I build databases and custom Enterprise Resource Planning systems using Airtable, Zapier, On2Air actions and other API-friendly apps. I initially built an ERP system for my precision machine shop in central Florida and now offer these services to other companies.
Airtable can store information in a spreadsheet that's visually appealing and easy-to-use, but it's also powerful enough to act as a relational database that businesses can use for customer-relationship management (CRM), task management, project planning and tracking inventory.
Product Data Management (PDM) is the architecture of the data storage system. Typically in small-to-medium-sized companies, data structure is 'create a series of customer-job-part/product folders', and put the customer data there. This data structure is rarely planned for growth, and all the processes rely on humans following some homegrown process of manually creating nested folders. These processes are ripe for typing errors, people not aware or not caring about following protocol, and simply nothing that truly tracks the location of the data being stored.
PDM, in a nutshell then, is the organization, storage, and retrieval of any data that might be tied to a manufacturing process. Airtable is ideal for not only storing data but managing workflow. I can create a database for you/your company and help automate routine tasks.