Arena PLM Reviews

“Arena PLM

Pros

The configuration possibilities and compliance with CFR for electronic signatures are quite impressive.

Cons

I find it disappointing that Bill of Materials versions management lacks the ability to display images of old revisions.

“Straightforward, easy to use PLM

Pros

It's easy to use, allows a decent amount of customization and simplifies BOM/Parts and documentation revision/tracking.

Cons

Some options/fields do not align well with our current tools which creates a need for customer support when it comes to customization in certain cases.

“Great for design managment

Pros

I really like the confidence that comes from knowing that all teams are working with the same documents and revisions which eliminates the risk of misalignments.

Cons

It would be beneficial if DCOs and ECOs had pre-defined macros, especially in terms of approval matrices. Additionally, it is a shame that Arena does not integrate with SolidWorks, as it forces us to manually create files each time, resulting in a significant time-consuming process.

“User friendly

Pros

Very easy to use and is also to also easy to implement in a manufacturing environment.

Cons

The interface could have been more intuitive and user-friendly.

“Review of EQMS Useage

Pros

I particularly like the Engineering Change function and the option to attach files to various functions.

Cons

I am not fond of the fact that certain features required for quality functions have to be accessed through the Quality World and involve multiple clicks for approvals and completion. At present, to set up annual procedure reviews, we have to create a project to ensure notifications are sent out one year from the last revision. One of the most troublesome aspects for me is that if a value is revised in one document, the system does not provide a list of all documents where the value is found, unlike some other systems. While it serves Engineering purposes well, I feel there are areas lacking when it comes to the necessary quality actions. Additionally, I haven't been able to locate an escalation process.

“Daily User

Pros

The ease of use is remarkable which makes user training a pretty simple task.

Cons

The searchability feature is a bit problematic which causes a lot of confusion among users.

“Arena is a very intuitive and easy tool to manage.

Pros

Arena is user-friendly and provides a comprehensive breakdown of our BOMs, smoothly tracking change management.

Cons

Although there are some features that can be improved upon, they primarily connect to to the admin side rather than the user experience. Overall, it is still a very good tool.

“Worth considering

Pros

Integrating it into our business was not too challenging for us.

Cons

Initially, setting up the views when dealing with multiple projects can be challenging.

“A Great PLM for Medical Device Manufacturers.

Pros

It offers ease of use, customization and integration with Arena QMS, CADTALK, Rimsys and FlowEQ.

Cons

It would be helpful if the Help Pages included visuals instead of being text-only, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

“it's great!

Pros

It's very user-friendly and seamlessly integrates into our current business programs and models.

Cons

Honestly, there isn't anything that I disliked about it.

“A Base User's Look at Arena PLM

Pros

It is relatively easy to handle the required trainings and review current and prior versions of documents.

Cons

I find the dashboard to be unintuitive at times, and there are instances where activities seem to linger longer than expected which causes me to second-guess whether I have completed a training or not.

“Arena PLM an excellent tool for managing product data

Pros

I really love the continuous effort made by the team to add more features and provide customer support to tailor our PLM environment to our company's needs.

Cons

The only difficulty I face is when attempting to easily edit multiple lines if all the parts are transitioning to the same status, but that's a minor issue.

“Arena For Product Develpment

Pros

Arena provides a centralized source for truth for parts, assemblies and related documentation. It offers a quick view of part status, history and release state, and allows easy sharing with external suppliers. The ability to link files between multiple parts and track them throughout the development cycle is highly valuable.

Cons

Setting up, migrating and training proved to be challenging. Certain tasks still require manual interaction on a daily basis, such as marking primary files. Sadly, there are no integrations with external software like Jira and SolidWorks, and creating and maintaining custom integrations is necessary. Workflows need to be manually configured to align with workflows in other systems.

“Great tool.

Pros

Arena offers a wide range of great tools, and I feel like I have only scratched the surface.

Cons

Trying to learn everything can be a bit too much.

“Great - Could use more development

Pros

The BOM building process is excellent, changes are well-handled, part management is good and the search functions are great too.

Cons

The navigation feels repetitive and outdated, with information scattered across numerous landing pages. Some features should function similarly, but one is simple and useful while the other is quite opposite. Adding items to the Bill of Materials should be as seamless as adding affected items to quality processes, but they differ. Copying one part's BOM to another works well, except the quantities do not transfer. These issues can be resolved through continuous improvements from the developers.

“Great PLM tool

Pros

It's easy to use with an intuitive frontend. Also it's highly customizable and adaptable to our business needs.

Cons

The cost is high considering the available features, and new features also require additional purchases with upgraded licenses.

“Arena PLM - How can it be improved?

Pros

The system follows the fundamental principles of a basic PLM system.

Cons

Searching for items in Arena is very challenging, and even when found, the full picture cannot be seen. There is a lack of connectivity and work order functionality. When requesting a BOM in Excel, the file opens in an older version of Microsoft Excel. Is it possible to update this? Arena is not synchronized with SAP and the OrCAD CIS database is not synchronized with Arena.

“Great tool for control revision and change management. Easy to manage.

