Chapter 1: Early Stage Issues

Title: The PLM Business Model in the Engineering and Contracting Companies

Author(s): Mario Tucci, Diego Carli

Address: Dipartimento di Energetica ||Sergio Stecco||, Università degli Studi di Firenze Via C. Lombroso 6/17 – 50134 Firenze, Italy | Information Technology Support Technip Italy S.p.a. V.le Castello della Magliana - 00148 Rome, Italy

Reference: International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management 2006 pp. 222 - 237

Abstract/Summary: The IT systems are the key elements to achieve an effective integration of plant lifecycle data. Starting from a deep review of main Italian Engineering and Contracting (E&C) Companies, this work proposes an IT systems classification in such sector, where the product is the plant, and describes how the Product/Plant Lifecycle Management (PLM) business model is changing plant development and operations. The E&C Companies need a single data source to avoid time-consuming activities of data re-entry and standardised tools to collaborate efficiently with internal and external partners. The Plant Data Warehouse systems, using a PLM approach, meet these requirements permitting different users to work together relying on a truly integrated environment for engineering and process applications. The Owner/Operator (O/O) Companies, as well, are interested in Plant Data Warehouse systems in order to deal with a database of structured information that permits a substantial advantage in the handover process and in subsequent plant operation/maintenance activities, in a true lifecycle paradigm. However, the complete integration of plant data is a difficult goal to achieve in the E&C sector which is characterised by several specialised activities adopting stand-alone tools. Actually plant information, such as concept and process data, engineering documents, material codes, equipment costs and on site material availability are embedded in different IT tools that hardly communicate.

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