Original Date: 04/28/1995
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Product Definition System (PDS) is an on-line, integrated management system for all product definition data and processes at Lockheed Martin Electronics and Missiles (E&M). Comprised of two subsystems, Product Manager (PM) and Concurrent Engineering Manager (CEM), the PDS is integrated with the Aerospace Planning Execution Control System (APECS) to provide on-line access to the latest information. This in turn enhances product and process cost visibility, encourages concurrent engineering, incorporates producibility parameters, and provides traceability.

The PM supplies document management, product structure, and change management capabilities. Document management includes digital data engineering models, drawings, and analysis data. The PM also provides interfaces to material requirements management, logistics, business information, and other systems in the PDS architecture. Lockheed Martin's customers, suppliers, and partners have PM view capability of information that applies to their respective interests. The CEM provides database access to reports, resource information, metric information and schedule activity. The combination of the PM and the CEM subsystems allows user access to personnel, finance, manufacturing, quality, and other legacy systems.

The PDS features document and drawing red-lining, revision and version control, electronic mail integration, and workflow management. Data and information management is accomplished through a distributed vault concept. Documents are checked in and checked out in accordance to various access privileges. The privileges are assigned to either individuals or groups based on their functions and need to know.

The PDS-APECS interface forms a tight coupling between the engineering and manufacturing build cycle. The PDS contains As-Design and As-Planned Bills of Material (BOMs) for each product. The As-Planned BOM is used to generate the initial Manufacturing BOM that resides in the APECS. The Manufacturing BOMl is then modified as appropriate and is used to kit, fabricate, test, and inspect the product. The manufacturing process (MP) results in an APECS Build History database which provides As-Built data in the PDS. The PDS-APECS interfaced system provides a means to readily analyze the variations between the engineering BOM, manufacturing BOM, and the actual final product.

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