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"With e-Con implemented we can calculate 90 monopiles per day, 45x the speed of the old system. All order materials, such as BOM and routing are developed automatically, resulting in big savings and scalability."

Sif Offshore Foundations

Sif Offshore Foundations Manufacturer Automates Quote-to-Order with e-Con CPQ

Sif Group is a leading manufacturer in steel tubes for offshore foundations. Not your average tubes, Sif-made monopiles form the structural base for offshore wind, oil & gas platforms. They measure up to 11 meters in diameter, serving various roles from pile sleeve to jacket leg, elevating and stabilizing the platform or turbine above sea level. Every two weeks Sif ships enough steel to build the Eiffel Tower, but their Q2O was inefficient.

Quote-to-Order (Q2O) Solves Knowledge Transfer while Increasing Efficiency and Accuracy

Sif came to e-Con because of a knowledge transfer problem. Their two-step Quote-to-Order (Q2O) process deployed a calculation tool for sales, while engineers relied on a byzantine system of Excel spreadsheets to develop order documentation. Although they did use Microsoft Dynamics, they were unable to glean many benefits in Q2O. The employee responsible for managing the spreadsheet system had announced retirement, so they wanted a system that could replace and possibly simplify both engineering and sales segments.

45x faster before half-time

This initial study was written halfway through the project after e-Con deployed to engineering but not sales. Sif is already experiencing benefits well beyond initial expectations. Before e-Con, sales quotes would route through a third-party IT provider, which required 1 day to return 2 monopiles. The process was slowed down by the many variables and calculations involved in each monopile, including products, like plates and cylinders, as well as tasks like welding and milling. Engineering also needed to calculate specific positions where these services would be rendered.

With e-Con implemented they can calculate 90 monopiles per day, 45x the speed of the old system. All order materials, such as BOM and routing are developed automatically, resulting in big savings and scalability.

Plans for the second half…

The second segment of the project will be to replace the calculator for the inside sales team. The front-office end of e-Con CPQ will calculate project budgets while giving sales more power to negotiate deals. Integrating with the back-office package will provide an end-to-end system that takes each sale directly through engineering for checks and adjustments before printing the order.

On completion, Sif will rely less on third-party staff while saving money and time. Q2O will be precisely configured and automated, so that customer requests move quickly into production without errors.