Blogs / Revolutionizing RFI Management with Moldtek RFI Manager

Revolutionizing RFI Management with Moldtek RFI Manager

RFI Management

The exciting yet puzzling field of engineering and design, particularly in BIW (Body in White) and electrical wire harness design entails the querying and answering of Requests for Information (RFIs). Nevertheless, this company has taken RFI an innovative approach to managing that process effectively – the Moldtek RFI Manager. This is a custom application that eases the RFI process particularly RFI tracking, handling and closure while seamlessly interfacing with software platforms such as Tekla. In this blog, we discuss the Moldtek RFI Manager and its benefits in project management in detail focusing on collaboration, tracking processes in real time, and enhancing project management processes.

 

The Challenges of RFI Management

 

In projects oriented toward design in general, and especially in complex areas like BIW (Body in White or electrical wire harness design, the RFI management can become a challenge with regard to coordination among various parties. Why a well-structured process of managing RFIs is necessary? Because, as any project professional knows, uncontrolled RFIs lead to project slippages, communication breakdowns, and mistakes which, in the end, bring about very expensive problems. In the traditional way, the companies do the RFI paper work and tracking using manual systems, endless emails, and cumbersome documents which makes it easier to overlook important details. Moldtek’s answer to the problem RFI shield management – Moldtek RFI Manager – is a novel and advanced application going beyond the typical RFI management software- it fits right into the design model. This direct integration enhances the processes carried out within the RFI system, allowing all members of the team to work with the system with full responsibility and ‘visible’ accountability.

 

Key Features of Moldtek RFI Manager

 

Generating RFIs Straight from the Model: Among the most notable functionality is the ability to perform RFI creation directly through the model. Irrespective of whether you are using Tekla for detailed steel fabrication, or process simulate for commissioning in a virtual environment, the feature provides easy creation of RFIs attached to specific components of the model. This feature allows for RFIs to always correspond to relevant components thus enhancing visibility on concerns impacting the project.

Connecting Model Elements with RFIs: An important feature of the Moldtek RFI Manager is the ability to associate RFI’s with modelled objects. For example, this is particularly useful in BIW projects where the design and manufacturing of the vehicle bodies consist of many parts. In this case, connecting RFIs to specific elements allows the project team and clients to gauge the number of active members that have been put on hold due to outstanding decisions.

Up-to-the-Minute RFI Records: The Moldtek RFI Manager offers an option to click and view an updated version of RFI records in real-time. This feature is beneficial not only for electrical wire harness design teams but also for those working on structural steel models in Tekla. This fully enables project participants to keep with the most current RFI Statuses thus lessening the time between communications and guaranteeing active and prompt responses.

Delayed RFIs along with Follow-Ups: The technology is fitted with an easy to use colour coding that clearly indicates which RFIs are not current. This graphical depiction enables the project managers to organize the follow-ups in order of priority so that each and every RFI is well taken care of. Also, see for the architectural work in body in white they also issue numerous RFIs and such effectiveness in identifying the delays can greatly minimize the loss time incurred in the project.

Keeping Track of RFI Responses: An important part of dealing with RFIs is to obtain timely replies and to integrate them appropriately into the undertaking. The Moldtek RFI Manager helps to keep the record of the responses and also shows who has reviewed and incorporated them. This creates a sense of responsibility and enables the project manager to be updated.

3D Perspectives with RFI Impact Tricks: An exclusive capability of the Moldtek RFI Manager is the generation of 3D views that portray the open and closed cycle of RFIs in a way that distinguishes between them. The capability of RFI impact visualization becomes important in process simulate environments creating understanding about the project. As the tool shows the impact of RFIs in a 3D environment, project teams are able to understand the current state of affairs even regarding issues that remain unresolved and have not yet been acted upon.

Documentation: The success of a project is greatly hindered by the problems of lost documents in endless threads of emails, and more importantly mismanagement of RFI called for documents. The Moldtek RFI Manager solves this problem by providing easy access to all documents in the RFI, thereby ensuring that no document is left out. This feature encourages collaboration across the board as all team members can get the relevant papers from one location rather than at different places.

Affiliation of RFI with Model Elements: Selection of any model member and determining whether the member has got an RFI associated with it eases the tracking of the progress of the project by the Moldtek RFI Manager. In areas like BIW or electrical wire harness design, where every piece is essential to the entire assembly, this allows the users to keep a check on the progress of individual components of the project.

Treating Partially Answered and Continuity RFIs: Managing the RFIs which have received an incomplete response or that request the respondent to maintain the continuity of response is one of the most sensitive areas in the management of RFIs. Moldtek RFI Manager has been built with that functionality in mind so that such RFIs do not get lost. This function guarantees that there are no delays in the project as a result of unsatisfactory responses.

Valuation for Simplified Management: Categorization enables users to manage unstructured RFIs. For instance, project managers can deselect all paint-related RFIs and concentrate on more important matters. In large-scale projects such as that of body in white, where hundreds of RFIs are likely to be captured, such an added feature of filtering helps avoid logging any unnecessary or unnecessary repeating RFIs hence increasing productivity.

Managing Queries in a Detailed Manner: Besides dealing with RFIs, the tool also takes care of general queries, CDQs, and client RFIs to make sure that there is one place for logging and tracking of all queries. This means that no matter the source of the issue, it won’t be ignored.

 

The Benefits for Design and Engineering Teams

 

The Moldtek RFI Manager has a variety of advantages to improve the performance of any project:

• Efficiency of BIW projects: In Body in White projects, which after all consist of thousands of parts that must be assembled with utmost precision, this tool facilitates communication, minimizes timing issues and ensures complete inclusiveness of the overall project.

• Improved Capability of Process Simulation: Coupled with virtualization tools, the RFI Manager allows teams to evaluate and resolve issues in advance, therefore enhancing the quality of the projects completed. 

• Better Teamwork in Electrical Wire Harness Design: In electrical wire harness design, RFIs are raised more often than not due to the errant designs or trouble in integrating the designs. This has been made easier by the Moldtek RFI Manager since all members can view and respond to such RFIs in real time helping to avoid delays and limited communication.

 

Conclusion

 

At present, the engineering field has numerous projects with tight deadlines, hence there are tools like the Moldtek RFI Manager, which are important for the successful execution of the project. The Moldtek RFI Manager makes management of RFIs easier by associating them with the model elements and updating them in real-time, thus making it possible to complete the project even in difficult fields such as BIW, electrical wire harness design, and other engineering processes. For firms employing Tekla and process simulate among other IT solutions, this tool is a revolutionary imposition to their operations as it helps them outdo their clientele’s demands and produce quality work within the expected deadlines.