Operational Alignment Across Engineering and Manufacturing 

Modern product organizations rely on four critical pillars – product life cycle management (PLM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), master resource planning (MRP), and engineering change management – but these functions often operate in silos. In this webinar, Crowe specialists will discuss these interconnected pillars to show how product data, production planning, and controlled engineering change workflows form a unified operational ecosystem.

We will explore how integrated PLM-to-ERP processes lead to more accurate bills of material and routings, how MRP extends ERP to inform precise material and production planning, and how clear distinctions between engineering change notices (ECNs) and engineering change orders (ECOs) prevent disruptions, waste, and downstream confusion.

Participants can learn how to create connected data flows from engineering through manufacturing, strengthen traceability, and improve decision-making across the product life cycle. The session will highlight practical challenges, real-world impacts, and actionable strategies organizations can implement to reduce risk, increase efficiency, and enable scalable growth.

Learning objectives

After attending this session, you should be able to:

• Explain how PLM-to-ERP integration creates a single source of truth across product, engineering, and operational teams
• Differentiate between ECNs and ECOs and identify when each should be initiated in the change process
• Describe how MRP complements ERP to improve material planning, inventory control, and production scheduling
• Evaluate operational risks caused by disconnected systems and unclear change processes across PLM, ERP, and MRP
• Apply best practices to streamline engineering-to-production handoffs and reduce rework, scrap, and planning delays