Alfred was born out of research into developing robots that can manipulate deformable materials, which change their shape when you interact with them (think guacamole or ice cream). Using a variety of utensils, such as scoops, ladles, and tongs, Alfred handily puts together meals based on the programmed instructions of the kitchen staff.

Why do we need a robot sous chef?

Dexai’s mission is to protect the food service industry from difficult labour shortages and help insulate it from economic ups and downs. At the same time, Alfred can reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses. Everything that Dexai designs meets the standards of the public health and safety organization NSF and each mechanical part in the complex design must be built with safe food handling and safe working conditions in mind.

Controlling Alfred the Robot Sous Chef

Supporting a startup

Dexai CEO David Johnson explained that when he and Anthony Tayoun started the company, they worked out of Greentown Labs in Somerville, Massachusetts. The incubator space has a great relationship with TriMech, which provides and supports software tools that are used across every stage of product development.

“TriMech answered all of our questions,” David said. “How do we get SOLIDWORKS licenses? How do we get a data management solution? TriMech has been with us from the very beginning.”

That beginning was four years ago; as Dexai took the challenging steps of turning an idea into a product, adding to its team, and scaling up production, Hardware Team Lead Justin Rooney said that TriMech became a trusted – and responsive – partner.

“There’s a big human component that I really appreciate about TriMech. It’s very easy to get on the phone with them or email them and get an answer. Even as we were researching 3DEXPERIENCE and comparing it with other products on the market, they seemed to have unlimited time to go through the decision-making process, which was amazing. And later, TriMech allowed me, as an individual with no IT experience, to roll out a PLM product to a big team.”

— Rana Odabas, Mechanical Engineer, Dexai Robotics

“When we were vetting a few different PLM options, TriMech stuck out to me as very available. They offered their services countless times to go through the functionality of 3DEXPERIENCE Works. Understanding that TriMech was always going to be there to answer questions veered us toward choosing 3DEXPERIENCE.”

One shared platform

3DEXPERIENCE Works PDM by Dassault Systèmes is a cloud-based platform that connects engineering and business activity in one real-time, collaborative environment.

Dexai design with 3DEXPERIENCE Works

Rana gave one example of how using the 3DX platform has improved productivity, when each designer is working on different parts, yet they all have access to the digital twin of the product.

“If we have multiple people working on the robot head, they can design their parts in parallel while tracking dependencies in the context of the same assembly. All team members have access to the full assembly and visibility into the latest stage of development. I think this has been the biggest benefit of having 3DEXPERIENCE. It really motivates collaboration across the team.”

In Dexai’s early years, the small team of 10 worked on their own local devices and passed zipped CAD files back and forth, a process not conducive to understanding how one subsystem fits with the rest of the system. Today, with a team of more than 25, they are all connected to the same cohesive platform.

Rana said the productivity of the team has increased “exponentially.”

“I don’t think we would have been able to do the development that we did over the course of the past year or so, and the scaling up that we’re gearing up to do, without 3DEXPERIENCE. It just wouldn’t be feasible. After a week of using the platform, I knew I would never go back.”

Alfred the Robot Sous Chef

Dexai is online at dexai.com.

Highlights of Dexai’s Robot Sous Chef success with 3DEXPERIENCE

• Designing in familiar SOLIDWORKS remains at the core of Dexai’s product development work.
• A digital twin of the entire product is easily accessible to everyone on the team.
• One person’s changes are immediately visible and understood by others.
• No more passing massive files back and forth between designers’ individual devices.
• Cloud-based – there’s no need for a traditional server-based approach.
• Scalable – allows for growth in the number of team members and increases in production.
• Modular – when ready, Dexai began to take advantage of product lifecycle management (PLM) components, such as identifying, assigning, and managing issues, and creating and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date manufacturing bill of materials.

InFocus Energy Services, Inc. is an innovative Canadian company specializing in the development of solution-driven downhole products for the oil and gas industry. Committed to the development of high-performance, innovative drilling  and well-completion products, InFocus is primarily an R&D-based company that licenses its technology and products to strategic partners.

Staying on the cutting edge of the oil and gas industry requires robust design and engineering tools, which is why the company utilizes the integrated SOLIDWORKS® 3D product development suite. According to Founder/Director Allan Pearson, InFocus has utilized SOLIDWORKS tools from the start because the integrated solutions provide the power, agility, and flexibility that the company needs to consistently develop innovative products. “SOLIDWORKS is the core of our engineering group,” Pearson notes. “It’s the basis for everything we do: modeling, simulation, flow analysis, renderings. We rarely have to rely on other products.”

