DNV GL

DNV GL, a global quality assurance and risk management company operating across energy, maritime, and oil and gas sectors, faced a common enterprise challenge: the need for structured product data management without the prohibitive cost of a full-scale PLM deployment. Traditional enterprise PLM implementations carry significant license fees, heavy customization requirements, and ongoing operational overhead that many organizations struggle to justify. For DNV GL, the risk was that an over-engineered deployment would consume resources disproportionate to the actual product data management needs, undermining the business case before the system could deliver value.

DNV GL implemented Siemens Teamcenter with Active Workspace as its PLM foundation, deliberately scoping the deployment to maximize out-of-the-box capabilities and minimize customization. Rather than building bespoke workflows, the team evaluated Teamcenter against competing PLM platforms on a five-year total cost of ownership basis — factoring in license costs, development costs, and operational costs. Teamcenter's out-of-the-box functionality, including the Schedule Manager for project planning, execution, and financial tracking, reduced the estimated degree of customization significantly compared to alternatives evaluated. Siemens provided the platform foundation that allowed DNV GL to deploy flexibly, with Active Workspace enabling accessible product data management across the organization without extensive IT overhead.

DNV GL achieved a cost-effective PLM implementation by selecting Teamcenter based on a five-year total cost of ownership projection that favored it over competing systems. Key outcomes included:

• Lower customization burden: Teamcenter's out-of-the-box capabilities met more requirements without custom development than alternative PLM systems evaluated
• Reduced operational overhead: The deployment model supported manageable long-term maintenance costs
• Improved project visibility: The Schedule Manager provided financial and technical status tracking for management across project teams

The implementation demonstrated that PLM value is achievable without enterprise-scale deployment costs when the scoping process prioritizes fit over feature completeness.

• Total cost of ownership analysis should span at least five years and include license, development, and operational costs — not just upfront licensing
• Out-of-the-box functionality reduces long-term risk; the degree of required customization is a leading indicator of implementation cost and complexity
• PLM deployments in professional services and risk management organizations benefit from scoping to actual data management needs rather than replicating manufacturing-sector implementations
• Platform flexibility matters as much as current feature coverage — the ability to expand capabilities incrementally reduces initial deployment risk