Achieving Document Confidence: A Deep Dive Into Arena’s Dynamic Watermarking Approach
“DRAFT,” “OBSOLETE,” “CONFIDENTIAL.” Throughout our workday, we often encounter these subtle images or text embedded in electronic and printed documents. Commonly known as watermarks, these document stamps are so widespread that their significance is typically overlooked.
The practice of watermarking traces back to 13th-century Europe when papermakers would imprint a symbol or initial on each sheet to signify its origin or authenticity1. In today’s digital landscape, watermarking continues to evolve, as manufacturers seek to gain better control of their documentation and ensure regulatory adherence.
We recently sat down with Arena Product Manager Atharva Shembekar to learn more about the role of watermarking in manufacturing. Atharva also delves into the dynamic watermarking functionality within Arena Quality Management System (QMS) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, shedding light on how it helps companies achieve document confidence and boost operational efficiency.
ATHARVA, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO PTC AS A PRODUCT MANAGER SPECIALIZING IN WATERMARKING.
Atharva: I started my career in business development and soon transitioned into product management at an early-stage startup in Bangalore, India. After working for almost four years and gaining extensive experience in building B2B cloud-based products, I took a leap and moved to the U.S. to pursue my master’s degree in engineering management at San Jose State University. During that time, I landed a product management internship at PTC. My initial assignment involved collaborating with the design and technical documentation team to implement a third-party digital adoption platform within Arena PLM as part of a major software release. Thanks to the project’s success, I was able to shift my focus to developing next-generation watermarking functionality within the Arena PLM and QMS platforms. I’m grateful that the leadership team had confidence in my ability to handle the project as it grew. After completing my master’s degree, I was thrilled to accept a full-time product manager position at PTC, where I would continue to concentrate on Arena Watermarking.
WHAT ROLE DOES WATERMARKING PLAY IN MANUFACTURING?
Atharva: Watermarks play a pivotal role in helping manufacturers minimize design and production errors. As products progress through various iterations of their development lifecycle, watermarks ensure that designs, assembly instructions, and other supporting documents are clearly labeled with current revision-specific information. Is the referenced document associated with the current or past iteration? When was it last accessed, and who downloaded it? Such watermarking details help ensure that only the correct document revisions are used for specific tasks. This enables factory floor workers to confidently build products to the right specifications.
WHAT WERE THE KEY DRIVERS BEHIND THE ADDITION OF WATERMARKING IN ARENA’S LATEST PLM AND QMS SOFTWARE RELEASE?
Atharva: We received many requests from customers in the medical device and life sciences industry for embedded watermarking functionality. These customers needed an efficient way to track which versions of documents were being used for testing, manufacturing, and inspection procedures. Additionally, they were required to demonstrate adherence to FDA, ISO, and EU MDR risk management practices and pass audits. Customers across other industries also voiced their desire for no-code, configurable watermarking, as it allows them to control user access and enhance document security and traceability.
With our latest PLM and QMS software release, customers now have a single system that automatically watermarks documents to further streamline product manufacturing, inspection, and testing.
WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING/IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ARENA WATERMARKING FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
Atharva: The dynamic and contextual nature of Arena Watermarking is what excites me the most.
When a user accesses a file in Arena, the system automatically applies watermark information specific to the associated/linked item. Revision, effectivity date, and lifecycle status are examples of item details dynamically captured in an Arena watermark. If the same file is viewed in context of a revised or new item, the watermark is automatically updated to reflect that change. Remarkably, Arena can watermark not only newly uploaded files since the release of this feature, but also historical files already stored in the system, all without any manual intervention.
Besides adding an automatic watermark, Arena also converts the file to a PDF format for easy consumption by users.
HOW IS ARENA WATERMARKING UNIQUE AMONG OTHER PLM AND QMS SOLUTIONS?
Atharva: A key differentiator for Arena Watermarking is its user-focused design. Users can easily create custom watermark templates, preview configurations and template designs, and set specific access permissions. It is highly adaptable yet simple to manage.
WHICH PRODUCT TEAMS (OR USERS) ARE MOST IMPACTED BY ARENA’S WATERMARKING FUNCTIONALITY?
Atharva: Arena Watermarking serves various users, including operations, document control, quality, and manufacturing. It is especially helpful to the risk management and quality assurance teams during regulatory audits. They can use watermarks as evidence that products were manufactured according to the correct designs and assembly instructions.
HOW WILL ARENA CUSTOMERS BENEFIT FROM USING ARENA WATERMARKING?
Atharva: Our customers will see substantial quality improvements and streamline regulatory compliance with Arena Watermarking. Moreover, Arena’s automatic, one-click watermarking and PDF conversion process will greatly reduce manual effort and boost operational efficiency.
WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED FROM CUSTOMERS SINCE THE RELEASE OF WATERMARKING?
Atharva: Feedback from customers has been incredibly positive! We offered customers a sneak peek of Arena Watermarking prior to its official launch. It not only generated excitement but also garnered insightful feedback that we incorporated into the final software release, enhancing the overall utility of the feature.
EXPLORE ADDITIONAL PLM AND QMS SOFTWARE ENHANCEMENTS FROM ARENA
The latest Arena software release provided many more features and enhancements, including a refreshed Homepage, updated Analytics, expanded Automations, an optimized 3D Viewer, and more API calls.
For a full overview of our latest PLM and QMS software innovations, customers can visit our Tour Doc in Help, watch the recording of the Sneak Peek, or consult with your Arena Coach.
Not an Arena customer? Schedule a demo to learn more.
References
Shelly St.Hill