Defining Product Structure in Windchill for multiple products

[KL_11338253]

Hello Community,

We have a scenario where our company serves more than 150 customers, and for them we design and manufacture products such as:

• Electric Bus

• Electric School Bus

• Electric Coach

Within each of these product lines, we manage multiple subtypes (e.g., 9M Bus, 12M Bus, 12.5M Bus, etc.). Further, each subtype is broken down into multiple subsystems such as:

• Wheels

• Axle

• Suspension

• Windows

• Interior

• Exterior

Additionally, we have around 10 lead engineers, each of whom works across multiple subsystems.

We would like guidance on the following points:

1. What is the best practice for modeling this hierarchy in Windchill – should we define at the Product Family → Subtype → Subsystem level, or follow another structure?

2. How should common subsystems (e.g., standard wheels or suspension reused across subtypes) be managed to ensure reusability and avoid duplication?

3. What is the recommended way to define roles/permissions, so that subsystem leads can collaborate across multiple subtypes while still maintaining data integrity and access control?

Any best practices, references, or examples for structuring such product families in Windchill would be very helpful.

[Fadel]

Take a look at   https://support.ptc.com/help/windchill/r13.1.1.0/en/index.html#page/Windchill_Help_Center/prodfamily/ProductFamilyManagement.html 

[KL_11338253]

Thank you @Fadel 

[BenLoosli]

I would put each product in its own product context, then use folders to store the different component levels.

Decide which parts are 'common' and put those in a controlled library structure that has limited change rights. This will allow them to be used across multiple product assemblies and still maintain control of the design. 

If all of the designers work across multiple products, leave the roles as general as possible so they can work.

[KL_11338253]

Thank you @BenLoosli