With its concentration on developing oil and gas products that are currently not available anywhere else, InFocus regularly pushes SOLIDWORKS tools, including simulation solutions, to the limit and remains on the lookout for emerging solutions. “We’ve used SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium software for certain types of analysis, but our work increasingly involves not only geometric and material nonlinearities but also complex contact problems,” explains Mechanical Engineer/Simulation Specialist Peter Kjellbotn.

“We needed more simulation power, as well as a solution that worked smoothly with SOLIDWORKS. When we heard that SOLIDWORKS was launching a new 3DEXPERIENCE® simulation solution that incorporated the SIMULIA® Abaqus solver, we signed up for the Lighthouse Program so we could start using the new Structural Performance Engineer immediately. As soon as we got our hands on it, we started testing it and benchmarking it against known test results.”

— Mechanical Engineer/Simulation Specialist Peter Kjellbotn

SIMULIA Simulation for tricky, complex contact analysis

InFocus first utilized SIMULIA Structural Performance Engineer on the bearing section of the company’s RE|FLEX Premium HP/HT Drilling Motor. The motor’s bearing section is a proprietary design that was developed to convert extreme loading parameters, including torque of over 30,000 foot-pounds, into efficient drilling action. The company’s initial concept design of the drive system, which utilized traditional ball bearings, resulted in failure during testing when the load crushed the bearings and the faces that load the bearings. SIMULIA Structural Simulation Engineer predicted the failure—with accurate correlation to actual test results—and helped the company develop a better, more innovative design.

SIMULIA drill analysis

“With Structural Performance Engineer, we were able to evaluate a range of geometric and material options, a process that helped us quickly optimize the tapered, barrel-shaped design of the bearings, and also decide the best high-strength steel for the design” Kjellbotn recalls.

Developing unique, innovative product quickly and affordably

The experience using SIMULIA Structural Performance Engineer software to develop the bearing section of the RE|FLEX Premium Drilling Motor is representative of the fast, focused development process that InFocus needs to introduce industry innovations in a timely, consistent fashion. “We can develop more products quicker and at lower cost by using Structural Simulation Engineer,” Kjellbotn stresses.

RE|FLEX Premium HP/HT Drilling Motor

“For example, on the bearing section of the RE|FLEX Motor, if we had had to physically test all of our design options instead of evaluating them in Structural Simulation Engineer, it would have taken a lot more time and money,” Kjellbotn says. “To do all of those tests on a high-strength drive shaft—at a cost of thousands of dollars per test—would have blown both the schedule and budget. We saved tens of thousands of dollars, months of time, and extra labor costs by using Structural Simulation Engineer. It helped us condense a process that would usually take months into just a few weeks.”

Greater agility and flexibility fuel growth

The implementation of SIMULIA Structural Performance Engineer provides InFocus with the increased agility and flexibility that it needs to continue to innovate and grow. “Getting the products out and into the market faster is everything to us,” Pearson says. “Structural Simulation Engineer fits into our goal to go from concept to completion in a week. Our business needs change quickly, so having an agile system that gets results that we can trust quickly is extremely important for our continued growth.”

“Because Structural Performance Engineer is part of 3DEXPERIENCE Works in the cloud and is fully compatible with our SOLIDWORKS modeling data, it provides additional advantages”

— Mechanical Engineer/Simulation Specialist Peter Kjellbotn

“It’s hardware-independent, freeing up our workstations for other things, and utilizes SOLIDWORKS data, saving time and money because we don’t have to go through time-consuming import/export protocols. The solution also automatically stores data in the cloud and supports collaboration. With Structural Simulation Engineer, we are only limited by our imagination.”

In 1996, a snowboarding injury caused Christian to become paralyzed from the waist down. As an athlete, machinist, and creative and determined problem solver, he started designing equipment to help make life better for himself and others facing mobility challenges. One result is Bowhead, which designs and manufactures off-road adaptive e-bikes and has its home base in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Bowhead Shop Floor

Sanket Patil is a mechanical designer and engineer-in-training at Bowhead. He started in the business as a volunteer, passionate about delivering an adaptive biking experience and ready to contribute his skills. Beginning in 2020, he joined the company as a full-time designer, troubleshooting issues found during field testing and improving designs.

Bowhead e-bikes are engineered to order to suit a person’s level of mobility and specific needs and wants. Sanket explained that the whole purpose is to accommodate each unique user, so the design process must follow suit.

Bowhead RX at Trout Lake

“A customer chooses options depending on variables such as their foot size, or the type of seat they prefer, or whether they have use of their hands or back muscles. This customization means we need to manage hundreds of parts, complex assemblies, and hundreds of thousands of possible combinations.”

Better data management became a priority

Bowhead’s first e-bike model was REACH. When they moved on to the RX model, Sanket said they suddenly had a lot of data that couldn’t be managed in a folder system any longer.

