CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
4 March 2008
Implementation Investments
Vendor Docs Management and Global Collaboration on Singapore Oil Terminal
Aconex has streamlined document management and facilitated global collaboration on the Helios Terminal fuel bunker development in Singapore.
McConnell Dowell, the main contractor on the project, used Aconex to streamline their document review processes and collaborate with more than 70 external organizations. Over the project’s first 15 months, more than 400 internal and external team members used the system to manage 46,000 documents and 24,000 pieces of project mail.
The project involved the construction of a 450,000 cubic meter oil storage terminal. The bunker is located on Jurong Island’s petroleum hub and comprises 18 oil production tanks.
Through using Aconex, McConnell Dowell was able to manage their tendering and procurement documentation electronically. The system enabled them to create, distribute and access tenders through one online platform, which significantly reduced the time needed to manage the process for McConnell Dowell and streamlined submission procedures for suppliers.
Jonathan Scott, Engineering Manager at McConnell Dowell, said: “The main use of Aconex was during procurement, where we needed to control a huge amount of documentation. About $55 million was spent purchasing equipment and materials and we had to manage drawings, data sheets, specifications, maintenance manuals, quality documents, certificates and records for each item. Aconex handled this perfectly.”
Using Aconex to manage and track vendor docs was particularly beneficial when working with international organizations.
Scott said: “We primarily used Aconex for collaborating with our subcontractors and suppliers,” said Scott. “If the purchase order was in excess of about $50,000, we’d insist they use Aconex. We had suppliers in France, Germany, the UK, Korea, Australia and Singapore, so managing this online with Aconex speeds up the submission and approval process by cutting paper transmittals. The result is much less work at our end and, because everything is traceable, it’s foolproof.”
Aconex maintains a full archive of documents and project mail, with audit trails of each transaction. As well as managing risks, McConnell Dowell found that this helped minimize the impact when people left the project, making it easier for newcomers to get up to speed.
Scott added: “In the past we’ve had issues losing information and knowing which document is the latest version. These things always happen, but with Aconex we can be sure that when we look at a document, it’s the current revision. There’s a big turnover of staff, so it’s a real benefit that everything is easy to find.”
McConnell Dowell (MCD) is an engineering, construction and maintenance company with business units in civil and marine, mechanical, electrical, pipelines, tunneling and underground services.
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