Pros

Arena Exchange allows seamless data sharing with contract manufacturers and suppliers.

Cons

We require a workflow staging task for implementation which I don't like.

“Great system for a small company

Pros

I liked how easily I could visualize the connections between each part and product across various Bill of Materials and revisions.

Cons

It is frustrating that we cannot overwrite a revision in Design.

“Best PLM Tool in the Business!

Pros

The ease of use and implementation of Arena is remarkable, and configuring it to meet my company's specific needs is easy and pretty concise.

Cons

Upgrades alter the appearance and user experience which impacts my daily usage.

“Arena PLM

Pros

Where do I begin? Arena has proven to be an exceptional tool in ensuring that everyone works with the same data which eliminates silos and centralizing all product-related information in one location!

Cons

While I acknowledge that the admin side of things can be somewhat a little too much but overall, I would still recommend it!

“ARENA PLM...Creating faster, greener and better products on a daily basis!

Pros

Creating comprehensive product BOMs and parts on a daily basis with ARENA is incredibly fast and simple. The assistance of their excellent application and integration specialists allows quick product imports when introducing new products from partners or through acquisitions.

Cons

Some features would benefit from redundancy in certain areas, like BOMs and the parts world. This would help new users in learning and accelerate the creation process.

“Arena review

Pros

Arena is a user-friendly tool that is easy to learn and use.

Cons

The search feature in Arena is quite frustrating, and it tends to get stuck on Chrome and Firefox unless I delete cookies on a weekly basis. It is limited to a specific "world" and gets stuck with limiters (e.g., searching only within completed changes) that are not obvious when starting a search. If I am unfamiliar with the previous naming conventions used, finding information in Arena becomes a time consuming task.

“I recommend Arena PLM since it is friendly user

Pros

One of the features I love the most about Arena PLM is that the software remembers my previous searches which eliminates the need to re-enter part numbers. It's an excellent feature.

Cons

To obtain the correct export file in Excel format, I need to ensure that the setup is done correctly.

“Arena Review

Pros

About Arena PLM I like the intuitive interface that allows for in-depth exploration of the BOM, including sourcing details, where-used information and more.

Cons

I really like the customization aspect and the ability to run reports. However, I find it absent in terms of adding columns based on the company's specific requirements.

“Could be better

Pros

The step by step approach in Arena makes everything much easier.

Cons

Our previous software allowed us to enter an MPN and automatically create the part. I truly miss that function. It is easy for me to forget to add sourcing information because it is in a completely separate tab. Additionally, the search function can be improved, as it is challenging to find the desired parts.

“Essential PLM tool for large companies

Pros

From document control to BOM management, and the ability to connect various manufacturing components through links for different projects, along with the 'where used' tab, Arena PLM proves to be an essential tool for any manufacturing department.

Cons

The learning curve for using Arena is quite steep. It requires active assistance from someone familiar with how it is customized to our company's needs.

“Arena Review

Pros

Arena offers comprehensive BOM management services and is incredibly easy to set up.

Cons

It would have been beneficial to have generic examples of BOM setups across various industries.

“Very easy to use

Pros

With Arena PLM it becomes easy to track quality records and provides multi-functional access.

Cons

Adding more features that needs improvements, user-friendliness would be a valuable addition.

“Great Product

Pros

I love how user-friendly Arena is as it allows me to easily make various changes and document them all.

Cons

Honestly, there is nothing about this software that I have disliked so far. Everything has been working well.

“Great value and features

Pros

The product boasts numerous useful features that ensure robust support for our processes.

Cons

Executing tasks such as adding items and files often involves numerous clicks, which can be annoying at times.

“Well rounded and easy to use

Pros

Compared to competing products, Arena is considerably easier to use (once you become familiar with it). Everything is neatly categorized into sections like "Items," "Requests," "Changes," etc., so there's no need to search through one massive database. The website and instructions provide clear guidance throughout.

Cons

I wish the advanced search function was more user-friendly. It relies greatly on preexisting knowledge, such as when to use asterisks, which can cause issues at times.

“Mr Negative

Pros

The flexibility of exporting BOMs to Excel and the ability to sort them are highly valuable.

Cons

The user interface is not intuitive. There are too many different styles of selecting commands, which can cause a lot of confusion.

“Support our eQMS/PLM Needs

Pros

The product offers the built-in features we require while allowing us to configure them to suit our specific needs.

Cons

When bringing new employees on board, there is a steep learning curve they must overcome.

“Arena PLM insights

Pros

Streamlined workflows make my work easier and being on the cloud eliminates any worries about updates.

Cons

Some features are difficult to use, especially when it comes to creating ECOs. Thankfully, we have a dedicated product documentation team to assist with that.

“Arena,

Pros

I admit that integration took some time, mainly because I should have started with the initial intent of focusing on quality processes before moving on to items. Thankfully, we now have a better understanding of it.

Cons

The user interface remains a hurdle as we onboard and cross-train new staff members.

“Arena Review

Pros

Searching for parts and quickly accessing related drawings for comparison purposes, as well as looking up BOMs to determine the requirements for specific assemblies, is not a problem or difficult.

