Impulse reduced engineering training time by 30% thanks to the implementation of PDM and PLM solutions IT-Enterprise

Company Overview Severodonetsk Research & Production Association Impulse is one of the leading Ukrainian designers and manufacturers of special-purpose automation systems. The company’s annual gross revenue exceeds €30 million equivalent.

Impulse designs, manufactures and provides industrial support for automation systems used in:

· nuclear power plant automation circuits;

· railway automatic control systems;

· general industrial automation devices.

More than 20,000 automation and control systems developed by Impulse have been deployed not only in Ukraine but also in Eastern Europe, Finland, Japan, Vietnam, China and India.

Project

Impulse develops and manufactures automation components and systems used in the energy and railway sectors. These markets, particularly in Europe, are characterized by strict regulatory and industry compliance requirements.

To meet these standards and accelerate the design of new products as well as modernization of existing solutions, the company initiated the implementation of an engineering and technological preparation system, including PDM and PLM solutions, as well as a centralized technical documentation archive.

Impulse continuously develops new products and improves existing ones. Engineering preparation provides critical information for production and economic departments. The PDM & PLM solution was intended to become the foundation of a modern engineering management system.

Before implementation, document development and approval processes were not automated. Engineering drawings and specifications were approved in paper format.

Existing databases were fragmented and technologically outdated. Restriction lists were maintained in Excel, component databases operated on legacy platforms, and material supply lists were transferred between disconnected systems. A custom-developed production preparation system was no longer scalable due to lack of internal IT resources.

The enterprise resource directory — a critical element of engineering design — required manual paper-based procedures for adding new positions. Legacy database limitations led to improper data storage structures.

Due to the absence of integration, engineers were forced to re-enter data manually when transferring information into CAD systems.

Engineering Preparation

Specifications, assembly drawings and part drawings were developed manually without a unified product classifier and stored in paper archives. Procurement lists required repeated manual data entry. There was no centralized electronic archive of design documentation.

Technological Preparation

Technological documentation was created using internally developed software, while routing sheets were based on paper archive documentation. After approval, technical documentation was transferred to the archive in paper format.

The legacy system was technologically outdated and could not process orders with large product structures. Further development was not possible due to limited IT expertise.

Technical Archive

Most documentation was stored in paper format. Document approvals were handled manually, resulting in the absence of a reliable approval history and inconsistent routing compliance.

Due to technical limitations, documentation was stored simultaneously in paper and electronic formats. Completeness checks were manual, and searching for required documents could take up to 10 minutes.

Version control was not supported, making it impossible to manage document configurations per product.

Results of PLM Implementation

The IT-Enterprise team deployed a scalable PDM & PLM solution within a short timeframe, eliminating critical bottlenecks in Impulse’s engineering system.

The key outcome was the creation of a unified digital engineering environment and full digitalization of design department operations.

The unified information space allowed the company to replace fragmented automation tools with a single integrated IT-Enterprise system.

According to the company’s management, the implementation significantly improved the efficiency and quality of engineering and technological documentation preparation.

Product Data Management (PDM)

Impulse transitioned from paper-based technical document workflow to a fully electronic process. All engineering and technological documentation is now created, approved and stored digitally.

Discrepancies between paper and electronic versions were eliminated. Document routing and status are fully controlled within the system.

· The transition to electronic originals significantly reduced product development and modernization timelines. The unified environment eliminated the use of unauthorized components and enabled alternative substitution management.

· Document approvals are executed electronically according to configured business processes. All document lifecycle stages are monitored within the system.

· New documents and product structures are created based on previously developed documentation, minimizing human error. Automated code assignment is performed according to configured classification rules. Engineering and technological documentation are fully interconnected.

Master Data Management (MDM)

The enterprise abandoned outdated applications. All product-related data required for engineering and technological preparation is now maintained within a unified enterprise resource classifier.

This eliminated multiple parallel restriction lists and removed the need for repeated data entry. The engineering design environment is fully based on structured master data.

Electronic approval prevents uncontrolled document changes. All revisions are applied directly to the electronic original, and printed copies are generated from the source file.

Technical Data Management (TDM)

· Engineering Preparation

Specifications are generated within IT-Enterprise using data from the unified resource classifier. Procurement data is exported directly from the system, eliminating duplicate entry.

· Technological Preparation

Routing sheets are generated using structured master data. Engineering specifications and routing documentation now serve as a foundation for production launch documentation.

· Technical Archive

A secure unified electronic archive was established, storing both digitally created documentation and scanned legacy records.

Changes to electronic documents do not require manual correction of paper originals, eliminating risks of incomplete updates.

Access rights are configurable per user, accelerating document search and improving operational responsiveness.

The implementation of a comprehensive digital system based on IT-Enterprise enabled Impulse to use human resources more efficiently and eliminate time losses associated with searching for and processing critical information.

As a result, all departments operate in a more coordinated and productive way, accelerating overall company development and strengthening operational performance.