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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