Automating Engineering Change Management for Better Structure and Optimum Speed

About the Company

Si-Ware Systems is a deep science technology company that is pioneering advancements in optical micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), spectroscopy, and cloud-based software. Si-Ware’s innovative product, NeoSpectra^TM, is a versatile, comprehensive material analysis platform enabling laboratories and businesses to bring lab-level analysis to the point of need.

NeoSpectra instantly provides actionable insights to streamline testing operations for businesses globally in agriculture, food, oil and gas, and other industries. The handheld scanner analyzer (spectrometer) can analyze the contents of materials such as coffee, wheat, and corn while delivering real-time feedback for quick, decisive decision-making. The scanner not only saves customers time but also removes the step of shipping samples back to a lab, consequently avoiding costly lab fees.

Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, Si-Ware Systems has research and development centers in the U.S.; France; Cairo, Egypt; and a global sales and support footprint.

AT A GLANCE

SYSTEM USED

Arena PLM

Best Thing About Arena

Having easy real-time accessibility and visibility into all product record information

Bottom-Line Impact

Streamlined engineering change and global compliance processes are better structured, faster, and easier

Key Benefits

Centralizes access to product information for global employees with a cloud-native solution
Reduces time spent searching for information
Streamlines and speeds engineering change process
Improves visibility into product information across different development phases
Enables customization and streamlining of internal quality processes
Simplifies compliance management to meet regional requirements
Facilitates future integrations with mCAD, eCAD, and ERP with a flexible integration platform

BUSINESS CHALLENGES

Si-Ware’s products are deployed across diverse and unconventional environments, serving professionals across sectors such as agriculture, food and beverage, medical, and beyond. This breadth of application poses a significant challenge for engineering teams tasked with designing products capable of meeting diverse needs while minimizing alterations to the core product.

To build highly complex products, companies need the right solutions to balance their teams—the right tools for the job, and the right technology to reduce costs. For Si-Ware, the challenge was trying to find a balance between combining their product development workflows from different cross-functional teams and achieving a centralized platform for tracing progress and managing product information.

In their current cross-functional team structure, coupled with the time-consuming efforts of trying to find the latest mechanical, electronic, and optical information in different tracking systems, Si-Ware recognized they needed to aggregate their information into one system. Tarek Zeinah, Engineering Quality Leader said, “To be able to combine all our separate development efforts into one thread where you can see the progress of the product—that was the missing piece from our puzzle.”

Si-Ware concluded Arena’s cloud-native product lifecycle management (PLM) system best fit the company’s needs. The key factors were Arena’s user-friendly interface, straightforward configuration, convenient accessibility from anywhere, and the ability to encompass various processes such as engineering change, bill of materials (BOM), quality, and requirements management within one centralized solution.

Blue quote mark

To be able to combine all of our separate development efforts into one thread where you can see the progress of the product—that was the missing piece from our puzzle.”

—Tarek Zeinah, Engineering Quality Leader, Si-Ware

THE SOLUTION

The implementation of Arena has improved Si-Ware’s efficiencies such as less time spent searching for information, streamlining engineering change processes, and providing better visibility of product information across different development phases.

Engineering change management is one area that has been greatly enhanced by Arena. Si-Ware is structured around three main groups: engineering, production, and product management. Each group contributes their own set of iterations, modifications, and engineering change orders (ECOs) that they want implemented.

“Before Arena, our workflow necessitated arranging collaborative sessions and utilizing electronic correspondence to gather the relevant information pertaining to ECOs, ensuring all stakeholders were adequately informed about the approvals they were granting,” noted Tarek.

In addition, engineers had to be able to link the approved changes back to the BOM. Tarek explained, “With Arena, it’s easy to view what has exactly changed and it’s easy to spot while comparing products to revisions. The change review process altogether has become much easier, organized, and faster.”

Si-Ware Systems Neospectra Scanner sample

RESULTS

Si-Ware does business in global markets; consequently, they need to meet region-specific compliance regulations. Tarek said, “Using Arena, we are expecting that managing compliance information for the various regional requirements will be much easier.”

As Si-Ware scales, they will continue to delve deeper into more of Arena’s core capabilities through a phased approach. They’re also exploring the integration options available through Arena’s flexible integration platform to connect all their systems fully. “As we explore more opportunities to enhance our processes with Arena, we’re also investigating our integration options. We like the idea of having mCAD, eCAD, and ERP systems all talking to each other,” said Tarek.

Arena PLM helps Si-Ware take advantage of FT-NIR spectroscopy by providing customers with a product that’s fast, accurate, and offers many options on the production line, in the field, and on the factory floor. With Arena PLM, Si-Ware can speed innovation and continue the path of empowering organizations to analyze samples anywhere through accessible devices that produce lab-level results.