Case Study
Ansaldo Energia reduces costs, improves quality and increases productivity globally
Ansaldo Energia
Teamcenter helps Italian energy giant operate more efficiently, resulting in faster deliveries, lower development costs and improved quality.
- After a period of expansion and acquisition, Ansaldo Energia needed to standardize processes and improve information access to meet cycle time, cost reduction and quality targets.
Turning many into one
Ansaldo Energia is one of the global leaders in the field of energy generation with more than 100 years of experience and an installed capacity of more than 157,000 megawatts in 75 countries. The company designs and manufactures a wide range of products for energy generation, such as steam turbines, gas turbines and electric power alternators. It also provides services covering all aspects of energy production operations, including project management, financing, engineering, construction, management, maintenance and service. The firm is owned by Finmeccanina and features a production area of 235,000 square meters and a workforce of 2,500 people.
In the 1990s Ansaldo Energia underwent a period of expansion and acquired a number of companies. As a result, it ended up with a variety of information systems. There were also a host of different procedures within the expanded organization, both for internal processes as well as for dealing with suppliers. Standardizing and integrating the different processes and systems became critical to competing effectively in the power generation arena. “Ansaldo Energia felt the pressure to standardize and control all of its processes,” explains Alvaro Lazzini, the company’s information and communication technology manager. “Primary objectives were speeding up product development activity, increasing the quality of the product, facilitating the accessibility of information to increase knowledge re-use, and responding to the demands of the market in terms of reducing the costs and the delivery time for the product.”
Teamcenter addresses three critical areas
After a careful evaluation of product lifecycle management (PLM) technology, Ansaldo Energia selected Teamcenter for its reliability, flexibility, functional coverage, product innovation and ability to adapt to future developments. Teamcenter has become the digital enterprise backbone for information sharing and process management.
The company implemented Teamcenter to address three critical areas. One is archival storage and communication. In this role, Teamcenter has structured and optimized the management of documentation (more than one million documents, half of them containing images), and serves as the archive for project histories. It provides 600 employees with instant access to the information needed to do their jobs. An example of faster information access is the availability of documentation. Now it is accessible throughout the company the instant it has been approved and released.
The second critical area Teamcenter addresses is knowledge re-use. Teamcenter allows Ansaldo Energia to capitalize on existing know-how by providing the means for storing and then transfering that information to those who need it.
The third critical area that Teamcenter addresses is the elimination of mistakes and miscommunication. With Teamcenter, documents are accessible the instant they are released. In addition, the software ensures that everyone is working with correct and up-to-date information.
Productivity leads to business results
Since implementing Teamcenter, Ansaldo Energia has seen a significant increase in productivity resulting from faster access to information, improved access security and better re-use of knowledge. The company has reaped many bottom-line benefits. For example, there has been a reduction in project completion and delivery times directly attributed to the better integration of processes.
The company has also experienced a reduction in costs due to the elimination of errors previously caused by incorrect or undelivered information. Product quality has improved, reducing the impact of penalties, rework, and guarantees. Through Teamcenter, Ansaldo Energia has created an infrastructure that permits tight integration, standardized processes and fast information access, enabling the company to bring all resources to bear in the business of energy generation.
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Challenges:
- Reduce delivery time and development costs for new products
- Improve quality
- Increase knowledge re-use
Keys To Success:
- Consolidate dispersed archives within one repository managed by Teamcenter® software
- Control best internal and external practices using Teamcenter’s workflow functionality
- Make project information available over the web
Results:
- 600 employees have instant access to over one million documents
- Managed workflow from SAP to purchasing
- Faster product deliveries at reduced costs
- Quality improvements
Industry:
- Energy & Utilities
Client's Primary Business:
Ansaldo Energia designs and manufactures a wide range of products for energy generation, such as steam turbines and gas turbines, and provides services covering all aspects of energy production operations.
Business Initiatives:
- Enterprise Data Management
- Knowledge & IP Management
- Production Efficiency
Solutions/Services:
- Teamcenter
Client Location:
Genoa
Italy
"With the introduction of Teamcenter, communication between the various business sectors and the external environment has shown remarkable improvement."
Alvaro Lazzini
Information and Communication Technology Manager
Ansaldo Energia