Cons

Currently, adding parts to an assembly must be done one by one. It would be advantageous to have the ability to add multiple parts at once.

“Seems to get the job done

Pros

The software is quite intuitive and includes all the different aspects one might need, such as training, NCRs and documents.

Cons

In my opinion, the NCR world requires the most improvement. It lacks intuitive navigation and crucial steps/information needed for thorough investigations are missing.

“New user

Pros

Navigating the system is not a hassle, and it's almost self-explanatory.

Cons

Sometimes, the search criteria are not instantly apparent.

“Arena Software Review

Pros

This software allows users to quickly find what they're looking for.

Cons

When reviewing items within Arena, the initial layout of information can be unclear at times.

“Good value for money PLM software

Pros

It's very user-friendly, intuitive and functions perfectly.

Cons

I have noticed that the terminology in the software does not always align with other industry standards, so some adjustments are necessary. There is also an unresolved issue with BOM comparison between revisions as it works for different part numbers but not for different revisions of the same part number.

“Arena can handle it all!

Pros

Arena serves as the central hub for document control in our company. Searching for documents and tracking changes is not an issue with Arena.

Cons

The UI contains a lot of small text and empty space.

“VERY FLEXIBLE AND POWERFUL, BUT ALSO CUMBERSOME

Pros

The ability to customize the product to suit our needs is the standout feature for me. Once you learn how to use it, the software excellently maintains records of products, parts and documents, all of which are easy to navigate.

Cons

The aspect I like the least about this product is the number of steps required to complete tasks. It becomes annoying to update information for numerous items, and the import tool, which is meant to streamline the process, lacks proper documentation which makes it even more frustrating to learn. While I appreciate the flexibility it offers, there are certain features that could significantly enhance efficiency, particularly when making the same change to a large batch of items.

“The best Product Life Management platform I ever used

Pros

Since it operates on the cloud, there's no need for a dedicated computer server. It works seamlessly on Windows, iOS, Mac and Android OS, allowing me to switch between devices while keeping track of document approvals. Its user-friendly nature reduces the learning curve and boosts my productivity quickly. Additionally, the system's ability to merge multiple documents into one is highly useful. Overall, it's an excellent tool for document control, simplifying version updates, and ensuring everyone can easily access the master document.

Cons

Some processes, such as requesting document approval, still need to be done manually. For instance, even after all the approvers give their approval, the platform still requires administrator approval.

“Arena Review

Pros

Arena proves to be an effective tool for managing complex Bill of Materials and supplier/sourcing relationships. Finding sourcing information is not a problem, and it's easy to track where a specific component is utilized.

Cons

I find the user interface a bit outdated and visually unappealing. The search functions do not always deliver the best results.

“The best PLM & QMS software you can get

Pros

I experienced no learning curve with Arena which makes it incredibly easy to start working with the tool. Item management allows for seamless switching between current and previous revisions.

Cons

The interface has room for improvement. It would be great if they focused on developing a mobile version of the software. Apart from that, I believe it is a valuable tool.

“Document Management

Pros

I must admit that I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I would have liked. There is room for improvement in terms of intuitiveness. Unfortunately, the cons overshadow the pros.

Cons

There is no technical support available for Documentation Management and Quality Management, which are not relevant to medical device applications.

“Arena for a Small Materials Start-Up

Pros

Our primary use of ARENA revolves around part and document management. The standout feature of ARENA is its ability to easily link related parts. When generating a new part, building a BOM and attaching relevant documentation become hassle free. On the flip side, locating these items when searching for a specific part is also simple. Creating new items and documents is pretty easy, and the reviewing system is user-friendly, complete with notifications for reviewers.

Cons

I find the search function a bit tricky to use, and it occasionally experiences glitches. Also there are times when searching for known item numbers or document names yields no results, and wildcard searches can be finicky. The behavior of the Changes functions also poses challenges with Revisions. Depending on whether a change has been rejected or withdrawn, it can be impossible to make further edits to a revision until that change is "deleted," even if it had already been rejected. These minor issues can affect the system's ease of use.

“Recent Updates Have Improved it, but still missing bulk vendor permissions update

Pros

The approval signature flow functions exceptionally well. The analytics feature is quite powerful, although it does come at an additional cost.

Cons

The notification emails come too frequently, and as I familiarize myself with the system, they can be quite puzzling. Additionally, there is no option for bulk permissions update. Whenever a vendor has a new team member, I have to manually add them one by one to every Engineering Change Order they need to view.

“Easy to use, very user friendly software.

Pros

I have been using this software since 2014, and I absolutely love it. As mentioned before, it is very user-friendly, and it takes no time to become comfortable working with it. I have reached out to the support service a few times, and each time I received feedback within 24 hours. I also like that the developers listen to user inquiries and continually improve Arena through new releases. Additionally, the provision of webinars before software updates, along with shared videos for administrators, is highly valuable.

Cons

It's challenging to pinpoint any major issues because the product is great. However, I do wish there were fewer limitations on mass uploading a large number of items. For instance, sometimes our ECOs have more than 100 items, but we can only upload a maximum of 50 at a time.