we work for main Automotive Industries, and all they have own procedure to approve supplier drawings.
Now due to that we are supplier, we need to:
1. approve internally to "release status", before send the drawing to Customer.
2. The customer, (He want collaborate without its own PDM, or its pdm is different from our) control the drawing, and "watermark" a .tiff (Image) as approved, and send us the document back.
3. now how we can manage this phase ?
The solutions are probably different, but I list some:
A. I send the pdf (Previously internal approved by ext.tools E-Sing) leave the drawing (i.e AB.1) "inwork"(And checked-out) (Very unsafe strategy), after the Customer send, the .tiff watermarked back, so I will put the stamp on my own, I check-In, and create an Release to SAP approval process.
As you understand the "A" solution is not easy, is not safe.
B. send the pdf (Previously internal approved by ext.tools E-Sing) and I create a "Release to SAP approval" process I do (i.e AB.1) "Release"(And checked-in), after the Customer send, the .tiff watermarked back, so I will create a .PDF and load manually in the sap document, as additional content, and I will close the (previous generated in "Release to SAP approval") SAP ECM.
This is more precise, but at the end in sap we have to different pdf representation, and this is made manually so subject to errors.
In the community, do you know other approach ?
are there others specific software Portal or tool to interface Customer, inside the approval process ?
For. Example, is there any way to send a Package, end receiving back again, with something like watermark on pdf drawing ?, or approval certificate, and import back again ?;
Or share a windchill Folder/Workspace, and give a Customer user access + an approval role ?
