ABOUT PBS

LAMPRELL ENERGY SERVICES Dubai, Jebel Ali & Sharjah

Lamprell Energy Services is well known as a regional offshore contractor but has gained wider international recognition in the field of jack-up rig conversion, repair, refurbishment and upgrade. The company also undertakes offshore construction with facilities at Jadaf (Dubai), Jebel Ali and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

Lamprell instigated an initiative to review, and where necessary upgrade, the business processes within the Contracts and Purchasing Departments. Chris Hand, Senior Quantity Surveyor, was given the responsibility of leading this project, and absolute (an independent business and technology solutions provider in Dubai) was appointed to assist in the evaluation process, and identify the appropriate technological tools and systems required that would further consolidate Lamprell’s position as an industry leader.

One area which both parties felt, could be significantly improved was the materials procurement process - with the Matrix materials management system being the recommended solution. A demonstration was given to senior Lamprell management, followed by a review of procedures and discussions with key personnel to establish how Matrix would seamlessly integrate with the existing systems, as well as bespoke software that was under development. The decision to proceed only took four days, and the installation process commenced immediately with the initial version of the software. A tight schedule was imposed on the installation of Matrix, but with the enthusiasm of the Lamprell staff and the co-operation of management, the time taken from being given the go ahead to producing the first purchase order was an impressive thirty-two days. Reflecting on the project, Chris Hand is very positive: “The implementation of Matrix has been a great success. Every aspect went smoothly with minimum business disruption and the system integrated seamlessly into our existing processes. We have been able to establish some sound commercial improvements very quickly.”

Company President, Steve Lamprell, is equally convinced his company made the right choice with Matrix. He said: “At Lamprell, we pride ourselves in being at the forefront of our industry and intend to be there for a long time to come. I believe that the acquisition of Matrix is consistent with that vision and provides us with an essential competitive edge. It has been developed by people who not only understand the processes involved but who also demonstrate a distinct practical knowledge of how things need to be done.”

Market research had identified the requirement for a feature rich, cost effective materials management system, which would also provide a rapid return on investment. The decision to proceed with Matrix was taken following an extensive investigation of the very best systems available worldwide.

The materials procurement process is now managed and controlled by using ProcuremaX (one of the applications in the MatriX suite of products) with other MatriX systems assisting in most areas of the company’s business and operational processes. EstimaX (estimating), QuantimaX (material take-off), ControlmaX (project material control) and StockmaX (inventory and stock management) were also implemented at Lamprell Energy early in 2003 with associated benefits and return on investment being realised in these areas of the business.

Peter Jamieson, managing director of absolute, explains the reasons for selecting Matrix : “I believe that an investment in Matrix not only provides all the customary benefits associated with automating processes such as: reduction in costs; improved efficiency; global availability of information and enhanced management control. Matrix also includes a myriad of user friendly industrial strength features, making it ‘the’ choice for materials management professionals”.

The list of benefits that Matrix provides is too large and varied to list fully, but they include:

And it is benefits like these which have secured endorsement from Paul Kirwan, Microsoft managing consultant Middle East & North Africa, who has included Matrix in the Middle Eastern version of the Microsoft ‘Industry Solutions Catalogue’.
 

Matrix is designed and developed by a British software house, Pinnacle Business Solutions, and is the result of a unique partnership between materials management, information technology and financial management professionals. It is a product that utilises the latest technological advances, including Internet and e-mail facilities, but is widely recognised as being ‘business-driven not technology-led’.