RE: Quick Question

From: <Otto>
Date: Mon Oct 11 1999 - 15:11:00 EDT

Paul,

I totally agree with you. Good software needs good people to be successful.

		 -----Original Message-----
		 From: Paul Bowers [mailto:pbowers@PipingDesign.com]
		 Sent: Sunday, October 10, 1999 7:58 PM
		 To: <a href="/group/PipingDesign/post?postID=On4bw2e89Mm9NWWFCkQxNUs0fWT-5pm4EyGgwNnFHprB2-m2cM8ByfcGtx6OdJW8fEl9wmwMYclpMqRnB3Mw">PipingDesign@onelist.com</a>
		 Subject: Re: [PipingDesign] Quick Question

		 From: Paul Bowers <pbowers@PipingDesign.com>

		 Companies that have invested heavily in expensive software
solutions
		 for piping design are reluctant to switch. Management can
see the
		 benefits of moving to a less expensive package, but users
make the
		 difference, obviously.

		 As Mike pointed out, it's difficult to get trained on these
systems
		 and competent users are very well-paid. Someone who does
piping design
		 on a $100,000 workstation will likely be reluctant to "step
down" to a
		 "less prestigious" system.

		 Not that they have much choice, but it becomes easy to slam
the new
		 program, complaining that it won't do what PDS/PDMS (or
whatever) can
		 do.

		 That's a personnel issue, really, but if a lot of the
knowledgeable
		 piping people resist new software it can cause problems.

		 I agree with what you wrote below, my point is that the
implementation
		 phase of new software is extremely important and the
availability of
		 enough good tech support people is critical.

		 Paul

		 Otto Weiberth wrote:



		 > User-customizable software such as Rebis still has to rely

		 > on a competent user base at the client, doesn't it?

Wouldn't you


		 > want a competent user base building plants?  Are you

saying that with one of


		 > the  "Big Buck" systems, you can design a chemical plant

with some


		 > incompetent users?  If that is so, I  do NOT want one of

those plants built


		 > in my state!!!!

		 >

		 > Rebis software is very customizable because the code is

VBA,


		 > not twenty year old propreitary code that you need

expensive consultants to


		 > make a modifications. Everything is open code.  That is

the benefit.  In


		 > today's world, there are some very SHARP piping designers

and I bet that


		 > many of them may be on this site, and I am sure that they

would want the


		 > flexibility to customize, right?




		 > Projects are clients driven and as a

		 > engineering company, you NEED the flexibility to offer

your clients a


		 > project that meets their requirements, not limit it to the

limitations of


		 > the software.

		 > How many of the piping designers on the site either use or

		 > have used AutoPLANT?  I mean the new AutoPLANT 97, not the

old AutoPLANT


		 > software.  The new AutoPLANT was released in Sept. of 1997

and it is


		 > expotentially better than the old software.

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                 <a href="http://www.PipingDesign.com">http://www.PipingDesign.com</a> Received on Mon Oct 11 15:11:00 1999