A creative use of Bentley ProjectWise helped automaker DaimlerChrysler save nearly $500 million in a matter of months.

In 2000, DaimlerChrysler's Michigan-based advanced manufacturing engineering group went digital, turning to ProjectWise to centralise and manage engineering and communications documents.

After putting ProjectWise in place, engineers had an inspired thought: Why not use it to track unused manufacturing equipment and shift the equipment to plants that needed the hardware?

Until then, the automaker had no way to inventory welding guns, transformers, and the like by location. Surplus parts sat idle at one plant, while another spent cash on identical components. Now, ProjectWise keeps track of re-usable equipment, where it is located, and when it will be available for another plant. In six months, it has helped redistribute US$500 million worth of parts.

After debuting the tool at larger plants and using it to manage larger parts, DaimlerChrysler's Bob Manoni wants to include smaller plants and parts. Manoni spoke last May at the 2003 Bentley International User Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. At the conference, Bentley announced that DaimlerChrysler will design, build, and operate all its plants worldwide using Bentley's building information modelling solution based on the unifying platform of MicroStation.

For more information contact Bentley Systems, 011 462 5811, www.bentley.com.