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Microsoft .NET Customer Solution Case Study Alstom Supports Power Plant Construction with Efficient Project Management Solution Overview Country or Region: Switzerland Industry: Manufacturing Customer Profile Alstom designs, builds, and services technologically advanced products and systems for the world’s energy and transport infrastructure. Headquartered in Paris, the company employs approximately 75,000 employees in 70 countries. Business Situation For its power plant business, Alstom operates in 20 locations scattered across all continents. With many stand-alone applications, the company suffered from an inefficient quotation process and insufficient clarity within power plant building projects. Solution An extensive Web solution based on Microsoft® .NET provides continuous support of the power plant construction process from quotation to final documentation. Benefits Reduction of power plant construction Qualitatively better quotations, with annual quotation capacity increased from 50 to 150 Better sales support through use of intelligent configurations (wizards) Improved project clarity for 2,500 employees in 20 locations worldwide “With our .NET-based Central Project List solution, we always have complete clarity regarding project status. … Construction time for a power plant is reduced by 10 to 20 percent.” Johannes Gnaedinger, Director, Project Data Management, Alstom Switzerland High investment values, production distributed over several locations, and an extremely dynamic market environment are the challenges encountered daily by providers of power production plants. Alstom, one of the world’s leading production companies for power plants, recognized these challenges early and developed its own solution for project management. Created with the help of Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner 1eEurope and fine-tuned over three years, the Microsoft .NET–based solution satisfies the international needs of the business and can be adjusted quickly for changed requirements. Today Alstom carefully controls the entire production of power plants from the quotations to the service. The solution has led to considerable efficiency increases, and the process period from quotation to completion of a facility has been reduced by up to 20 percent. Fast Facts Number of quotations prepared per year 150 Number of locations 20 Number of users 2,500 Situation In the construction of power plants, production distributed over several locations plus a very dynamic and competitive market make project oversight and clarity successcritical factors. With investment values in the three-digit millions of euros, the monitoring of profitability was also very important. In the analysis of several completed projects, Alstom recognized that it could do a considerable amount of optimization. Data structure varied from location to location, and a multitude of disparate stand-alone applications inhibited efficient quotations and project control. Alstom decided to convert all phases of its power plant business—from quotations to project management to fulfillment to service—to a new methodology. The desired solution, called Central Project List (CPL), should make the entire power plant business controllable with one tool, managing all activities within the context of engineering, procurement, and construction. Core requirements included that the solution be usable across locations and countries, while offering a simple, error-tolerant graphical user interface. In addition, it should not require high training expenses or operating costs, and should be open to future expansions in functionality. Solution To find a solution, Alstom met with 1eEurope, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner headquartered in Thalwil. 1eEurope developed a comprehensive Web-based solution for Alstom project management. The core of the solution is formed by a standardized index of all possible individual products that could be installed in a power plant, with all documents produced within a project progression. This approach provided the ability to consistently and centrally maintain data. The foundation for the solution is the Microsoft SQL ServerTM 2000 database, part of Microsoft Windows Server SystemTM integrated server software. The entire development was based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, using the Visual Studio® .NET 2003 development system. The XML data format was used to integrate existing systems with the solution. The use of these Microsoft technologies helped the developers meet requirements for stability and modular expansion of the solution. At the same time, use of Microsoft .NET connection software helped shorten development times, especially in the creation of an intuitive, optimized Web-based front end adjusted to the customary working environment of the employees. A core application was quickly established, implemented, and subsequently adjusted over the course of about three years to its current format. When preparing quotations, sales personnel use the Central Project List to help determine delivery and service scope based on the extensive specifications of customers. Engineering service departments are advised through CPL, with their data transferred into scheduling and cost calculations and are then consolidated into the quotation. CPL also plays a central role in the implementation phase with regard to schedule and documentation control. Automated functions periodically link all engineering documents with the document repository of the completed power plant, which makes the extensive technical documentation of the plant considerably more efficient and improves its quality. This documentation is essential for good and quick services after the startup of the plant. In addition to the direct support of these two project phases, CPL also functions as a central information pool for all 2,500 employees connected to the solution and also for associates using the extranet. Benefits Use of the Central Project List has led to greater clarity in the power plant construction business and improved the completion speed and quality: Processing time for finalization of documentation is reduced by an average of one week. Capacity to prepare quotations has increased from 50 to 150 quotations per year, with increases in quality at the same time. Intelligent configurations (also known as wizards) provide sales consultants with technical know-how as required during quotation preparation, which leads to more precise, qualitatively better quotations. Comprehensive project status provides clarity for 2,500 employees at 20 geographically dispersed locations. “With our .NET-based Central Project List solution, we always have complete clarity regarding project status,” says Johannes Gnaedinger, Director, Project Data Management, Alstom Switzerland. “Quickly prepared and qualitatively optimized quotations and support during project development lead to a clear result: Construction time for a power plant is reduced by 10 to 20 percent. In addition, we have the ability to adjust the solution for changing requirements in the future. This presents an essential competitive advantage in the current dynamic market environment.” For More Information Microsoft .NET For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 4269400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 5682495. Customers who are deaf or hard-ofhearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com Microsoft .NET is software that connects people, information, systems, and devices through the use of Web services. Web services are a combination of protocols that enable computers to work together by exchanging messages. Web services are based on the standard protocols of XML, SOAP, and WSDL, which allow them to interoperate across platforms and programming languages. .NET is integrated across Microsoft products and services, providing the ability to quickly build, deploy, manage, and use connected, secure solutions with Web services. These solutions provide agile business integration and the promise of information anytime, anywhere, on any device. For more information about Alstom visit the Web site at: www.alstom.com For more information about 1eEurope (Switzerland) AG, call +41 (0)44 722 75 55 or visit the Web site at: www.1eeurope.ch For more information about Microsoft .NET and Web services, please visit these Web sites: www.microsoft.com/net msdn.microsoft.com/webservices The Microsoft .NET Framework is an integral Windows® component that supports building and running the next generation of applications and Web services. For more information about the Microsoft .NET Framework, go to: msdn.microsoft.com/netframework Software and Services Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 .NET Framework ® 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Visual Studio, Windows, and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Document published March 2005