From separation to scalability: Building a future-ready Digital Thread
Overview
In the fast-evolving world of semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, where innovation is measured in nanometers, enduring success depends on the ability to navigate complexity with precision. As engineering cycles shrink and product portfolios diversify, establishing a robust Digital Thread has become essential for enabling agility, intelligence and governance across the product lifecycle.
For our client, a US-based global leader in programmable logic solutions, the urgency to modernize was heightened by its strategic separation from a parent company. With a portfolio of high-performance and power-optimized FPGAs and SoC FPGAs powering mission-critical applications in wireless/RAN, industrial automation and aerospace & defense, the client needed to rapidly transition into an independent, innovation-driven enterprise.
To support this transformation, HCLTech partnered with the client to architect and implement a future-ready Digital Thread, anchored on PTC Windchill PLM and integrated across 30+ enterprise systems, including ERP, MES and QMS. The program focused on unifying dual legacy PLM environments into a scalable, compliant digital backbone that enables full-lifecycle traceability, seamless product data flow and engineering agility, delivered under a high-stakes, time-sensitive separation mandate.
The challenge
Building a connected digital backbone under legal and operational pressure
The client faced a complex and high-stakes challenge: to build a resilient Digital Thread architecture from the ground up within the constraints of a legally mandated business separation. This went far beyond a traditional technology migration — it demanded the rapid establishment of a new digital foundation, the seamless integration of over 30 enterprise applications spanning PLM, ERP, MES, compliance and reporting and the re-engineering of core business processes across engineering, planning, supply chain and quality.
Compounding the challenge was the need to migrate tens of thousands of legacy records, including BOMs, compliance data and IP, without disrupting ongoing operations. The client had to ensure continuity, compliance and control while operating under aggressive timelines. The true complexity lay not just in the technical implementation, but in orchestrating a complete process overhaul and cross-system integration to deliver a seamless, end-to-end Digital Thread across the enterprise.
Our solution
Building a unified, scalable and compliant PLM foundation
To support the client’s transformation into an independent entity, the objective was clear: establish a unified, future-ready Digital Thread environment that could scale with growth, ensure compliance and drive engineering and operational efficiency. The strategic objective was to integrate PLM with ERP and MES platforms for seamless collaboration and traceability, embed compliance and quality governance across business processes and securely migrate critical data with minimal operational risk. Ultimately, this initiative was about laying a resilient foundation for a future-ready, connected product lifecycle ecosystem.
A Consulting-Led, Accelerator-Powered Windchill Implementation
To bring this vision to life, we led a consulting-driven transformation powered by proprietary accelerators and proven industry templates. While Windchill PLM served as the backbone of the solution, the broader architecture enabled bi-directional integration across 30+ enterprise systems, ensuring continuity and visibility across the entire product lifecycle, from design through delivery.
Key highlights of the implementation included:
Blueprint overlift for unified processes
Through targeted stakeholder workshops, we helped define future-state persona journeys across engineering, quality and BOM management. Aligning with Windchill’s out-of-the-box features minimized customization and accelerated adoption.
Enterprise-wide system integration
The digital thread was architected to connect Windchill PLM with over 30 enterprise applications, including Oracle ERP, JIRA, MCAD, supply chain, compliance and reporting platforms. A custom-built ERP connector ensured automated, scheduler-based BOM and data synchronization across systems.
Embedded QMS for compliance and governance
An enterprise-grade Quality Management System (QMS) was embedded within Windchill, enabling robust issue tracking, NC/CAPA workflows, audits, regulatory documentation and supplier compliance, providing traceability and audit-readiness at every step.
Accelerated data migration factory
Leveraging HCLTech’s SwiftX ETLV accelerator, the team migrated over 50,000 BOMs, compliance records, QMS documents and IP from legacy environments. This approach ensured governed reconciliation, reduced manual effort by ~40% and cut execution time by half.
Adoption at speed using industry templates
Domain-specific templates and Windchill LaunchPad accelerators supported rapid prototyping, early user validation and smooth deployment. A dedicated Windchill PLM Center of Excellence ensured resource continuity and delivery excellence throughout the transformation.
The impact
Scalable digital thread for speed, innovation, compliance and lifecycle governance
Through our digital thread-led implementation, the client achieved measurable improvements in traceability, data integrity and operational efficiency, while future-proofing its engineering and supply chain landscape.
Value derived included:
- Accelerated execution and time-to-value
- 40% reduction in migration effort
- 50% faster delivery through automation and accelerators
- Faster onboarding using Windchill LaunchPad
- Implementation efficiency at scale
- 20–30% effort savings via industry templates
- Reduced customizations for easier long-term support
- Faster specification alignment through iterative validation
- Enterprise-wide integration and traceability
- 30+ connected systems via robust integration
- Governed workflows improving BOM and change traceability
- Quality and compliance governance
- Enterprise QMS for NC, CAPA, audits and supplier oversight
- Improved issue closure and audit readiness
- Future-ready digital backbone
- Unified “One-PLM” platform to support product configuration diversity
- Scalable digital thread across engineering, planning and compliance functions
Looking ahead
Expanding the digital thread across the enterprise
HCLTech is partnering with the client to complete the full-scale rollout of its One-PLM vision, extending the digital thread across QMS, product configuration and compliance. By 2027, a single, unified Windchill instance will serve as the enterprise nervous system, enhancing visibility, collaboration and innovation. Upcoming releases will finalize data migration, expand compliance coverage and scale configuration capabilities, creating a resilient digital backbone that strengthens governance, drives agility and ensures quality and traceability from concept to customer.
