Construction Firm Happy with eCMS 4.0 and IBM i System

June 4, 2013 Alex Woodie

Rudolph/Libbe, a full-service general contractor serving the entire country, has a platform it can build from now that it has completed an upgrade to eCMS 4.0, the current release of the IBM i-based construction management system developed by Computer Guidance Corp.

Based in Walbridge, Ohio, Rudolph/Libbe is one of the largest construction firms in the country. The company provides a wide range of construction, maintenance, and facility-related services to organizations across the country.

In 1996, Rudolph/Libbe and its sister company GEM, a specialty contractor, became Computer Guidance customers and adopted its CMS. About a decade ago, the companies upgraded to eCMS version 3.4.3. That version of the construction ERP system was largely text-based, and was replaced by version 3.7, which featured Web-based interfaces and debuted in 2008.

However, Rudolph/Libbe decided against the version 3.7 upgrade, and stuck with 3.4.3 for years. Last week, Computer Guidance announced that Rudolph/Libbe has completed the upgrade to eCMS 4.0. The software firm says it was a extensive implementation effort that involved professionals from both companies, as well as a re-engineering of business processes and enterprise-wide change management.

Rudolph/Libbe programming manager Martin Lowry says he’s happy with the new system. “IBM System i has proven to be a reliable and scalable platform for many different enterprise applications and will support our diverse infrastructure needs for years to come,” he states in a press release.

With the upgrade, the construction firm will use the financial management, business intelligence, equipment accounting, maintenance, human capital management, and enterprise content management component of eCMS.