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www.marinelink.com 29Today?s marine and offshore industry faces increasing challenges: the need to work faster on more complex ma-rine products with an extended supply chain in a very competitive environ-ment; to deliver on-time information to customers on the project?s status at any time; and to reduce program management costs as well as design and production time. In order to keep a competitive advantage, shipyard executives are pressuring both their suppliers and their own organizations to integrate and consolidate existing business practices and technology for information management to optimize program management activities and foster collaboration.Marine and offshore organizations are increasingly taking advantage of business platforms to plan and man-age complex projects with an interac-tive 360 degree program management approach, ensuring on time and on budget delivery. These organizations can now tackle head-on the industry?s biggest challenges.Supply Chain Collaboration With up to 80% of all vessel and platform components provided by the supply chain, shipyards are more and more playing the role of integra-tors. A lack of coordination along the supply chain can cause costly delays. Effective collaboration with suppli- ers is, therefore, key to the success of any marine and offshore project. This includes careful orchestration of the request for quotation (RFx) process as well as efficient access to data for successful project execution.To do this successfully, the entire RFx process lifecycle needs to take place in a single collaborative en-vironment. Suppliers will then have secure access to up-to-date product information for efficient collabora- tion in real time, enabling companies to make the most of their supplier network. Additionally, the sharing of real-time data will result in fewer changes. As every stakeholder will be working off a single version of the truth, there will be no more mistakes coming from users accessing different versions of the documents. Contract Management & Cost Containment Building a naval or cargo vessel is a massive undertaking. Many of these vessels are built to order, with tailored features and capabilities that make each ship a one-of-a-kind endeavor. With programs totaling in the millions of dollars, contracts have become es-sential to any ship owner- shipyard relationship.At the same time, military shipbuild-ing contracts are changing. Gone are the days when shipbuilding compa-nies could easily increase the price of a particular ship if costs went up due to a request for a last minute change. The United States and other countries have now moved to a ?fixed contract? approach, where the price is defined once and for all. The U.S. Navy, for instance, will indicate precisely what they need and the shipyard will agree to a set amount in advance of starting the work. Keeping track of the cost of the ship, until it is finally delivered, becomes a critical activity. Using a common, collaborative platform, organizations can manage and track contracts and requirements throughout the project lifecycle. This prevents any surprises, such as the late addition of specific CO2 emis-sion requirements, which would cre-ate a problem that would be costly for the shipbuilder. This also allows orga- nizations to maintain traceability and have an efficient means to ensure that all contract and requirements items are accessible to appropriate team members.Also, if the customer requests any changes, such as the addition of a new cabin or bigger windows, the impact these will have on the entire project in terms of design and schedule can quickly and easily be seen. This al- lows both parties to immediately un-derstand the impact of any change on the cost and delivery date of the ship, enabling them to make more informed decisions. In addition, organizations can use the collaborative environment to monitor a vessel?s compliance to international and national marine classification rules.Improved Visualization A substantial amount of documen- tation can be produced for a marine and offshore project. This can include specifications, project schedules, PROJECT MANAGEMENT Keeping Marine Projects Aß oatPlan, Manage, Track, Connect, Any Time, Anywhere Alain Houard is Vice Presi- dent, Marine & Offshore In- dustry at Dassault Systèmes where he leads the company?s strategy for sectors including Navy Vessels, Commercial Ships, Offshore, Yachts & Workboats, Marine Suppliers, and Marine & Offshore Spe- cialists.By Alain Houard (Copyright Dassault Systèmes)The On Time To Sea Industry Solution Experience based on Dassault Systèmes? 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a ma- rine-centric digital environment that supports the interactive 360 degree program management approach required for marine and offshore companies to engage in collaborative planning, monitor project status and performance, and ensure secured traceability. MR #4 (26-33).indd 29MR #4 (26-33).indd 294/2/2013 9:34:36 AM4/2/2013 9:34:36 AM