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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Arena PLM and QMS

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AArena by PTC is a cloud-based PLM and QMS platform. Arena helps product companies that rely on distributed teams and global supply chains to develop products, ensure regulatory compliance, and respond to customer demands.N/A

    PTC Windchill

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/APTC offers Windchill, the company's Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform that includes BOM (a digital bill of materials) for cost and product quality control via parts-centric source of truth, dynamic and updated product change and configuration management to ensure up-to-date product information, industry standards and requirements validation and control, and role-based data access among other features.N/A

    Simulink

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AMathWorks offers the Simulink product family including the Simscape physical modeling suite, simulation, validation, and testing tool set, a 3D animation module, signal processing toolbox for wireless communication, control systems, and event-based monitoring, to aid in the design of complex systems.N/A
    Pricing
    Arena PLM and QMSPTC WindchillSimulink
    Editions & Modules
    Arena PLM Launch
    Contact Sales
    Arena PLM Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    Arena QMS
    Contact Sales
    Arena QMS Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Arena PLM and QMSPTC WindchillSimulink
    Free Trial
    YesNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsArena's cloud-based PLM and QMS solutions include role-based subscriptions to meet diverse team needs. Their fixed-fee QuickStart™ implementations supports rapid deployment.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Arena PLM and QMSPTC WindchillSimulink
    Considered Multiple Products
    Arena by PTC
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena was more intuitive and had a better interface and user experience than PTC Windchill, though Windchill was great as it had good CAD integration and the CAD PLM was the document PLM, everything was in one place. Windchill also had good customization workflow that …
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    At my first job, we used PTC Windchill and I just remember it being a pain to manage and work with. I don't remember the support being great and the user interface was not user-friendly at all. It also seemed really outdated and there seemed to be too much duplicate information.
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena is more convenient than PTC Windchill. Arena is easier to use with SOLIDWORKS than PTC Windchill. Arena is easier to use when working with assemblies and subassemblies than PTC Windchill. Arena is easier to use when creating engineering change requests, handling reviews …
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena is very easy to use, well organized, budget friendly, Keep improvising, Always get help promptly.

