A story every engineering-driven company will recognize
A lot of engineering supervisors think the biggest roadblock they face is in the CAD or ERP systems; however, the true problem is hidden somewhere between the two.
This is the story of how engineering data actually flows and where it breaks.
The Engineering Process Begins Before CAD or ERP
John is currently employed as a senior design engineer with a water treatment company located in Chennai.
He does not open CAD for a new industrial project that he has received to design a new complete water treatment skid consisting of many pumps, valves, piping, and instruments; instead, he opens Excel.
He then starts the engineering process, as most engineers do, with the following:
- Pump selection sheets
- Valve sizing calculations
- Process flow data
- Vendor datasheets
The above data is all contained in many different Excel files, older project folders, and emails from suppliers. Finding previously designed products or reused components is time-consuming and unreliable.
Therefore, John does what engineers everywhere are forced to do:
He creates new data.
Duplicate Data Creation without Notice
Meena is the buyer who procures supplies using the ERP system. When she checks for the pump selected by John, she finds that there isn’t an identified item. Therefore, she creates a new pump:
‘Design Sump Pump 3000 l/hr Stainless Steel’.
Meena does not know that there is already a similar item in the system that is labeled ‘Design Sump Pump 3000 L/hr Stainless Steel’.
Same item, two separate records with no alerts of duplication or warning, and therefore, no visibility into the duplication.
This is how duplication quietly begins.
CAD Provides Structure, Not Context
John creates a CAD model and builds the assembly and bill of materials (BOM) as the project progresses.
However, there is a disconnect between the following two systems (CAD and ERP), which can lead to issues upon creation of the BOM:
- There is no link between the CAD electronic model parts and the ERP materials.
- There is no link between the ERP materials and the engineering design intent.
Therefore, upon uploading the BOM information:
- The materials don’t match.
- Some will need to be created from scratch.
- Others may require manual corrections.
Neither the CAD nor the ERP system is wrong; they are just not connected.
When the Problem Scales
More than one group of engineers, several projects, and many parts, the visible impact will be as follows;
- Inventory does not accurately reflect the available product quantity.
- Buyers will place orders for products they still have in their store.
- Engineers have difficulty using past designs for design reuse.
- Service teams experience difficulty in determining replacements for products needing service.
‘Workarounds’ are used for the following reasons;
- ‘Check with John.’
- ‘Use the most recent version of Excel.’
- ‘ERP Data is inaccurate.’
At this point, systems lose trust, and people become the system.
The Core Problem Is Not Training and Discipline
Often, management assumes that:
- Engineers do not follow industry standards
- Purchase Agents do not follow standard procedures for procuring materials
However, the actual issue is a lack of infrastructure.
There is no system designed to manage engineering data before ERP.
Why ERP isn’t Capable of Solving this Problem
ERP systems were created to do things like:
- Stable and approved data
- Inventory and purchasing
- Manufacturing and executing
They were not designed to be used for:
- Incomplete specifications
- Engineering changes that happen too much
- Choosing exploratorily
When you put evolving engineering data into an ERP system too early, you are duplicating it, creating rework, and creating confusion.
So, ERP isn’t actually failing; it is just being made to do a job that it was not designed for.
Why PDM and PLM Aren’t Enough
PDM and PLM tools like SolidWorks PDM and Teamcenter can be great at managing CAD files, controlling revisions, and managing drawings.
But John’s main challenge existed before CAD:
Component selection of logic and respective datasheets and specifications, and the reuse of engineering work, don’t typically live within CAD-centric management systems.
The Missing Solution: A Pre-ERP Engineering Layer
The engineering-driven organizations require a mechanism that:
- Precedes their ERP.
- Goes beyond their CAD.
- Manages engineering documents as they change from engineering to production.
This mechanism is referred to as a Pre-ERP Engineering Layer.
How a Pre-ERP Engineering Layer Changes Everything
In this model, John starts his project in a structured engineering platform, not Excel.
He can search for: PUMP, 10m³/Hr, S/S, 5H.P.
He can see:
- Previously Built Components
- Valve/Piping Configurations to go with the Pump
- Approved Vendor Information
Instead of recreating, he reuses. Engineering knowledge becomes an asset, not tribal memory.
Unified Data Across Digital Teams
With a Pre-ERP Engineering Layer:
- Engineering design is organized
- Datasheets are linked rather than decentralized
- Components have a relationship between systems
- Procurement has access to the individual’s intended use for the component
- Sales have access to historical configuration data that has been tested
- Service teams know exactly which parts to order as replacements
- Everyone works from the same data source.
Clean, Controlled Flow into ERP
When engineering is done:
- Push Data to ERP
- Create Materials One Time
- Correct BOM
The ERP has clean, accurate, and trusted information, as it is intended.
The Business Impact
Firms that implement this process generally experience:
- Reduction in duplicate materials of 70% to 90%
- Reduced time to complete engineering cycles
- Increased reuse of engineering knowledge
- More accurate BOM
- Greater collaboration between departments
In Conclusion
The same issues surrounding John’s scenario happen every day in process industries (water, O&G), including:
- Water Treatment Companies
- Oil & Gas (O&G)
- EPC Companies
- Manufacturing.
CAD is not the problem, ERP is not the problem.
The Problem is the gap between the two.
Until Engineering Data is managed before ERP, process-industry organizations will continue to struggle with duplicate work, rework, and loss of knowledge.
Thus, A Pre-ERP Engineering Layer is no longer optional. It is critical.
With nearly two decades of experience in engineering, I bring deep expertise across both EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) and product-based OEM environments. My core strengths lie in engineering standardization, process optimization, and technical leadership. I have consistently driven excellence through the development and implementation of robust engineering frameworks, delivering value across global industrial projects and complex product lifecycles.
