Why not Tekla PowerFab?

Designed exclusively for steel fabricators, Tekla PowerFab gives you unparalleled control of your operations. A digital information management system, it connects all process from your estimating, project, procurement and fabrication teams into a centralised hub, with real time visibility and traceability. With so many different features, all fed by your Tekla Structures models, why wouldn't you want to level up your production? Read on, as Chris Gatehouse works to ‘de-bunk’ some of the commonly asked questions and challenges.

“I don’t need Tekla PowerFab right now”

You may see the benefits but have no pressing or major problems to solve, but what about the ongoing and underlying issues that you have been happy to live with in the meantime? With Tekla PowerFab, we are offering enhanced efficiency levels and error mitigation. Who can afford to ignore that?

It’s true that you may not see the immediate need for Tekla PowerFab, but it’s also a fact that the construction industry, your customers and your competitors are evolving in its adoption of a digitised approach. In many ways, if you’re not moving forwards, then you’re moving backwards. Don’t get left behind.

“I don’t have time to learn a new software”

It’s natural to be nervous around adopting a new software or process, with downtime needed to upskill your employees. This only becomes more pressing when your business is already battling constantly high workloads and time is a valuable resource. However, it doesn’t have to be as intensive as you may think.

At Trimble, we’re here to make the process as easy as possible, with friendly technical support just a phone call or a click away. While the initial administrative set-up can be done in just a day or two, you will have constant access to comprehensive training resources and ‘cheat sheets’ to get you up and running in no time. It’s also important to remember that you don’t have go from 0-100 in a day; implementation can be gradual and at a pace that suits you and your business. Whether you introduce Tekla PowerFab team by team or perhaps solely at one stage of the fabrication sequence, you can still benefit from and realise the significant return on investment.

“Tekla PowerFab is only for larger fabrication companies"

Why should the ‘big boys’ have all the fun? Any steel fabrication company of any size can benefit from the visibility and traceability offered by Tekla PowerFab. In fact, the software is easily set up and tailored to your company’s individual requirements and workflows – in many ways, it is bespoke to you.

Tekla PowerFab can also serve as the catalyst for change, helping to grow your business and at a far-faster rate. SteelFab Wales is a great example of this, having introduced the software to its estimation department back in 2019 and reaping the rewards ever since.

Today, we use PowerFab for every job estimate that we do. We’ve seen real, tangible results, with our ability to produce more estimates each week leading to more work. It’s a logical outcome: the more bids and estimates you can generate, the more work you’re going to win. In fact, we now have a full year of orders on the system – an achievement that is in part thanks to Tekla PowerFab.

Not only is it a far faster and easier process, using Tekla PowerFab at the estimation stage has helped to improve the accuracy of our estimates. Previously, spreadsheets could be out by a few tonnes when it came to material quantities required, leading to our profit margins taking a hit. Now, we have more confidence in our pricing and more confidence in our estimates.

Gareth Davies, Managing Director, SteelFab Wales

“I’d struggle to get buy-in from the wider company”

We all know that many within the industry remain resistant to change, despite the clear evidence in support of change. When it comes to adopting new software or technology, fear of disruption is often perhaps greater than the desire for better outcomes, which can be a real obstacle.

If you’re struggling to get buy in from your company, it’s important to highlight that your competition are constantly adopting new technologies – you don’t want to risk this gap growing any wider. Instead, try viewing Tekla PowerFab as what it is: an opportunity and a driver for business evolution.

We have many case studies and user testimonials that reinforce the value Tekla PowerFab can offer, including Wareing Buildings.

Wareing has been around since 1909. We've predominantly remained in business because we are innovators, we’ve moved with the times. The biggest impact that we've seen since implementing Tekla PowerFab is data. We've never ever had data before. We've never had sales information before - what made profit, what didn't, how much steel we were physically fabricating. We had no idea what we were ordering, what we had stock-wise. Everything was just bits of paper and each individual knew what they had.

Matthew Hastwell, Steel Detailer and Innovation Consultant, Wareing Buildings

Want to learn more? Visit the Tekla PowerFab page and speak to Chris