Trends Five tasks for the coming year

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Companies continue to face a multitude of challenges in 2025: regulatory requirements such as the digital product passport, the increasing complexity of supply chains, and the ongoing shortage of skilled workers. The hurdles companies must overcome from the perspective of the PLM expert Revalize.

The PLM experts at Revalize highlight five hurdles the manufacturing industry must overcome in 2025 and provide suggestions to remain future-proof.

1. Drive the circular economy with digital product passports

The mandatory introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) from 2026 is a milestone for transparency and sustainability, but it represents a significant additional effort for most manufacturing companies. This tool is intended to capture information about the material composition and characteristics of products and transmit this data along the industrial value chain—from production to use to disposal. Added to this are high implementation costs and a change in production strategy.

Product Lifecycle Management enables companies to centrally manage and provide this data in real-time.

The digital product passport goes beyond regulatory requirements – it is a new cornerstone of the circular economy. An integrative PLM approach that aggregates the required information across systems enables companies to consistently and efficiently structure all requirements and present them transparently.

Tobias Arnold, Director of Solution Engineering at Revalize

Digital twin

"A knowledge base for data-driven decisions"

2. Master regulatory requirements

In today's business world, certifications such as ISO 9001 for quality management systems and ISO 13485 for medical products are crucial to remain competitive. Likewise, compliance with safety standards like ISO 27001 for the protection of information and IT systems is gaining increasing importance. However, obtaining certification involves a significant amount of documentation and not always are all necessary proofs readily available.

In this process, a PLM system functions as a central repository for all certification-relevant data. This allows users to effortlessly retrieve information for audits and certifications. This ensures that companies can demonstrate compliance and successfully complete certification processes.

3. Building resilient supply chains in uncertain times

To avoid production interruptions, it is important to ensure robust supply chains, especially in an era of geopolitical instability and trade barriers. Modern PLM strategies and applications provide real-time insights into processes and project status—whether on-site or mobile, such as via app. This allows companies to respond flexibly to disruptions. Moreover, they also help companies meet the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). This includes, for example, risk analyses along the entire supply chain and measures to prevent human rights violations. With these mechanisms, companies strengthen their resilience and ensure compliance with legal requirements.

4. Skills shortage: PLM as a powerhouse of knowledge management

The ongoing shortage of skilled workers remains one of the biggest cross-industry challenges in 2025. In addition to outsourcing, building effective knowledge management systems is becoming increasingly important. A PLM solution serves as the central nervous system for organizational knowledge. It not only captures important insights but secures them in a way that turns them into applicable knowledge rather than just providing information. This ensures that existing expertise remains available to the company even when employees leave and can be seamlessly passed on to new team members.

Arnold explains: "Our solution concept serves as a knowledge bridge, ensuring that valuable expertise is anchored in the long term and accessible to all employees who need it for their daily work." This mitigates the impact of the skills shortage, facilitates onboarding processes, and simultaneously strengthens the long-term competitiveness of our customers.

Knowledge management

Safeguard success-critical knowledge with AI

5. Digital transformation and AI-supported knowledge management

The industrial landscape is constantly being reshaped by digital transformation and advancing innovations. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly central role in automating processes and efficiently managing knowledge. However, many companies hesitate to implement AI due to concerns about data trustworthiness and transparency. It is crucial to develop a solid AI strategy and train teams specifically to overcome potential reservations. This way, companies can leverage the potential of AI without losing control over critical processes and information.