Welding Project ERP and Document Digitization

The hardest resource for any business to manage is not just its materials or something in its inventory, but the people doing the actual labor. From an administrative level down to the welders on the floor, keeping your personnel aligned and communicating effectively is the lifeblood of your fabrication development processes and the make-or-break point for any company seeking to deliver a robust ROI.

In this article, we'll talk about how important it is to use the right enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and how digitization can save your company time and money. 

Related Content: Integrating Design & Fabrication Systems with a Task Management System

How much time does it take to plan your welding project?

Let’s start with this familiar scenario:

• Your team is being tasked with constructing several pressure vessels, pipe spools, skids, and other structural elements for a major upcoming project.
• You need to determine what sort of shells, heads, pipes, flanges, manifolds, supports, and various other parts you’ll need for each set of weldments.
• You also need to determine how many connections you’ll need and the corresponding welds that comply with the applicable regulatory codes, your QC manual, and the buyer’s requirements in effect on the job.
• Guiding the process will be the welding procedures and various other documents instructing the specified (and qualified) welders and other craftworkers on how the job is to be done and your Foreman and CWIs on what type of inspections are needed and when.
• In addition, you’ll be planning how long each step will take and the necessary materials, equipment, and bays needed to complete the welds.

Now, on average, how long would it take you to manually calculate this?

Furthermore, what if you discover that your anticipated project’s plan of action won’t work for this job and you need to go back and make adjustments? How long would that take?

Related Content: Welding Fabrication Digitization: AI, Logistics, and the Blockchain

Save Time Determining Project Cost and Viability Through Digitization

You shouldn’t have to waste countless hours reconfiguring bids and going back to the drawing board as you adjust your pressure equipment and piping design and fabrication projects.

With digitization, you can automate this lengthy and complex process and rapidly analyze the viability and cost of your project. Not only that, you can quickly adjust variables as needed without going back to the drawing board.

• No more getting behind schedule due to unforeseen circumstances and variables you were blind to during the planning stage.
• No more field/floor changes your engineers didn’t sign off on that can cause danger of productivity loss, or worse.
• No more underbidding the project and completing the job for a loss.
• No more getting set back by having unqualified or lapsed welders on the job.

When you digitize, the lengthy and complex planning process gets done at breakneck speeds with impeccable accuracy and full traceability.

Related Content: A Closer Look at Welding Fabrication and Document Version Control

No Time is Wasted with a Fully-Digitized and Integrated ERP

Here at CEI, we understand that time really is money. It’s why we’ve built our suite of software solutions to optimize and maximize the work and potential of everyone surrounding your pressure equipment and piping design and fabrication business.

If you’re looking to masterfully manage your projects with the right ERP, check out WeldERP, a key component of our new Fabrication Manager software for integrating all of the software you use in your fabrication processes.

Ready to get started? Schedule a call and get a demo of what CEI’s software solutions can do for you.