that this integration was not just an operational decision but a strategic move that has set us apart in the industry."
