ERP for plant construction ? complex and project-driven

The task of an ERP for plant engineering is to production of mostly complex plants. For the most part, the production of these plants is carried out as a project. This results in the close interlocking of the ERP Functions with the tools of the Project management. Furthermore, since the plants to be produced can vary greatly from order to order, the ERP for plant manufacturers must be highly flexible.

The target companies for in ERP for plant construction

The companies targeted by an ERP for plant engineering and construction are not easy to grasp, as there are a wide variety of variants. Essentially, we are talking about EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction), EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation) and EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Management). However, companies from the shipbuilding and shipyard sectors as well as construction companies and construction service providers are also addressed. Furthermore, many infrastructure companies are interested in such integrated ERP systems.

Calculation and project planning in ERP for plant construction

The project-oriented production of plants must be precisely planned and calculated. All resources and their costs must be taken into account even before a quotation is submitted. This includes employees, machines and equipment, and even materials.
The planning must not be a rigid corset, but must be able to be quickly adapted to new circumstances and wishes.
Of course, the data of the Purchasing integrated to guarantee that the actual cost prices are used right from the quotation costing stage.

Integration with upstream systems in plant engineering

Modern software landscapes expect an ERP for plant engineering to be able to integrate. The transfer of parts lists from previous systems is almost a prerequisite. Many PDM or CAD systems build on these capabilities and provide corresponding interfaces.
Project progress and project costs in plant engineering
In plant construction, business is often conducted on the basis of fixed prices. This makes it essential to know exactly all the figures of an ongoing project. The ability to analyse the progress of the project and the costs incurred analogously are therefore essential for an ERP for plant engineering. The comparison of planned and actual data must be possible quickly and conveniently at all levels.

Manage documents in an integrated and correct way

Information on the manufacturing plant often has to be managed in a variety of forms. Accordingly, an ERP for plant construction requires the ability to manage and provide documents. Access and version control are essential capabilities of such document management.

Maintenance and service control

The punctual delivery of a system is usually not enough. On top of that, the plant constructor often also takes on services around maintenance and service after the installation of the plant. As a result, an ERP for plant construction also has to deal with tasks around the Contract management to the control of service technicians.

Technically up to date

Of course, an ERP for plant engineering must be technically up to date. The mobile connectivity of the employees is just as much a matter of course as access via the cloud. In the future, the ability to process large amounts of data quickly will become increasingly important.

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2 comments

By Christopher Seidel - 27 August 2020 11:41

Super written and informative article :-). A very good list. I'm going to read this blog in depth
By Maria Black - 30 November 2021 15:10

It's good to know which functions and characteristics an ERP serves in plant construction. The factory of my company is soon to be rebuilt. I will contact a plant engineering partner myself for the right design.

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