PDM (or PLM) was born as idea of centralization of data and processes under single roof (actually database). Back 30-40 years the idea of central data storage combined with data and file control was very much appealing to large organization. Enterprise PDM and later PLM systems were born.
Major PLM vendors today are an outcome of this history. The world seems to be a good place for these large PLM vendors, but something is telling me that crisis in PLM industry is inevitable. You can ask me why, because in my view, this is one of the most important questions in PLM industry today.
