Propel vs. Arena

Propel vs. Arena

Arena was the first cloud PLM system, introduced in 2000. For some, it remains a viable solution today. But Propel offers some major differences that make it a compelling alternative for Arena prospects or current customers.

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Frictionless Collaboration from Concept to Customer

A single view of all product data, automated workflows, and actionable insights connect everyone across your extended enterprise.

We started using PropelPLM for our engineering group in the summer of 2019 replacing Arena. It is very easy to use, intuitive and clean. It's easy to configure and create new workflows. Another great capability is Propel QMS. When our quality expert with over 40 years of experience reviewed it, he was very impressed and we could use it out of the box.

Mayank Raja

Director of Engineering, Zume

Propel vs. Arena

Arena
Digitizes Concept to Customer Lifecycle
Provides a single platform for suppliers, engineering, quality, sales, customer service and customers to work together
Propel
Arena supports product and quality teams, but does not integrate well with suppliers, sales or customer service.  
Poor reporting tools further limit getting full visibility into the product life cycle.
Alternatives
Strong Cloud Architecture
Propel
Built on the Salesforce platform for enterprise class security and scalability at a low TCO
Arena is cloud based, but it is built on an outdated cloud infrastructure, TCL/Tk
Alternatives
Extensibility
Propel is easily extensible with low code, no code, full code options for development tools
Propel
This is the number one issue Propel hears from Arena customers.  The product is rigid and templatized which makes it costly to customize and more “shadow IT.”
Propel
Core PLM Capabilities
Propel makes it easier to connect all your people and integrate all your data so that you can manage the full product lifecycle
Propel
Designed for engineering not the entire enterprise and cannot manage the full NPI process
Alternatives
Core Quality Management Capabilities
Provides closed loop enterprise wide quality management that drive quality back into design and supplier management
Propel
Manages the basics of quality, including SCAR, NC and CAPAs but is not well integrated with sales or service apps/users
Alternatives
Ease of Use
Highly intuitive desktop and mobile user interfaces make it easier for anyone to learn quickly
Propel
Complex and clunky user interfaces make it difficult for anyone but a power user to access.
Alternatives
Collaboration built in
Built in collaboration give you the context to see both the BOM and have the context on why different components were selected
Propel
Collaboration is left to email or Slack making it very difficult to see the discussion around product design choices
Alternatives
Strong supplier management
Propel
Supplier management is built in, so that suppliers can easily access just their data and alerts in a few clicks.
Not designed for suppliers and requires clunky VPNs and bolt-on modules
Alternatives
Change management
Propel
Robust change management with redlining, draft BOMs, an user-friendly creation of ECOs.
Rigid change management with an overly prescriptive and unforgiving process for creating change orders.
Alternatives

The look and feel of Propel is so much better than Arena. We love that we are able to have our contract manufacturers and key suppliers come into the system through third-party vendor portals to approve changes and give context to what changed.

Jeff Hudgens

Sr Manager, Configuration, Document Control and Systems Implementations at Sentient Energy

Explore Propel Product 360

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Key Benefits of Propel versus Arena & Omnify

  • Bring products to market faster by automating the entire concept to customer lifecycle 
  • Get more design wins with integrated Product and Sales apps running on Salesforce
  • Resolve customer issues faster with integrated Service, Product and Quality apps running on salesforce
  • Keep everyone on the same page with built-in collaboration so that nothing gets lost in emails or Slack
  • Get new insight into your business and opportunities with real-time analytics

Powering key use cases

Streamline new product introductions and ECOs

Get more design wins

Shorten the case to complaint process

Automate supplier on-boarding and management

The Only Product and Quality Platform Built on Salesforce

  • Product, Quality, Sales and Service All on One Platform
  • Highly Secure and Scalable
  • Flexible and Configurable to Meet Your Growing Needs
  • Powerful Mobile and Analytics Capabilities
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