SH Group: From Idea to Production
Published in Jyllandsposten, DNK, as a sponsored case study, March 2017.
PDM Technology is an Independent Software Vendor and a Microsoft Partner. Since 1988, they have been specialized in the development, sale, and implementation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions. Their core mission is to provide a solution that bridges the gap between PLM and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
By doing so, their solution provides endless possibilities for data-sharing while automating business processes across engineering, production, and finance departments.
One set of data, one system
“Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a system that processes and integrates data from the areas of finance, purchasing, sales, planning and inventory control. In other words, ERP is the operations and production playground. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), on the other hand, is the engineering playground. The core purpose of the PLM system is to manage engineering data such as 3D models, (design) documents, and 1/2 BOMs. Ideas are born and developed in PLM, and they are realized in ERP,” says CEO of PDM Technology, Jørgen Schiønning Larsen.
He also adds, “Normally, ERP and PLM systems are isolated from one another. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. The software platform, Bluestar PLM, ensures
that there is two-way communication between your PLM and ERP systems. We merge these two worlds into one software platform, so that everyone in the company has access to the same data and are on the same system. By using a single system instead of two, employees are able to successfully work uniformly. We have found a way to streamline the entire process, from concept to delivery, whereby everyone benefits from the clarity that Bluestar PLM provides.”
“PDM Technology’s IT solution helps our engineers navigate these large quantities of data, which enhances overall quality by reusing existing data.” Peter Johansen, IT Manager at SH Group.
One of the customers that PDM Technology has provided an IT solution for is SH Group, which develops and manufactures a wide range of products. Peter Johansen, the IT Manager at SH Group, explains, “SH Group is, to a great extent, a project-oriented company. We deliver custom solutions to various industries, including offshore and wind power, with products such as deck equipment for ships and oil rigs, and handling equipment for wind turbines. Due to the fact that most of our products are Engineered to Order, not very many models and drawings are used more than once in our production process. PDM Technology’s IT solution helps our engineers navigate these large quantities of data, which enhances overall quality by reusing existing data.”
“The level of quality has improved in all of our products, and the more standardized the product, the faster it can be produced. The implementation of Bluestar PLM was based on PDM Technology’s ability to challenge us with critical questions. That is how we developed the core elements needed in a solution that suit our business.”
Henrik Mølgaard Jørgensen believes that cooperation with PDM Technology improves the standard of their work, because they can better ensure the quality of each other’s drawings before they get to production. He also points out that it reduces the total number of errors in production, and facilitates data sharing between SH Group’s engineers.