Steel Fabrication Drawing Management

Drawing Management

Drawings are the lifeblood of the fabrication process, but managing their revisions and approvals can be a real nuisance. Without an integrated solution, many steel fabricators settle for keeping a simple drawing log by hand. Such systems are a pain to maintain, but that's nothing next to the risk of issuing the wrong drawing to the shop because someone lost track of the revisions.

FabTrol MRP software offers a better solution. Its powerful links with the industry's leading detailing software solutions enables fast, error-free data transfers. And beyond a simplistic one-line-per-drawing log, it provides a true management system and up-to-date statusing mechanism for drawings and revisions.

Here are some of the benefits that our software offers for your engineering department:

Time saving model imports

Why reenter data that is already available in electronic form? With FabTrol MRP, you can import bills of materials, drawing image files, and in some cases even CNC instructions from nearly any detailing software, including:

SDS/2®
Tekla Structures (Xsteel®)
StruCAD®
AutoCAD® and its add-ons
Any KISS-compliant system, including 3D+®, FASTRAK®, CadVantage CVSpro®, SteelCad®, and more

Validation log. FabTrol MRP thoroughly checks all data before it is imported, highlighting unrecognized material type codes, grade designations, and any of potential problems.

Customizable translation tables. What if a detailer calls out plate as "PLT" when FabTrol MRP knows it as "PL"? Simple. Use the import translation utility to translate any unfamiliar codes (types, sizes, grades, profiles, finish codes, etc.) into the correct format to match your customized FabTrol database.

Automated drawing management

FabTrol MRP's integrated drawing log provides an on-demand snapshot of your drawing office. You can instantly see the status of any drawing, review its contents in a bill of materials format, and see its entire history in the event log, including all revisions and status changes.

Flexible actions. As you track drawings through the process, the system offers flexible control with customizable actions that can reflect the steps you follow. You can set up actions for common drawing status milestones such as Received, Sent for Approval, Approved as Noted, Revised & Resubmitted, and Issued to Production -- or any other steps you want to track along the way.

Rigorous revision control

Whether you are importing drawings or entering their details manually, FabTrol MRP provides integrated, reliable revision control. See which version is current and where it stands in the approval process.

Avoid costly errors. How much does it cost to fabricate the wrong drawing? Eliminate such errors by ensuring that the correct revision is issued for fabrication every time.

Revision log. Thanks to its powerful import links, FabTrol MRP can provide a detailed list of everything that has changed since the previous revision. There's no need to pore over the drawings looking for changes.

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