Digital transformation in pipe prefabrication workshops involves shifting from manual processes to data-driven workflows using specialized software. It helps automate critical tasks like CAD data extraction, material planning, work order assignment, and real-time tracking on the shop floor. For pipe fabrication businesses, this means improved efficiency, better traceability, and optimized resource utilization without requiring extensive IT infrastructure. Digital transformation for pipe prefabrication workshops means replacing manual, paper-based processes with automated, data-driven workflows specifically designed for pipe spool fabrication. It’s the integration of purpose-built software that handles the unique challenges of pipe workshops, including managing complex one-off pipe structures, extracting data […]

A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for pipe fabrication is specialized software that manages and tracks production processes in pipe workshops and shipyards. Unlike generic manufacturing systems, pipe-specific MES solutions address unique challenges like spool tracking, weld management, and compliance documentation. These systems connect engineering data with shop floor execution, providing real-time visibility into production status while maintaining digital traceability throughout the fabrication process. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for pipe fabrication is a software platform that centralizes and automates critical workflows in pipe prefabrication workshops and shipyards. It bridges the gap between engineering design and physical production by handling everything […]

Heat number tracking significantly improves quality control in pipe fabrication by creating unbroken material traceability from source through fabrication to final installation. This digital tracking system ensures every pipe component can be traced to its origin, enabling better compliance with industry standards, faster defect identification, and comprehensive quality documentation. When integrated with digital systems, heat number tracking reduces human error while providing real-time verification of material specifications. Heat number tracking in pipe fabrication is a material identification and traceability system that assigns unique identifiers to metal components based on their manufacturing batch or “heat.” These numbers link each pipe, fitting, […]

A comprehensive pipe fabrication MES should include production management features that centralize workflows from CAD extraction to shop floor tracking, automated quoting capabilities, real-time visibility dashboards, digital traceability for materials and welds, and seamless integration with existing systems. These core components help pipe workshops automate planning, improve documentation, and increase productivity while maintaining quality standards required in industries like oil, gas, and shipbuilding. A pipe fabrication Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is specialized software that bridges the gap between engineering designs and actual production in pipe workshops and shipyards. It’s needed because pipe prefabrication involves complex, often one-off fabrication processes that […]

Discover why outfitting now represents 70% of shipbuilding effort while hull construction achieves remarkable automation gains.

PipeCloud has been featured in the International Business Times for leading the shift from paper-based pipe prefabrication to fully digital production. The article highlights how shipyards and fabricators are using PipeCloud to automate planning, improve visibility, and move toward a truly paperless workflow.

Manufacturing execution systems track heat numbers through a combination of data capture methods including barcode scanning, manual entry, automated extraction from CAD/engineering files, and integration with supplier systems. These systems create a digital record of heat numbers that follows materials through the entire production process, ensuring complete traceability from receipt to final assembly and shipping. Heat numbers are unique identifiers assigned to batches of materials during manufacturing that trace the material back to its original production run or “heat.” They function as material DNA, linking each component to its specific production batch, chemical composition, and manufacturing conditions. In manufacturing, heat […]