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www.johnstark.com |
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We'll be able to respond better to Requests For Proposal With EDM/PDM we won't have to write each new proposal from scratch. We'll be able to look for similar proposals we've made in the past, take out the best bits and include them in the new proposal. We'll also be able to look at the cost estimates in previous proposals and compare them to the real costs. This should allow us to come up with realistic, competitive prices for our proposals. As we won't have to create everything for a new proposal, there will be less work to do, so it will get done quicker and cost less, and there should be fewer errors. The end result will be that the customer will get a high-quality reply very quickly and we'll feel happy with the content. Customers will appreciate our rapid response, especially on rush jobs, and so we'll get a higher proposal acceptance rate. We'll be able to improve our Marketing and Sales performance With all the past and current engineering information and customer specification information under control, it will be much easier for us to evaluate future opportunities. We'll have a much better feel of the market, and will be able to launch much better Marketing activities. We'll also be much more flexible when it comes to responding to market demand. When we do get customers, it will be much harder for them to change their requirements without paying more, as all the information on discussions we've had with them and the agreements we've made with them will be available on the EDM/PDM system. Hopefully the end result will be that customers think more about their requirements upfront, so once a project is started it will go through much quicker and stay within our estimates. If we can stay on time and on budget everyone will be happy, and the customer will come back with a repeat order. We'll increase Engineering productivity There will be many gains in the Engineering Department once we start using EDM/PDM. We'll spend less time looking for data, we'll re-use existing designs, we'll be able to manage our CAD data better. We'll save time by sending data round the network. We'll automate the release cycle so it will be faster. We'll get our engineering changes under control. We'll have better status information available on our development projects. We'll improve the reliability of engineering schedules. We'll reduce paper manipulation. The list goes on and on, but the end result is that we'll reduce our overhead costs and increase our productivity. Manufacturing will be able to operate much better We in Manufacturing will be involved earlier in product development activities, so will be able to help get Engineering under control. As a result, we won't have to try to produce unmanufacturable designs, and there will be less scrap and rework. There'll be a similar effect when we get the change process under control. With the information available on the EDM/PDM system we won't have all the problems we get now with paper-based documents. We won't have to re-enter data by hand - so won't have that source of error to contend with. Once we can get the Engineering Department under control, we'll only produce what is needed, and will reduce inventory. Our Installation activities will benefit Often, when our Installation teams go out to the installation site, they find that a lot of the parts don't fit. Between Marketing, Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics there are always all sorts of misunderstandings and the end result is that we can't install as quickly as promised. Of course, we always get the blame because we're at the end of the chain. With the EDM/PDM system in place, all the upstream functions should be able to follow through on a particular order, so what gets delivered to the customer site should be exactly what we have to install. Field Service performance will improve Without an EDM/PDM system in place, we in Field Service have a really tough job. Often we have no way of knowing what's been configured in a particular product. Engineering might send us an 'as-designed' configuration, but all sorts of things can change after this is produced. Often they will have changed components but not told anyone. Some of the sub-assemblies might have been purchased, and have different components to the initial in-house design. Manufacturing might also have made changes. At the Assembly and Test stages, where there's always a lot of pressure to get the product out the door, additional changes might be made and not get properly documented. With the EDM/PDM system in place, everything will be properly documented, so we in Field Service will be able to do a great job for the customer. The IS Department will profit from EDM/PDM Once the EDM/PDM system is up and running, we in the IS Department won't have to waste so much time building interfaces for new databases and between engineering and business systems. We'll be able to cut costs by removing unnecessary intermediate systems. EDM/PDM will lead to a reduction in the work we have to do, so we'll be able to address the important IS issues better. The performance of the Quality Department will improve One of the major problems of the Quality Department is that a lot of the company's documentation isn't under control and doesn't correspond to reality. An EDM/PDM system is ideal for getting documentation under control. We'll be able to get all the documents under control and meet all the OSHA, EPA, NRC and ISO requirements. We'll have far fewer quality problems, so the customers will be happier and we won't be wasting our time and money. |