WRENCH helps BHEL trim product design cycle time

WRENCH PLM has helped BHEL reduce design document movement time by 35 percent and cut advice processing time by 50 percent, a perfect example of how Indian product manufacturers can bring products faster to market by reducing the time spent in designing products

The main criteria for selection of the PLM software was the assessment of the capability of the vendor to customise the processes as followed in BHEL, and good product support, says Rajesh Gupta

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), Hardwar, designs and manufactures a large number of products such as hydro, gas and steam turbines, turbo generators, condensers and motors. Products manufactured at BHEL's Hardwar unit are mostly engineered-to-order. Implementing WRENCH PLM from Cadd Solutions helped BHEL cut down product design cycle time, and in improving its change advice system, thereby bringing out products faster to market.

Business challenges faced by BHEL

The Engineering Design department of BHEL prepares engineering drawings, which are then approved by its technology arm before releasing the same for manufacturing. It is a critical process as the technology cell first studies the feasibility of manufacturing the components in-house. The check-prints of a drawing are sent to the technology section as paper printouts. The technologists work on these paper drawings, adding comments and remarks. The process was complex and time-consuming and following up on these drawings was a tedious process.

Evaluation

To solve its business problem, BHEL evaluated seven PLM solutions in 2002 from vendors such as Infotech Enterprise (eMatrix), TCS (iMan), Cadd Centre Scanning Technologies (DataViewer), EDS (EDS PLM, erstwhile Metaphase), HOPE Technologies (Motiva), PTC (Windchill) and Cadd Solutions (WRENCH).
BHEL set eight parameters for selecting a PLM solution and floated a limited tender to eight vendors. Gupta adds, "The main criteria for selection of the PLM software was the assessment of the capability of the vendor to customise the processes as followed in BHEL and good product support." WRENCH from Cadd Solutions was selected on this basis.

Staged rollout

BHEL decided to divide the implementation in two phases. In phase one, BHEL implemented the engineering part i.e. automating and simplifying drawing management, checks and approval. In phase two, the complete system was implemented, including product data management (PDM), drawing and document management (collaboration with other departments), release management and change/configuration management.

Phase one

Phase one began in January 2003 and was completed by February 25, 2003. During this phase, PDM was integrated with CBOM (bill of materials and drawings) for viewing the complete product structure. The process of submission and approval by engineering of drawings, an electronic CA system for electronic drawings, migration of Motive and the online database, computerisation of microfilming and CTA activities were automated. Automatic print request generation and updation of database for printed drawings, and revision of drawings was executed.

Phase two

Phase two implementation began in June 2003 after stabilising the implementation in the engineering department. The PLM project went live in all the modules, including PDM, drawing and document management, release management and change management in September 2003. Phase two began with the implementation of technology workflow & approval system. This was a significant activity as the technology departments used to work with paper prints. There are seven technology departments and the drawings of an assembly can go to any of them. Usage of attribute-based formats by engineering for linking WRENCH profile data with attributes on the drawings is needed for capturing signatures of persons granting approval.

Benefits

The objective of investing in a PLM solution has paid off for BHEL from day one. Dev Raj, additional general manager-Electrical Machines Engineering, BHEL says, "WRENCH PLM has helped our department in reducing the design document movement time by 35 percent and change advice processing time by 50 percent." WRENCH PLM has also been able to reduce the time spent during workflow and online approval.