Systems and methods for manufacturer certification in collaborative design, construction, and maintenance of fluid processing plants
Systems and methods for the collaborative design, construction, and maintenance of fluid processing plants are provided. A collaborative commerce application may provide project management utilities, visualization utilities, dynamic pricing utilities, material procurement utilities, and certification utilities. These features may be integrated seamlessly into the collaborative commerce application. Communication among project team members in the design and construction of fluid processing plants may be made more efficient by providing automatic notifications via the collaborative commerce application. Version control may be used to ensure project team members are working with the latest designs and revisions. Access controls and other security features may be used to prevent confidential data from being disseminated unnecessarily.
1 . A method for using a collaborative commerce application to allow a user to certify a manufacturer for use in the procurement of materials for a fluid processing plant, comprising: compiling certification information at a central site; providing the user with the ability to review the certification information; and providing the user with the ability to select the manufacturer as a possible source of some or all of the materials.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein compiling certification information comprises compiling information selected from the group consisting of fabrication history, code stamps, employee training records, customer satisfaction records, inspectors' notes, videos and images, quality assurance practices, and any combination thereof.
3 . The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the user with the ability to request other information other than what is available at the central site.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein providing the user with the ability to review the certification information comprises displaying video related to the manufacturer on a display.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein providing the user with the ability to review the certification information comprises providing the user with the ability to perform searches of ongoing projects in which the manufacturer was involved such that the manufacturer's progress is seen.
6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying the user of any quality incidents that occur at the manufacturer's facility.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the notifying is accomplished by using a notification selected from a group consisting of email, instant message, message posted to a discussion group, or any combination thereof.
8 . A system for using a collaborative commerce application to allow a user to certify a manufacturer for use in the procurement of materials for a fluid processing plant, the system configured to: compile certification information at a central site; provide the user with the ability to review the certification information; and provide the user with the ability to select the manufacturer as a possible source of some or all of the materials.
9 . The system of claim 8 wherein the certification information is selected from the group consisting of fabrication history, code stamps, employee training records, customer satisfaction records, inspectors' notes, videos and images, quality assurance practices, and any combination thereof.
10 . The system of claim 8 further configured to provide the user with the ability to request other information other than what is available at the central site.
11 . The system of claim 8 further configured to display video related to the manufacturer on a display.
12 . The system of claim 8 further configured to provide the user with the ability to perform searches of ongoing projects in which the manufacturer was involved such that the manufacturer's progress is seen.
13 . The system of claim 8 further configured to notify the user of any quality incidents that occur at the manufacturer's facility.
14 . The system of claim 8 wherein a notification used to notify is selected from a group consisting of email, instant message, message posted to a discussion group, or any combination thereof.
15 . A system for using a collaborative commerce application to allow a user to certify a manufacturer for use in the procurement of materials for a fluid processing plant, comprising:
means for compiling certification information at a central site;
means for providing the user with the ability to review the certification information; and
means for providing the user with the ability to select the manufacturer as a possible source of some or all of the materials.
16 . The system of claim 15 wherein the certification information is selected from the group consisting of fabrication history, code stamps, employee training records, customer satisfaction records, inspectors' notes, videos and images, quality assurance practices, and any combination thereof.
17 . The system of claim 15 further comprising:
means for providing the user with the ability to request other information other than what is available at the central site.
18 . The system of claim 15 further comprising:
means for displaying video related to the manufacturer on a display.
19 . The system of claim 15 further comprising:
means for providing the user with the ability to perform searches of ongoing projects in which the manufacturer was involved such that the manufacturer's progress is seen.
20 . The system of claim 15 further comprising:
means for notifying the user of any quality incidents that occur at the manufacturer's facility.