    Takes less time to get trained, user friendly, track everything in place by new homepage option.
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena had an easier BOM structure setup
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena PLM and QMS has a lot of options to work with in hand with the current other systems use at our company.
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena is only a PLM solution, so if you need PDM + PLM, look elsewhere. Or use a separate PDM to your PLM system. Large companies with complex products may find this an issue, but if you can streamline your PLM use Arena could be a good fit. Once you get past that decision, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Arena has all the functionality the company needs (all the PLM systems reviewed had the same basic functionality) and was a better price. It also offers great support after implementation at no additional cost. It was also great to work directly with Arena, rather than …
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    For the price and implementation effort Arena wins. From what I remember windchill was "easier" to understand and see the associated files and parts.
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    Having worked previously with Windchill, I found Arena to be far more intuitive and easy to use, needing much less customization. Though the use of Windchill was at a much larger company, Arena was clear and flexible and able to meet our needs with only a fraction of the time …
    Incentivized
    Chose Arena PLM and QMS
    The arena user interface is much better, although I think Windchill may be a little better at change management or at least visualizing it. Also, Windchill can create PDFs of our mechanical drawings on their release so it is critical for our ME team.
    Incentivized
    PTC
    No answer on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    65 Answers
    80%
    Would buy again
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    48 Answers
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    64 Answers
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    25 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    35 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Best Alternatives
    Arena PLM and QMSPTC WindchillSimulink
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Teamcenter
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Arena PLM and QMS
    Score8.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    SAP Integrated Product Development
    Score9 out of 10
    SAP Integrated Product Development
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Arena PLM and QMSPTC WindchillSimulink
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.2
    (220 ratings)
    1.0
    (6 ratings)
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    5.6
    (17 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (18 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.7
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Arena PLM and QMSPTC WindchillSimulink
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Arena by PTC
    Arena PLM is well suited for part number, BOM and file management. Processing changes (ECNs, ACOs, DCO's, etc.) in Arena is very easy to do and provides great visibility on the status of submitted requests. The ability to communicate with Suppliers and grant them access to files in Arena is extremely helpful. Arena does not appear to be the best suited system for managing software
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    This product is perhaps typical of something that seems as though it was conceived in the 90's and has seen various appendages since, none of which do their job particularly well. Nothing in this system is efficient and all its processes demand a huge, close to maximum possible level of human effort. No doubt many companies, such as my own are spend huge amounts of money for the debateable privilege of tripling their employees workload and making them as inefficient as possible to make the administration of the system seem more important than it actually is.
    Read full review
    MathWorks
    Thanks to the Simulink program, an electrical and electronics engineer can easily design and have information about the system before applying it. After performing the calculations mathematically, it can be tested with this correct program. One of the biggest advantages of the simulation program is that it gives results close to real results. It is also possible to find many training videos.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Arena by PTC
    • It provides easy, 'login-anywhere' internet cloud-based access to fundamental PLM functions.
    • It provides secure access control for employees & vendors (but you pay per person for access licenses).
    • Data is effectively 'always backed up' in the internet-cloud.
    • There is an option to attach thumbnail graphics representative of each item and create a Bill of Materials view that also displays the graphics to help provide item recognition for BOM readers.
    Read full review
    PTC
    • It is compatible with all devices and operating systems such as web-based, Android, and iOS.
    • It allows user to customize its interface based on their requirement.
    • It provides a digital part list with all required data like Part Name, Part No., Weight, Material, etc.
    • Searching data is so facile that one can get data without any trouble.
    Read full review
    MathWorks
    • Control system design for continuous and discrete systems. The control systems toolbox includes many pre-built blocks for common functions, signals and plant models that help you analyse input vs. output responses.
    • Greatly responsive and easy to use graphic based environment ideal for the easy representation of processes using signals that go from one block into another. Most engineering and scientific models including systems of equations can be translated to a Simulink model.
    • Many pre-built toolboxes allow you to save time and facilitate access to create models applicable to many areas of science/engineering like fluid mechanics, robotics, decision making and embedded or electrical systems.
    • Simulink comes bundled within the standard MATLAB package and most of its coding features/packages are compatible and can be used within the Simulink development environment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Arena by PTC
    • In my opinion, the Help Pages clearly do not realize that a picture is worth a 1,000 words; need illustrations and screenshots!
    • I think the 'Save' button when editing Quality Processes needs to "float" on the active page, not lurking at the bottom.
    • In my experience, the Arena PLM and QMS Training programs need to be revamped to include "real-world" examples and working through examples, not simply reading through a training manual.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    • Extract partlist should be directly in Excel because everyone time we have to convert it to Excel.
    • ECN report formatting need improvement.
    • Many times part no doesn't go to ERP even after ERP released state.
    Read full review
    MathWorks
    • Simpler codification data
    • Better layout of document usage
    • Option of codification manual
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Arena by PTC
    We have so much time and effort invested into Arena. The history of approvals, revisions, etc. are necessary for many of our customers. We also have entire device histories recorded. Having to re-create that on another platform would be a feat requiring years of effort. But mostly, Arena just works. It's transformed our business into a much more streamlined system, resulting in a massive cost and time savings.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Arena by PTC
    Arena has improved their UI over the years that I've used it to make it more user friendly. Additionally, there is a lot of redundancy within Arena (multiple ways to achieve the same end), which makes it easier to learn.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    Windchill is an extremely verbose and unintuitive system, with masses of unnecessary duplication of fields, convoluted workflows, unclear roles and terrible search capabilities. It is one of the worst software products I have ever seen to propose solving something that is actually factors quicker to do with manual writing and paper work
    Read full review
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    Arena by PTC
    Seems like when I need to access our workspace for an emergency situation, this is when maintenance is scheduled, just the luck of the draw, I guess, and I just wait until the maintenance is complete, and then can proceed
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Arena by PTC
    We use a few other software or systems (Silicon expert) and it is seamless to us, pages load quickly and efficiently.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Arena by PTC
    Upon initial observation, Arena Solution appears to possess a rather intricate nature, yet this complexity was effectively navigated during the initial configuration phase with the invaluable assistance of an expert well-versed in Arena, a factor that greatly contributed to our comprehensive mastery and autonomous handling of Arena Solutions thereafter.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Arena by PTC
    The On line training was easy to understand and was very efficient for most of our users. We used the training tools to make sure we use all of the features to their fullest and correctly! After a few weeks mos of our users were very proficient with ARENA PLM and were able to work on their own and use mos of the sections and PLM capablilities.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Arena by PTC
    Pretty straightforward, from OOB
    Incentivized
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    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Arena by PTC
    Arena is much better than QAD in terms of BOMs and ECOs and Revision Control. We use Arena concurrently with SAP and they integrate very well together, which is nice. The integration team was really helpful in making sure that the SAP to Arena functionality runs smoothly, and when there are any issues, they are very responsive to help make changes to fix the problem that might be there.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    Windchill is having a great market share & its UI is simple & neat, integration with Creo & ERP system. These are the main reasons of considering Windchill by our organization.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MathWorks
    Control blocks and more detailed algorithms can be run in Matlab Simulink. Simulation and PCB drawing of electronic circuit boards are performed in Proteus.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Arena by PTC
    Arena is easy to customize and therefore easy to scale. Different user groups with access restrictions can be easily created and new training plans can be created to support different user bases. Suppliers can also easily be added or items can be shared with them
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    PTC
    No answers on this topic
    MathWorks
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Arena by PTC
    • Decreased the company's time to market for release of its second generation flagship product.
    • Decreased the turn around on non-conformance reports (NCRs), supplier corrective action reports (SCARs), and corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs).
    • Better organized the company's process maps, DHF, and other regulatory related information so that major audits are completed faster and with fewer findings.
    Incentivized
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    PTC
    • Saves time as all of our drawings and business instructions and procedures are housed in a central location with check-in/out capability and version control.
    Incentivized
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    MathWorks
    • Reduced investment to achieve desired outcomes in research projects.
    • Opened the doors for our students to experiment with previously unknown engineering methods.
    • Fostered the adoption of model-based design by a great portion of our faculty, especially in more technical areas.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Arena PLM and QMS Screenshots

    Screenshot of Arena Bill of Materials (BOM) Management. Indented BOM displaying "in production" item status.Screenshot of Arena Engineering Change Management.  Engineering Change Order (ECO) approval with redlines.Screenshot of Arena Projects. Project schedule with status and progress.Screenshot of Arena Quality. Quality process showing a Corrective Action Report (CAR) with the issue details, affected items, and resolution progress/status.Screenshot of Arena Requirements. Tracks requirements and related product development issues for a complete product picture.Screenshot of Arena Analytics, Arena's business intelligence (BI) tool