No part of your project is siloed off from any other component when fabricating piping and pressure vessels. The designs you make are not only contingent upon material availability, but on welder competence and their own availability.
Without a system of communication and accountability between all stages of fabrication – design, material, welding, inspection, etc. – any decision at one point in the design process can impact project cost and delivery down the line.
Variables Inherent to Welding ERP and WPS Software
As you design your welding project, you must always be aware of several factors:
- Is the material I’m selecting compatible with code requirements?
- Is the material I’m selecting in stock or available and, if so, is it at a reasonable price?
- Do my craftworkers have the certifications required to work with this material and perform these welds?
- Will those craftworkers even be available when it’s time to perform those welds?
- Will I have the right equipment available when it comes time to weld?
Without accurately anticipating one factor, you run the risk of designing piping systems and pressure vessels that are designed out of code, delayed waiting on a qualified welder, or delayed due to welder or material unavailability.
To avoid these dilemmas, many shops use various welding software solutions for managing their designs, welders, bids, inventory, and machinery.
Integrations: The Missing Link in Your Welding Database
These logical databases usually organize the information relevant to your operations in XML or SQL, or they may have their own proprietary database. Just having software managing individual components of your projects is likely not enough. If these software modules aren’t communicating with each other, mistakes are still on the horizon.
For your welding software to work as well as it should, you need integrations between your software solutions so that they can mutually inform each other of variables that will impact their processes.
These integrations are the missing link between your design software and your HRIS. It’s what links your WPS to your MRP. It’s what ensures your scheduling of craftworkers is optimized, so no welder is over-challenged or underutilized.
Fabrication Manager: Complete Welding Management Software
The integrations you’re looking for can be found with the customized offerings found in Fabrication Manager from CEI. Fabrication Manager is both an integration service and software solution that links all your welding software solutions into one source of truth.
Since it’s an integration solution, Fabrication Manager is compatible with all CEI pressure vessel design and welding documentation software, PRG analysis tools, along with other popular software solutions you’re already using like Solidworks and AutoCAD among others.
Each Fabrication Manager onboarding is customized to your welding processes and software in particular. And, since it’s backed by the power of WeldAI and WeldBlockchain, the more you use Fabrication Manager, the more it learns how you operate and can automate some of the more mundane processes that can put you behind schedule.
Optimize your welding estimation, design, and fabrication processes with best practices from a seasoned group of welding industry professionals. While welding fabrication is complex, optimizing your processes with software doesn’t have to be. Onboarding with Fabrication Manager is a breeze.
Want to see how Fabrication Manager can work at your shop? Schedule a call with us today. You tell us your preferred processes and software, and we’ll show you how integrations can optimize your entire workforce.
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