Selecting an Enterprise PLM Platform to Enable Product Lifecycle Transformation
Clarkston Consulting recently supported a water management and treatment solution company in selecting an enterprise PLM platform. Read a synopsis of the project below or download the full case study.
Download the Selecting an Enterprise PLM Platform Case Study Here
As a global leader in water management and treatment solutions, this client delivers innovative products across pool and spa equipment, residential water solutions, and commercial and industrial water systems. While the organization maintained a strong market position, its product lifecycle management (PLM) capabilities were constrained by an internally developed, SharePoint-based system and a collection of offline tools. Over time, these platforms created inconsistent lifecycle governance, limited end-to-end visibility, and fragmented product data with poor traceability—introducing scalability challenges and long-term risks to business continuity.
Recognizing the need for an enterprise PLM platform to support future growth, data transparency, and customer-centric operations, the client partnered with Clarkston to lead a structured request for proposal (RFP) and vendor selection initiative. The engagement was designed to ensure an objective, requirements-driven evaluation while establishing a clear foundation for implementation readiness.
Over a 12-week period, Clarkston developed and executed a comprehensive PLM RFP strategy, including the creation of vendor briefing materials, evaluation scorecards, response analysis tools, and scenario-based demonstration scripts tailored to the client’s highest-priority business needs. Clarkston managed vendor communications, facilitated a competitive evaluation process involving five vendors, and guided the client through a shortlisting to three finalists for in-depth demonstrations. Three full-day demonstration sessions were conducted using standardized scenarios to enable meaningful, side-by-side comparisons.
Following the demonstrations, Clarkston aggregated evaluator feedback and delivered a data-driven recommendation supported by a comprehensive analysis and final report. In parallel, Clarkston defined strategic proposals for PLM data governance, go-live scope, and organizational change management, along with a high-level implementation roadmap.
As a result, the client confidently selected an enterprise PLM platform aligned to its long-term transformation objectives to enter the implementation phase with clarity, alignment, and momentum—positioning the organization to strengthen product governance, improve visibility across the lifecycle, and scale PLM capabilities enterprise-wide.