In 2020, Sanket was the only one working on CAD regularly. A folder system worked fine at first, but it soon became difficult and time consuming to implement and control revisions. He also lacked detailed design history, and creating multiple files was causing a storage capacity issue.

He had some experience working with product data management (PDM) solutions, but he was wary of the upfront investment that would be required and knew that Bowhead would also need to outsource customization and implementation.

“We had also added engineers working on our designs remotely,” he said. “We had to quickly implement a PDM solution that was flexible and easily scalable as our company continued to grow.”

The path to choosing 3DEXPERIENCE

Bowhead was already involved with the Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS for Entrepreneurs program, so they approached Dassault to talk about their evolving needs and get advice. Dassault introduced Bowhead to 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX) and offered a chance to try the platform and discover its capabilities.

Sanket was impressed. He said 3DEXPERIENCE, and the ENOVIA data management tool in particular, allows his team to manage CAD efficiently and collaborate.

Managing CAD Data in 3DEXPERIENCE

“We run the platform practically out of the box and since it’s cloud-based, we don’t have to worry about maintaining servers or hiring an IT specialist. These are crucial aspects for a start-up like ours.”

Bowhead has since grown to have four engineers on site in Canada and two contractors who connect to 3DX from India.

“It’s easy to involve all the engineers in product development,” Sanket said. “We all work with the latest revision. I can easily redline a drawing, send a change order, and later approve that change. And as the company matures, we are expanding to managing other parts of our operation.”

Beyond CAD data

Since implementing 3DEXPERIENCE, Bowhead has expanded beyond using the original design-based features into project planning and change management features.

ENOVIA Data Management

They have also started using some product lifestyle management tools the platform offers, such as doing full product BOMs for their e-bike projects, which include non-engineering items like harnesses and labels.

“We were in the R&D phase of the RX when we got 3DEXPERIENCE and it really set us up for success in manufacturing. The careful tracking makes the design process transparent to the end user. Every piece of a product’s history is searchable and traceable.”

Onboarding and support from Javelin

Implementing a new technology platform while developing a new bike might have been daunting but Sanket says the software was user friendly and easy to learn. And Javelin – A TriMech Company, which provides and supports SOLIDWORKS and Dassault Systèmes solutions, made sure he and his team were trained and positioned for success.

“Javelin guided us through the setup and resolved queries as they arose. Their service is impeccable and response times are amazing. With their help, we didn’t have a single day of downtime, which is absolutely essential for us to meet our deadlines.”

Javelin has a detailed process for onboarding clients to get them operational and feeling confident quickly. As the main admin, Sanket did a training session over three half days; others on his team joined him for the last day.

He explained that he knew the system could do certain things, but he didn’t know how, and that these were the kinds of questions he posed to Javelin.

“One thing I struggled with was the part-numbering system. Ours was already in place and I didn’t want to change it. Javelin understood the ins and outs of 3DEXPERIENCE and created a process workaround involving file naming, which made our existing system compatible.”

Sanket also noted that he’s glad Javelin and 3DEXPERIENCE are at the helm of Bowhead’s data management and will take care of the increasing complexity they’ll face as the company grows.

“There is no stopping us now – we will continue to innovate and bring smiles to our customers’ faces.”

Bowhead is online at bowheadcorp.com.

Bowhead REACH – adaptive mountain bike

Why is 3DEXPERIENCE proving successful for Bowhead?

• 3DEXPERIENCE Works supplements their existing desktop SOLIDWORKS tools with powerful cloud-based data and product lifecycle management.
• They now have one cohesive system accessible from any device.
• 3DEXPERIENCE Works is ready to handle more (and new types of) users and complexity as the company grows.
• No major upfront capital investment was required, well suited to a start-up like theirs.
• Bowhead has a trusted relationship with their technology partner Javelin.

In 2006, Measurand released its first ShapeArray™, a measuring instrument used to monitor deformation of soil under and around critical structures.

“Ongoing training is a given when you work in tech. You have to keep on top of it. Training is always in the budget – if you don’t invest in training people, you won’t keep those people.”

— Tricia Harrison, Manager of Product Development, Measurand

Silent segments and extension tubes provide flexibility and control when placing ShapeArray™ vertically in a zone of interest.

The real-time data the ShapeArray generates allows engineers to improve safety and reduce risk; save time and money; and make fast, smart decisions. Before automation and data visualization were available, people had to rely on manual measurement. Today, using ShapeArray, real-time monitoring of soil distortion and movement reduces the risk of catastrophic failures.

Applications vary, from measuring soil movement beneath urban construction projects to monitoring geohazards, such as slope instability, in remote locations. The Canadian-made technology protects the integrity of significant infrastructure, such as mining waste containment structures, public transit tunnels, and dams.

