Tag Archives: productivity

Excel in your Steel Fabrication Workplace.

Are you using Excel to enter your bill of materials, complete your bids or to track your jobs?
Why use a general computer program to manage such specific industry tasks!? Read more on how StruMIS Software is the faster, more efficient way to make you productive in your steel fabrication workplace.

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We all naturally resist the initial notion of change. Surely, the switch to Excel from pen and paper was also met with resistance initially. But here we are, years later, familiarly clicking away in Excel; thoroughly adjusted to the cumbersome task of entering the bill of material in Excel. It’s what you know. It’s what you’re comfortable with. Just as the generation before us knew and were comfortable with their pen and paper.

But like anything, time and technology changes. After all, you’re reading this blog (which wasn’t even a “thing” 20 years ago!) from a computer screen, not a typewriter. What if I told you the steel fabrication industry is not immune to such technological changes? That there is an easier way to work with software but it’ll naturally require a transition time to get used to the new way of work? Does your mind immediately focus on “transition time” or “easier way” in that sentence?

If you found yourself focused on “transition time” and dreading that notion, what if I added that the transition time is short and seamless because the new way resembles the look of Excel but is specifically designed for the Steel Fabrication Industry? Starting to sound better? What if I add that the software comes built with all your cost and labor codes for faster, more efficient take-offs? Sounding even better yet? What if I also add that you can import your bill of materials, your excel sheet, your 3D model, your electronic take-off for an even faster, more efficient bid? A no-brainer, right?

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Unfortunately, so many of us, get stuck on the notion of change that we keep to the old way of doing things because it works, no matter how cumbersome, regardless that there are industry improvements out there that help us work smarter, not harder.

Our customers have recognized this realization and are reaping the benefit. They’re able to get more bids out than before, they’re able to track their bid win/loss history to understand where to improve and make themselves more competitive, and they’re able to understand with a click of a button what is available in inventory, what’s already allocated in inventory to a specific job, and what drops they have to utilize. Instantly, our clients are able to view any potential bottlenecks in the shop, reroute, and stay on time for delivery.

They’re not working harder, they’re simply working smarter. They’re harnessing the power of technology that StruMIS delivers and I invite you to see the faster, smarter (not harder) way to work through StruMIS, too! A complimentary, brief online demo will show you just how seamless an “easier way” is. Work smarter, not harder, with StruMIS.

Request an online demo here

With StruM.I.S You can do it Faster and Better

You can do it faster and better

How much time do you spend finding and processing data in your steel fabrication business?

  • Do you grab your hard hat and tape measure and run out to the shop floor to get an inventory count?
  • Do you spend hours or days making a bill of materials in Excel to then manage your project?
  • When a client wants an update on their project do you run around the shop/yard checking on the status?
  • Is it a gut response to the question, “Do you have the capacity to get the job done in 1-2-3 weeks”?
  • Are you looking for paperwork in a box from 6 weeks ago?

Be honest, if you answered YES to any of the above questions then you’ll want to continue reading…..

The scenarios listed above are just some of the examples that potential clients share with me daily. None of the tasks are of value and nor does any client wish to pay for it, it is simply waste.

Remove the waste and you’re on the way to lean manufacturing.

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StruM.I.S – steel fabrication management software – can help your fabrication shop be more efficient and effective, and adopt lean manufacturing as your core business strategy, instantly creating your competitive advantage.

Examples include; produce more bids with the same man-hours, create bill of materials within minutes, get instant updates on productivity, capacity, inventory status, billing milestones, automatic tracking of changes, MTRs linked directly to inventory, the list goes on.

But don’t just take my word for it. See for yourself at
www.strumis.com/readyreckoner

Visit us at  www.strumis.com  or contact me directly, Erica at e.morris@strumis.com

Lighting the way in South Africa

Kusile Power Station will end Load Shedding

Kusile Power Station in Witbank, South Africa; is one of the largest energy infrastructure projects under construction in the world. This 4,800 megawatt power station will result in a much needed reliable electricity supply for South Africa, ending the current power crisis and “load shedding”

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When the world is watching

With the whole world watching and waiting, the Kusile Power Station construction requires industry-leading project management performance to meet the challenging schedule with a critical cost focus.

Shortened schedules and maximised productivity critical

Fortunately, StruM.I.S, the global leading steel fabrication management information solution, guarantees to always shorten schedules, and maximises productivity; in addition, it’s three StruM.I.S Bar code data-collection tools enable quick and accurate data capturing of employees, site materials and piece tracking; a huge benefit to Kusile Power Station Contractor, Genrec Engineering – a StruM.I.S user.

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No mean feat

Contracted to provide detailing; project management; site support; erection planning; and fabricate 6 boiler units of 18,300 tons per unit, Genrec needed to track the exact location of items within the complex Kusile Power Station construction site – measuring approximately 3,350 acres or over 5 square miles (1,355 hectares)!

Exact item location in a 5 square mile site

Developed for Genrec, StruM.I.S provided bar code tracking functionality through a bespoke designed interface to track all Genrec site movement of materials and fabricated items to within 1 metre.

Genrec simply scans items into the Production Delivery notes when leaving their fabrication facility, heading for the site. Once the shipment is received at Kusile Power Station, the items are then scanned again to ensure nothing has been lost during transit. Their StruM.I.S Inventory module then shows the exact location, of Genrec’s items, including GPS latitude and longitude co-ordinates, for easy onsite traceability. A godsend throughout the entire 5 year project.

Now that’s organised inventory!

StruM.I.S now offers the additional customisable option of GPS location tracking via barcoding, to enable complete onsite traceability for clients with multiple location warehousing or large site storage issues. Find out how StruM.I.S could revolutionise your Steel Fabrication business, we guarantee within minutes you’ll see the light.