International fuel cell designers

Background to organisation

A rapidly-expanding company that develops hydrogen fuel cells and commissions their volume manufacturing. 

Situation

The software adopted early in the company's start-up phase was eclipsed by growth. Its replacement was itself soon under strain because the organisation faced a high volume of project planning transactions and design iterations. 

Project approach

The initial terms of engagement called for a feasibility study and estimate for the next year's budgets. The study was only 15 days, but part-way through we suggested broadening the scope. There was an opportunity to combine the intended PLM software with a future ERP project that would be needed within two years. We adapted our project method to establish if the correct approach was two best-of-breed solutions with significant integration work, or one larger solution with combined PLM and ERP capabilities 'in the box'. 

Results

The feasibility study secured project approval. The next year, we elicited wider requirements for both PLM and ERP. At RFI stage, we analysed a spectrum of submissions from candidates suppliers. This revealed that, not only was a larger ready-integrated solution achievable, but also that the external spend projected over 10 years was reduced by at least £18m. 

Client comment - Finance representative on the evaluation team 

"We realised that the first system selection lacked long-term consideration for business strategy and forecasted growth. In addition, we didn't properly evaluate the functionality that was required across the business and the integration between the various parts of the organisation. We therefore agreed to implement a more methodical and comprehensive evaluation, one that would look at both immediate and long-term requirements."