Yesterday, we announced the first of 2 new articles in SpendMatters.com!   They discussed the histor, and growth of the market of Product Cost Management software and the state of the art today. 

Normally, Eric would have made us hold of to tease you on part 2, owing to his steely Krampus and Grinch-like heart.  But, being that we are so deep in Advent and close to Christmas, we’ve decided to give you an early present!

Here’s a teaser of Part 2: (but, if you’re just impatient, click here)

In our first article in this series looked at product cost management software and how it fits in with the world of procurement software in the earlier years of development. This Part 2 focuses on the second wave of developments in PCM: feature-based automated 3-D CAD costing tools, advanced cost-accounting and control systems; the role of little and big data; and the future of product cost management.

To recap, it’s important to consider that purchasing has added a lot of new tools to what was mostly a relationship-focused discipline. These developments include:

• Data-rich environments of spreadsheets, MRP and ERP systems
• Supply chain management and supplier relationship management systems
• Online auctions
• Spend analytics tools/product cost management (PCM) software

And it’s important to recall our roadmap to this journey through time and technology, which is shown in Figure 1. Notice that the 3-D CAD development is the latest one. Let’s explore how this has developed and what it has to offer businesses today….

Curious?  Yes, you are.  To read the epic conclusion of the PCM softwares on the market today, what they can (and can’t do) and how they can generate impact for your company ,read more here!