Arena: An Auditor's Dream
June 28, 2019
Arena: An Auditor's Dream
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Arena PLM and QMS
Arena is used in our organization as a bundled solution for tracking change management, our QMS solutions, and training and compliance.
It is used for:
It is used for:
- All item (component level up to the SKU level) documentation (phase, revision and change control)
- QMS from our documented procedures and processes to utilization of the Arena Quality Module for several quality templates. The out of the box templates are easy to edit and others are easy to create.
- Supplier management allows for rating, supplier-specific audit traceability, and quality tracking.
- Training is a one-stop shop that records and provides a historical record for each employee. I like that this tool allows quizzes to be added which holds the employee accountable for actually reading and understanding the material content.
- Change Control allows for online CCB (no more scheduled meeting times) which is interactive and allows for a faster approval and release process.
- Quality management allows for identification of trends using analytics to extract the data for review.
- The Arena total solution moves auditors through the process in a "one-stop shop" that satisfies many areas of standard requirements such as ISO 9001 and others.
- Currently, in the automotive industry components, sub-assemblies and the system level assembly must meet rigorous standards. An example would be a component that must meed RoHS 3 requirements, AEC-Q testing requirements and others. These requirements must be identified and tracked and we were hoping to use the compliance tracking to do so. Unfortunately, we are only allowed to identify one type of compliance which is identified by a green check mark.
- When introducing new assemblies, this tool allows for fast uploads of BOMs, documentation and change control. This allows us to share that information with our suppliers as they can simply log into Arena and download the data they need to produce the product. With this process in place, we know exactly what the supplier is providing.
- Using Arena as a total solution, we don't have to research, purchase and use other tools that don't integrate with each other. This would be costly and add time for data reviews and audits.
- Love the fact that all the data is stored on servers we don't have to purchase and support and that the data is backed up and retrievable.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Prior Experience with the Product
- Vendor Reputation
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Prior experience with the product was the single most important deciding factor in the purchase and use of Arena. I've used Arena for 17+ years and I've experienced all of the improvements and new product features Arena has made over the years. I like the fact that they reach out to the users and ask for input. I like that they implement enhancements at least a couple of times a year. Their support team is the best, very responsive and helpful. I've used other PLM solutions and I've heard of others where the administrator of those systems have issues that they would not have using Arena.
I have implemented Arena at companies and I have had to reconfigure implementations at other companies. I must say that for me (and I'm not a programmer by any means) it was very easy and straight forward. Always on time and the implementation team was always very helpful. We recently integrated Arena to our ERP system and the feedback I get is that it's always easier to work with the Arena team as they are very knowledgeable and helpful.
When we all went from using paper files, internal server homegrown storage methods and Excel, we moved to Agile. I used Agile for a few years, however, we had to have on-site servers, backups and the software wasn't very user-friendly. They made improvements over the years and added many features but now to use Agile you have to learn how to program to configure the system. So the reasons we use Arena is reduced cost (no servers, no backups, no IT support) and ease of use for both the administrator and users.
Arena PLM and QMS Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
No
Support is part of the overall package.
Yes - I have but can't remember what it was. It happened the day they rolled out a new release, but they fixed it that day.
I somehow changed a setting in the administrator tool that proliferated to linked systems. My boss at the time had several complaints because of this and right before lunch (I was supposed to go out to lunch that day with friends) stopped by and told me to fix it immediately. The stress was such that I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I reached out to the support team who worked on trying to find out what I did and help resolve the issue. We were back and forth on the phone and the issue was resolved in a couple of hours. I had a couple of glasses of wine that night!