In our continuing quest to simplify our customers’ PLM selection process, we present this report comparing two leading products: Windchill vs Enovia. Here is a look at some of the most important features and differentiators between the two.

Windchill vs Enovia Comparison

Platform: Windchill

Enovia touts its 3D Experience collection, but it appears to be simply a collection of its products sharing a common UI. This common UI is a step in the right direction for Enovia. Dassault customers will have to deal with continuous changes as it continues its evolutionary process.

Windchill, on the other hand, has had an integrated suite with a common UI for many years, so customers hit the ground running with minimal user training.

Windchill has a familiar UI – so you spend less time training and more time utilizing the platform.

Deployment Options: Windchill

The advantages of the cloud are apparent to almost everybody at this point. Windchill completed its journey to flexible deployment options years ago, and its customers have the option of public cloud, private cloud or on premise deployments.

Enovia 3D Platform is also cloud-enabled, allowing users to access the functionality that has been cloud-enabled from any browser. However, the offering has not yet been fully cloud-enabled, and users may find differences in UI or functionality between on premise and cloud offerings.

Support: Windchill

Windchill has a robust and highly involved user community, complete online support options and self-reporting of issues, making it one of the best-supported options in the industry.

Enovia has a publicly accessible library of white papers, videos and how to guides that walk users through the complex parts of its processes and an online knowledge base. Dassault also supports an online user community that provides access to its online store. While this is comparable to the support offered by other competitors, it falls far short of the comprehensive PTC offering.

Product Breadth: Tie

Enovia offers modules for:

  • Bill of Material Management
  • Configuration and Change Management
  • Design Management
  • IP Classification and Protection
  • Product Planning and Program Management
  • Quality and Compliance
  • Strategic Customer Relationships
  • Strategic Supplier Relationships

All in all, a comprehensive list covering the expected product breadth.

Windchill offers:

  • BOM Management
  • Configuration and Change Management
  • Requirements Management
  • Quality
  • Platform Structures
  • Product Data Management
  • Collaboration
  • Integration and Standards

While the number of modules looks to favor Enovia, the actual product breadth in terms of functionality is about the same.

Connectivity and IoT: Windchill

Windchill’s connectivity and strategic IoT thrust simply outclass Dassault’s attempts. PTC has enabled its product to connect and receive insight from production equipment, providing instant insight to design and quality issues. It also provides the broadest range and simplest connectivity options to other systems and enterprise applications.

Industries Served: Windchill

Windchill has specific functionality and expertise in six industries:

  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Smart Cities
  • Oil & Gas
  • Healthcare
  • Retail
  • Manufacturing

While Enovia claims:

  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Architecture
  • Engineering & Construction
  • Consumer Goods & Retail
  • Energy
  • Process & Utilities
  • Financial Services
  • High Tech
  • Industrial Equipment
  • Life Sciences
  • Marine and Offshore
  • Transportation & Mobility

PTC has taken pains to address industry-specific issues in its product as well as its marketing, showing a strong commitment to the industries it serves.

Enovia’s list of industries is longer, but there is little or no functional difference in the product from one vertical to the next. Even the product descriptions omit any industry-specific terminology or insight, showing that the industry commitment is at best skin deep.

Role-Based Experience: Windchill

Like the industry claims, Enovia’s role-based efforts quickly devolve to generic descriptions, showing little insight into the role or the issues users face.

Windchill comes with a built-in matrix of roles with predefined functional access, clearly demonstrating an understanding of the users’ challenges. The matrix is easily modified to allow for individual company changes, further showing that PTC understands that PLM is not a one-size fits all category.

Windchill is the Clear Winner

Just a reminder, we sell Windchill because we believe it’s the best product available, however, we have tried to remain neutral in this analysis. With that said, Windchill still comes out ahead in nearly every category.

We believe this is due to Windchill’s long history in the industry and PTC’s continued investment in product improvement and supporting the latest technology and industry advancements.

To learn more about Windchill and how to evaluate PLM solutions to ensure you select the best option for your company, contact NxREV today.

Or, to learn more about how Windchill PLM stacks up against another solution? Check out PLM vs PDM Software Comparison: PTC Windchill vs SOLIDWORKS EPDM.