Original Date: 05/01/2000
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

In 1996, Northrop Grumman Defensive Systems Division (DSD) initially implemented Product Data Management (PDM) as part of the Modular Factory for Electronic Warfare Component Manufacturing (MFEWCM) initiative. This U.S. Air Force MANTECH cost-sharing initiative is being developed using Metaphase II, a commercial-off- the-shelf (COTS) PDM system. In 1999, a pilot application was completed and proven successful in a contained environment. A management decision was then made to transition MFEWCM PDM to the entire enterprise. A pilot project was selected for this phase, and training was provided to more than 130 new users. The company focused on making the PDM integrated system more user-friendly through web-based capabilities so it would be adaptable to an enterprise-wide environment.

Several systems enhancements have been completed including customizing and upgrading Metaphase II to a web- browser version; Intranet access to PDM; site-wide drawing and document viewing capability; user log of actions and accept/reject capability; and on-line viewing and mark-up of 3-D drawings. The company has also trained personnel and established concurrent engineering procedures. These efforts helped to establish PDM as the routine method for conducting business in current and future programs. PDM also features a single repository for all product data (e.g., manufacturing process documents, tooling drawings) to support the environment at Northrop Grumman DSD.

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