Product Information Management
Govern every product from first release to final retirement
Lifecycle states with enforced transitions make sure new items are complete before launch and retired items leave channels with a successor in place.
The capability
Commercial lifecycle, not engineering design
Engineering PLM systems manage how a part is designed and revised. Autonera manages the commercial life of the product record: when it can be sold, what must be true before release, how it is phased out and what replaces it.
Each product moves through configurable states such as introduction, active, phase-out, discontinued and obsolete. Transitions are guarded by rules. A product cannot become active until release criteria are met, cannot be discontinued without a successor or explicit no-replacement decision, and cannot become obsolete while operational references remain.
Lifecycle state drives downstream behaviour: which catalogs include the item, whether channels show it as orderable and when substitutes are presented. Version comparison shows what changed between releases.
Problems it solves
Where this work usually breaks down
Products launched incomplete
Items go live in ecommerce before compliance documents or key attributes exist.
Discontinued without successors
Customers find dead ends instead of a recommended replacement.
Obsolete records still referenced
Retired items remain in kits, catalogs and open orders.
Unclear boundary with PLM
Engineering revisions and commercial status are confused, and teams overwrite each other.
How it works
Move a bearing through its lifecycle
Try to activate, phase out or retire the product. Transitions are checked against release criteria, successor links and open orders, and every attempt is recorded.
- Introduction
- Active
- Phase-out
- Discontinued
- Obsolete
SB-4471 · SEALED BEARING 6204-2RS
LIFECYCLE HISTORY
- SB-4471 created as Introduction from engineering release ECN-2291
Functional capabilities
What Product Lifecycle Management includes
- Configurable lifecycle states
- Define states and allowed transitions that match your commercial process.
- Release criteria
- Require completeness, assets and approvals before a product becomes active.
- Successor management
- Link successors and record explicit no-replacement decisions on discontinuation.
- Retirement checks
- Block obsolescence while kits, catalogs or open operational references remain.
- Version comparison
- Compare product versions to review what changed between releases.
- State-driven distribution
- Use lifecycle state to control catalog inclusion and channel orderability.
Autonomous operations
How autonomous execution changes product lifecycle management
Agents track readiness against release criteria and prepare retirement work so product managers make the commercial decisions.
Agents carry out
- Report release criteria gaps for new items
- Propose successors from relationship and attribute similarity
- Find kits and catalogs that reference retiring items
- Prepare channel updates when state changes
People decide
- Approve activation and discontinuation
- Confirm successors
- Set lifecycle policy
Evidence recorded
- Transition history with checks evaluated
- Successor decisions
- Downstream references at retirement
In industrial operations
A bearing manufacturer replaces a product line
A new sealed bearing series supersedes an older one. Distributors need the new items complete before launch and the old items mapped to successors.
- New items enter as Introduction from the engineering release.
- Release criteria hold activation until datasheets and certificates exist.
- Old items move to Phase-out with successor links.
- Obsolescence waits until open orders are closed.
Result: Customers see complete new items and a clear replacement path for every retired one.
Related capabilities
Works alongside
Product Relationships & Substitutions
Typed accessory, substitute, replacement and component links with validation.
Feature guideBundles & Kits
Kits modeled from component products with roll-ups and readiness inherited from components.
Feature guideWorkflow & Approvals
Conditional approval routing, roles, separation of duties and decision history.
Feature guideData Lineage & Audit
Trace every value from source through transformation, approval and destination.
Capability areaProduct Information Management
See where Product Lifecycle Management fits in the wider Product Information Management capability.
Buyer FAQs
Questions evaluators ask
Does this replace our engineering PLM?
No. Engineering PLM manages design and revisions. Autonera governs the commercial product record and can receive releases from PLM.
Can we define our own states?
Yes. States, transitions and the checks that guard them are configurable.
What happens to channels when a product is discontinued?
Channel rules use lifecycle state to stop orderability and present successors where configured.
Can a phased-out product be reactivated?
If the transition is allowed by your policy. In the example, phase-out can return to active.
Is lifecycle history auditable?
Every transition attempt, the checks evaluated and the user or agent involved are recorded.
Your next step
See Product Lifecycle Management on data like yours.
Bring a real file, catalog or record set. We will walk through how Autonera would handle it and where your team keeps the final say.
Book a Demo