Propel Software has unveiled DesignHub, a solution that seamlessly connects over 15 mechanical and electrical design tools to its product lifecycle management (PLM) platform. This innovation is part of Propel’s Winter 2026 release, which also introduces enhanced capabilities for Propel One, an agentic AI solution powered by Salesforce Agentforce.
Streamlining Design Data Management
DesignHub addresses a critical challenge for manufacturers: efficiently transferring design data from computer-aided design (CAD) systems to PLM. Currently, design data is frequently stored in shared drives with ambiguous naming conventions, leading to version conflicts, costly rework, and delayed project handoffs. By centralizing design data from mechanical and electrical CAD tools, DesignHub eliminates these issues, fostering collaboration between engineering teams and other departments such as procurement, product management, marketing, sales, and service.
Industry Insights
Jim Brown, president and founder of Tech-Clarity, highlights that multiple CAD applications and complexity often hinder new product development, resulting in inefficiencies and delays. Integrating CAD data into a unified product data platform can enhance collaboration, decision-making, and ensure timely delivery.
Key Features of DesignHub
DesignHub offers several key features to streamline design data management:
- Multi-CAD Connectivity: Connects over 15 mechanical and electrical CAD and PDM systems to Propel PLM.
- Automated Synchronization: Automatically generates part numbers, syncs bills of materials (BOMs), and maps attributes, eliminating manual data entry.
- Change Management: Captures design changes and routes them into change order workflows with full traceability.
- Enterprise Access: Makes design information such as part and assembly drawings, thumbnails, neutral CAD formats, and interactive viewables accessible to various departments.
- Version Control: Tracks data flow across the product lifecycle, reducing errors.
These features aim to accelerate new product development, reduce costs, and improve time to market.
Breaking Down Silos
Eric Schrader, chief product officer at Propel, emphasizes that DesignHub connects multiple CAD systems without the cost and complexity of traditional CAD‑PLM integrations. This breaks down silos between engineering and other departments, enabling faster and more informed decision‑making.
Enhanced AI Capabilities with Propel One
The Winter 2026 release also expands Propel One’s capabilities, embedding agentic intelligence directly into the Propel platform. Built on Salesforce Agentforce, Propel One operates as a growing library of AI skills that work across item management, BOM, change management, quality, and training, using trusted product data from DesignHub and other connected sources.
Propel One automates and orchestrates work that spans teams and processes by drawing from the full system of record, including BOMs, change records, quality events, training assets, and technical documentation. Early adopters are using Propel One to:
- Accelerate Change Order Efficiency: Users can ask change order questions and receive context‑specific answers drawn from complete change records, including BOMs, documents, and affected items. AI generates summaries of complex changes, helping approvers quickly understand modifications without reading multiple documents.
- Turn Complex Documents into Actionable Content: Teams can ask questions about technical documents, specifications, and procedures in plain language and receive relevant answers, reducing time spent on administrative tasks.
- Enhance Training Compliance: AI creates assessment quizzes from documents such as training materials, instructions for use, and standard operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring compliance and comprehension across manufacturing teams, field technicians, and service providers.
- Expedite Bulk Item Creation: Reduces repetitive data entry for product introduction and change management by generating multiple part numbers with appropriate attributes based on existing naming conventions and product structures.
Availability
The Winter release is available now for existing customers and new implementations. For more information, visit Propel’s website.
