Ruston Gas Turbines (RGT), part of GEC Alsthom's European Gas Turbines group, supplies large gas turbines to customer order for power generation and mechanical drive.

Ruston uses the Plantrac computerised critical path analysis software to create networks for each of the projects the company tenders for. RGT does this from one of a number of "standard" networks which describe the entire product range.

Analysts and planners use CAPM to add customer-specific details about filtration, cooling and fuel systems and other parts. These are either made at the plant, drawn from stock, or bought from or specially made by outside suppliers.

All the information about particular turbines is compiled by the central planning department. RGT's ability to generate an accurate critical path analysis for each unique machine is a necessary precondition of winning bids for turbine contracts, particularly in the oil and gas industries. However, planning manager Ray Davidson emphasises that any competitor "worth its salt" will also use critical path analysis. The product wins the business: "The project management system gives the client the confidence that we will be able to manage and monitor their job through this company," says Davidson.

When a bid is successful, the projects department, being the sole interface with the customer, launches it on the business. A central planning area produces the full contract network, based on the original tender network. The full network covers all phases from design through manufacture and purchase into build, test and despatch. The Plantrac package controls all purchase requirements outside RGT's MRP system.

In the projects department, a PC-based version of the system is used to control 20 or more simultaneous projects, some of which take 15 months. Accurate documentation is important. Here, the software generates bar charts, network diagrams, histograms and tables.

Fears of system support are dispelled by Davidson: "We receive regular updates on the software from the supplier and, if we have a problem, they are very quick to respond", he says.