Likelihood to Recommend Arena PLM is well suited for part number, BOM and file management. Processing changes (ECNs, ACOs, DCO's, etc.) in Arena is very easy to do and provides great visibility on the status of submitted requests. The ability to communicate with Suppliers and grant them access to files in Arena is extremely helpful. Arena does not appear to be the best suited system for managing software
Read full review MasterControl is very flexible in all modules. A manufacturing department and a nursing unit can both use the same modules with all their needs met. System configuration can be accomplished at a broad and or granular level. Each document, incident, user etc can have a customized configuration for its unique workflow. The application is web-based and available on a variety of platforms. Security allows staff to access what they need from the workplace, remotely from a client site to home. While I work in healthcare, I can talk to other MasterControl clients in the oil industry or Pharma and we still can provide suggestions to each other about new or unique uses for MasterControl. I
Read full review Pros It provides easy, 'login-anywhere' internet cloud-based access to fundamental PLM functions. It provides secure access control for employees & vendors (but you pay per person for access licenses). Data is effectively 'always backed up' in the internet-cloud. There is an option to attach thumbnail graphics representative of each item and create a Bill of Materials view that also displays the graphics to help provide item recognition for BOM readers. Read full review Document control Deviation control Training Read full review Cons In my opinion, the Help Pages clearly do not realize that a picture is worth a 1,000 words; need illustrations and screenshots! I think the 'Save' button when editing Quality Processes needs to "float" on the active page, not lurking at the bottom. In my experience, the Arena PLM and QMS Training programs need to be revamped to include "real-world" examples and working through examples, not simply reading through a training manual. David Martin Sr. Dir., Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
Read full review Their new report writer is not user friendly yet. MasterControl has listened to its clients and have been making small changes to assist reporting. There is still room for improvement though. Rapid company growth means many new staff. Some tech support staff know less than the customers they are supporting. Read full review Likelihood to Renew We have so much time and effort invested into Arena. The history of approvals, revisions, etc. are necessary for many of our customers. We also have entire device histories recorded. Having to re-create that on another platform would be a feat requiring years of effort. But mostly, Arena just works. It's transformed our business into a much more streamlined system, resulting in a massive cost and time savings.
Read full review During the past five years, we expanded our business and its quality control, and we hadn't had any issues even when we grew the company's size around five times. The software has proved itself during these years, and now we rely on it heavily and don't think we need to switch to any other similar product in the near future.
Read full review Usability Arena has improved their UI over the years that I've used it to make it more user friendly. Additionally, there is a lot of redundancy within Arena (multiple ways to achieve the same end), which makes it easier to learn.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Seems like when I need to access our workspace for an emergency situation, this is when maintenance is scheduled, just the luck of the draw, I guess, and I just wait until the maintenance is complete, and then can proceed
Read full review Performance We use a few other software or systems (Silicon expert) and it is seamless to us, pages load quickly and efficiently.
Read full review Support Rating Upon initial observation, Arena Solution appears to possess a rather intricate nature, yet this complexity was effectively navigated during the initial configuration phase with the invaluable assistance of an expert well-versed in Arena, a factor that greatly contributed to our comprehensive mastery and autonomous handling of Arena Solutions thereafter.
Read full review The Technical Support team has grown exponentially over the last couple years. Some front line support staff are new to the system and so know less than the clients do. Back line staff are more seasoned and provide immediate assistance to the front line staff. They have an extensive knowledge bank to assist them as well as client access to most KB articles. Annual user group conference gives us chance to meet the support staff an also to resolve any outstanding issues. Any critical vendor notices are emailed immediately when found and a patch offered at the same time. These are rare, but quickly resolved.
Read full review Online Training The On line training was easy to understand and was very efficient for most of our users. We used the training tools to make sure we use all of the features to their fullest and correctly! After a few weeks mos of our users were very proficient with ARENA PLM and were able to work on their own and use mos of the sections and PLM capablilities.
Read full review Implementation Rating Pretty straightforward, from OOB
Read full review Alternatives Considered Arena is much better than
QAD in terms of BOMs and ECOs and Revision Control. We use Arena concurrently with SAP and they integrate very well together, which is nice. The integration team was really helpful in making sure that the SAP to Arena functionality runs smoothly, and when there are any issues, they are very responsive to help make changes to fix the problem that might be there.
Read full review SharePoint and DocSTAR were reviewed as well as 6 others. None of them provided that flexibility that MasterControl did. MasterControl had all the whistles and bells other systems did, but it offered for customizations to let us include clinical ancillary services, nursing units, outpatient clinics, product manufacturing etc. All its modules are linked together so processes are streamlined and automated. The cost is more than several other systems, but it makes up for it in its customer service and flexibility. MasterControl does value its customers and does take client suggestions to new enhancements routinely. Clients routinely get together on virtual meetings to assist each other and provide suggestions to MasterControl.
Read full review Scalability Arena is easy to customize and therefore easy to scale. Different user groups with access restrictions can be easily created and new training plans can be created to support different user bases. Suppliers can also easily be added or items can be shared with them
Read full review Return on Investment Decreased the company's time to market for release of its second generation flagship product. Decreased the turn around on non-conformance reports (NCRs), supplier corrective action reports (SCARs), and corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs). Better organized the company's process maps, DHF, and other regulatory related information so that major audits are completed faster and with fewer findings. Read full review We need fewer employees at quality department We spend less time to respond observations We trust more with the material and records Read full review ScreenShots Arena PLM and QMS Screenshots