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Having worked with Microsoft formore than 16 years, Denmark-based Hans Tørsleff ManagementSystems is a Microsoft CertifiedPartner with an EPMSpecialization status in ProjectServer. The MacGregor solutionwas developed along withColumbus IT – one of the world’slargest and most experienced glob-al Microsoft Business Solutionspartners with operations in 30countries worldwide.

The project started at MacGregor’smanufacturing facilities located inKristiansand, Norway, and now itssuccess continues in Singaporeand China, where a similar solu-tion has been implemented tomanage manufacturing of winch-es and other deck machineryequipment.

Order-Based ProductionMacGregor designs and producescranes, from small davits used forlaunching rescue vessels to giantcranes that are capable of han-dling objects up to 400 tonnes andat depths down to 4,000 metres.The largest advanced cranes fromMacGregor are capable of compen-sating for a ship’s movement inrough seas, thus allowing a supplyvessel to safely place cargo on oilrigs.

Although MacGregor’s order bookis filled for the next three years, thecompany was faced with theincreasing challenge of fillingorders for cranes in a rapidlyexpanding market. The companyneeded to scale projects to fitcapacity and eliminate bottlenecksin the production process.Moreover, much of MacGregor’sproduction is order based – indi-vidual customer-driven designsthat require particular attention toworkflow and their relation toother orders and the productionfacility as a whole.

Synergy – The Solutionand The PlayersTo manage the financial side of itsprojects, MacGregor had alreadyimplemented Microsoft DynamicsAX – but the company had yet toapply the full potential of the soft-

ware’s project module. MacGregorneeded a project management toolthat would be able to integratewith Dynamics AX and could pro-vide overview of projects and theusage of resources. Columbus ITmanages Dynamics AX forMacGregor and introduced themto Hans Tørsleff ManagementSystems, the only company supply-ing an in-depth knowledge andextensive experience in integratingMicrosoft Project Server and ERPSystems such as MicrosoftDynamics AX.

The solution is a combination ofthe existing MacGregor DynamicAX and a new Microsoft ProjectServer. The latter facilitates projectplanning, progress reporting basedon capture of remaining hours,and resource planning and report-ing.

At MacGregor, the solution resultedin the creation of a number ofproject templates, reflecting themethod for managing all futureprojects in the company. Theprocess of defining “best-practice”was extensive, as MacGregor need-ed to define its interfaces anddeliveries between departments.This enabled the creation of mas-ter plans covering the full life-cycleof the project, from design toassembly and delivery.

Bottlenecks AvertedOne challenge MacGregor facedwas to create an overview of all itsorder-based projects and then cre-ate an optimized schedule for eachnecessary resource. For example,only a limited number of large testfacilities exist at the MacGregorproduction site. All cranes mustundergo rigorous testing toachieve the certificates required foroffshore operations, and some ofthe testing process takes place onthese massive test foundations. Asimilar situation arises whenmounting the cranes on ships,which requires a large dock area.Without complete oversight, proj-ects can stand in queue to use lim-ited test facilities or mountingdocks, creating bottlenecks thatcan cost the company dearly.

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When MacGregor decided to “re-tool” itsapproach to managing its manufacturing process-es, the company turned to Hans TørsleffManagement Systems, who – in co-operation withColumbus IT – developed a solution unleashingthe power of Microsoft Dynamics AX andMicrosoft Project Server. The result: MacGregornow has a complete overview of manufacturingresources and resource management.

The largest advanced cranes manufactured by MacGregor areequipped with Active Heave Compensation (AHC) systemsthat enable modern subsea vessels to continue workingunder adverse weather conditions (photo: MacGregor)

Flow between the different modules (illustration: Hans TørsleffManagement Systems)

Order-Based Production –

Large Crane Manufacturing Gets a Lift

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The system developed by HansTørsleff Management Systems andColumbus IT gives MacGregor fullcontrol to administer project plans.Straightforward, user-friendly com-munication with resources ensuresthe validity of plans for each phaseof the manufacturing process, less-ening the likelihood of bottlenecksas projects vie for resources.

MacGregor management now hasa complete overview of currentprojects and workloads in relationto available resources.Management can extract reports toaid in making decisions aboutmanufacturing strategies, whatprojects need to be prioritized overothers, resource workloads andwhether it is necessary to increaseor decrease staffing.

Complete OverviewWith the application of MicrosoftProject Server, MacGregor has nowput into service a project manage-ment process that stores all projectinformation in one data source,which ensures that everyoneinvolved in a project sees the samedata. Moreover, plans for alldepartments are linked, so theschedule status for each projectand its affect on other departmentsis easily ascertained.

Project data are linked toMacGregor’s enterprize resourceplanning (ERP) system, MicrosoftDynamics AX, so project forecastsand time budgets are readily avail-able. Further, actual hours regis-tered in Dynamics AX – eitherthrough the Shop Floor Controlmodule or the Time Sheet module– are transferred to the ProjectServer, so project managers can seeprogress on their tasks, determinehow many hours have been used,and update remaining man-hours.

Project Planning ModelThe MacGregor planning modelconsists of a main project plan forthe overall project, such as for themanufacturing of a large crane.

The main plan links all the sub-projects for the different depart-ments into one master plan thatshows the overall timeline for theproject and the total man-hourbudget.

The model consists of a MasterProject and Subprojects forAssembly, Test, andCommissioning. Other faces andactivities are in the Master Project.

Resource Overview andManagementThe benefits of the integrated solu-tion are carried over into the oper-ation of the manufacturingprocess. A complete overview ofresources and resource manage-ment is available in real-time viabarcode readers, tracking the actu-al hours spend on the differenttasks. Tracked hours are automati-cally entered into the project data-base, making it possible for theproject manager to keep closetrack of the progress on everyphase of a project.

Overview of resources leads to bet-ter utilisation of resources. Bytracking tasks and hours used asthey occur, the system makes itpossible to completely bookresources and avoid overbooking.This means optimal uses of valu-able resources, whether facilities orworkforce.

Moreover, management canreceive reports that show the prob-ability for the production to bedelivered on time. Finally, the

solution solves the eternal chal-lenge: “When can you start on anew project?” and “When can youdeliver?”

Success – On TimeDeliveryOrder-based production raisesmany possible manufacturingissues, ranging from workflow toallocation of resources, and muchdepends on the manufacturer’sability to understand the entireprocess and proactively work tooptimize all phases of each manu-facturing job.

The experience brought to theMacGregor solution is hard to top.Columbus IT offer solutions espe-cially developed for the industrialequipment manufacturing indus-try, and its Norwegian division isexperienced in implementing solu-tions for the oil and gas industry.

Among the first to work withMicrosoft Dynamics AX, ColumbusIT started implementing Version 1back in 1999 and has carried thisexperience forward forMacGregor’s needs.

To facilitate the integration ofMicrosoft Project Server withMicrosoft Dynamics AX as the solu-tion for MacGregor, Hans TørsleffManagement Systems – aMicrosoft Project Partner longerthan any other company inDenmark – applied the compe-tence that has grown from experi-ence implementing more than 400IT-based project management sys-tems over the last 20 years, rang-ing from project managementsoftware and project consultancyto implementation and develop-ment.

The integrated solution developedby Hans Tørsleff ManagementSystems and Columbus IT forMacGregor is a supreme use ofweb-service technology for linkingdifferent applications together.Integrating systems thus becomesthe optimum tool for supportingits order-based manufacturingprocess. Ultimately, this meansthat Macgregor can deliver on timeand save costs without cutting cor-ners. �

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Relationship between master plan- and sub-plans (illustration:Hans Tørsleff Management Systems)