Page 39: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2025)

or more than a century,

Abeking & Rasmussen has been all about precision and innovation in shipbuilding.

FF Known for its custom su- peryachts and specialized vessels, the

Prime Mover Controls is a world leading manufacturer of Marine Propulsion Controls and

German yard recently embarked on a

Integrated Machinery Alarm and Control Systems. Our products also include Engine Order further digital transformation journey

Telegraphs, Navigation Light Control Panels, and a variety of Marine Instruments. We have – streamlining cost estimation. Kris- been designing and manufacturing high quality marine systems since 1968. Our proven and

Henrik Köster-Eibel, the shipyard’s reliable products can be found in service on all types of vessels in challenging conditions

Deputy Head of Finance and Account- throughout the world.

ing, led the transition from Excel-based

Prime Mover Controls Inc.

work? ows to a shipbuilding-speci? c es-

Vancouver, Canada timating platform: CostFact.

Tel: 604.433.4644

Email: [email protected]

What were the challenges in the esti-

Web: www.pmc-controls.com mation process before CostFact?

Cost estimation in custom shipbuild- ing is a demanding and high-risk task.

Every vessel is unique, yet stakeholders expect a transparent and as accurate as we started a test phase, were still heavily How did the implementation process possible basis for decision-making. The reliant on our Excel-based work? ows, unfold?

key challenge lies in ensuring consis- and were not yet ready for the change. We took a step-by-step approach. tency, version control, and traceability In 2024, Mr. Fischer from CostFact First, we adapted CostFact to ? t our in increasingly complex projects. Often, approached me again and proudly pre- existing cost structure and work? ows, customer-speci? c logics or a wide range sented how the system had evolved over bene? ting from the previous test phase, of optional requests result in a signi? - the years. I was impressed by the prog- during which we had already gained in- cant portion of the typically short proj- ress and saw an opportunity to reassess depth experience with the system.

ect timeline being consumed by organi- whether Abeking & Rasmussen might Next, we implemented interfaces with zational tasks. now be ready to move away from the our ERP system to enable automatic old processes. synchronization of material costs and

What did the previous situation look We used this opportunity to evaluate work packages. We then used CostFact like – Excel spreadsheets, right? several solutions, and CostFact clearly in several projects alongside Excel to

Yes. For a long time, we relied heav- stood out. It is speci? cally tailored to the verify consistency in the results. This ily on Excel, primarily because of its shipbuilding industry and truly under- approach allowed us to train the team in ?exibility and the familiar functions stands how we calculate, with standard- a real-world setting without disrupting we enjoyed using. However, this ? ex- ized assemblies, parametric cost drivers, ongoing operations.

ibility also introduced risks: formula modular building blocks, a structured errors, duplicate entries, inconsistent option management system, and, my What results have you achieved since data structures, and no reliable version personal highlight, a comprehensive adopting the system?

control. As our projects grew in size and quotation database. The most immediate impact has been complexity, and we began supporting This quotation pool gives us access to a signi? cant gain in ef? ciency. We’ve our re? t department with cost calcula- indexed and structured supplier quota- drastically reduced the time required to tions, it became increasingly dif? cult tions, even years later. produce new cost estimates, which al- to maintain a single source of truth. We The system enables us to manage the lows us to initiate projects more quickly. needed a more robust system that would high complexity of our projects while Thanks to the structured database, we provide clear structure and allow us to maintaining a certain degree of stan- can easily reuse historical data and per- focus on the essential aspects. dardization. It was also important for form fast “what-if” analyses or scenario us to de? ne interfaces for seamless data comparisons.

Why did you choose CostFact? exchange with our ERP system. In addi- Transparency has also improved: proj-

I ? rst came into contact with CostFact tion, we were impressed by the CostFact ect managers and purchasers now have a many years ago at the beginning of my team's responsiveness and their fast, so- much clearer view of key cost drivers. career in cost calculation. At the time, lution-oriented approach. Once an order has been secured, we can www.marinelink.com 39

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