Since pivoting from measuring the human body to measuring the Earth, Measurand has grown to more than 70 employees and is a global leader in designing and manufacturing instrumentation for geotechnical deformation monitoring.

SOLIDWORKS training to optimize product development

SOLIDWORKS, sold and supported by TriMech, has been the 3D CAD software of choice for Measurand’s engineers for about 10 years. To ensure that they were using SOLIDWORKS consistently and to its full potential, the team turned to TriMech for a professional assessment of their skills and processes.

Tricia Harrison, Measurand’s Manager of Product Development, said she wanted to identify any gaps and discover ways to improve.

“TriMech’s SOLIDWORKS Training Assessment was a key first step. TriMech’s consultants spent time listening to our people to learn how they typically work and to identify their points of frustration. We knew that each person was working slightly differently than the next. We wanted to establish a baseline, then align the team to do everything in an optimized way.”

Following the assessment, TriMech recommended SOLIDWORKS Essentials training, delivered live by TriMech instructors online, as well as its Custom Properties and Drawings Service. This training focuses on optimizing the entire process of taking drawings through to manufacturing, including using templates and revision management.

“Training is foundational for all of us,” Tricia said. “Some people are advanced users; others are new users. Everyone can benefit from continuous learning.”

Tricia’s team of nine includes mechanical and mechatronics engineers, electrical and embedded systems engineers, and software developers. Initially, SOLIDWORKS was used mainly for creating mechanical drawings and assemblies. More recently, Measurand invested in SOLIDWORKS Inspection, an automation tool that reduces the time needed to record inspection measurements and create documentation.

Valuable learnings add to users’ confidence

Tricia said that her team members are all now confident users, and they no longer spend time trying to learn the features of the software or searching for files. The team was able to standardize design procedures and workflow and reported a variety of other valuable takeaways. One mentioned learning to focus on the core design of each part before combining it into a complicated assembly, which leads to better assemblies and adaptability for future part design changes.

A member of Measurand’s technical services team

The live, online learning environment removed the need to travel and was popular with the team. One trainee said, “The SOLIDWORKS training in small groups really got me excited to have access to an expert who can deal with all of the questions I have, then demonstrate the solutions in a live learning environment.”

Measurand also takes advantage of TriMech subscription service, which includes automatic software upgrades and live technical support. “Investing in the service plan helps us support our people who use SOLIDWORKS,” Tricia said. “That layer of support is worth every penny we are paying. And the TriMech people are easy to work with, right across the board.”

Measurand will continue to seek advice and training from TriMech; in fact, TriMech’s live online SOLIDWORKS Essentials course has been incorporated into the onboarding program for the Product and Engineering teams.“ Ongoing training is a given when you work in tech. You have to keep on top of it. Training is always in the budget – if you don’t invest in training people, you won’t keep those people.”

Making a difference

Measurand continues to grow to meet the demands of short lead times, exacting quality, and continuous improvement.

In recent years, Measurand joined trusted brands RST Instruments, 3vGeomatics, and Syscom Instruments to form Terra Insights—a global platform that offers leading surface and sub-surface data solutions, using underground sensors, cloud-based data, and satellite technology. “We’re leveraging our expertise and technology to deliver not just one product, but a suite of solutions,” Tricia said.

The precise information about underground sagging, sinking, and shifting is being used to reduce uncertainty, protect structures, and reduce construction time and cost. Most importantly, as Tricia noted,

“The instruments we build are used all over the world to protect human life. We are making a difference.”

To learn more about Measurand, visit measurand.com.

“Our custom-build environment requires a solid workflow to keep processes on track. SOLIDWORKS Manage meets our needs for building out processes with the BOM at the centre. You don’t have to limit your thinking to just managing CAD files – you can expand to company-wide business processes.”

— Mike Taylor, Product Development Manager, Phil Mauer & Associates

“Jobs are similar, but with different details,” said Mike Taylor, Product Development Manager. “With each project being unique, and a couple dozen projects on the go, having SOLIDWORKS Manage has been particularly good for us.”

SOLIDWORKS Manage: The left side lists all the record types, routings, work orders, quotes, manufacturing operation types, station names, catalogued build prints, catalogued-customer provided CAD, and of course the PDM object.

What is Manage?

SOLIDWORKS Manage uses the file management capabilities of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and adds project, process, and item management.

Organizations like Phil Mauer plan each stage of a project, assign resources and tasks, and attach required documentation – all within the same ecosystem they use to design. When users complete their tasks, project progress updates automatically and is displayed on a real-time dashboard.

While PDM looks after CAD files, Manage contains and connects other data, such as bills of materials, what manufacturing station drawings should go to, and finishing details like paint codes.

SOLIDWORKS Manage process grid view (in this case for routings): shows the flexibility and range of applications for routings. Phil Mauer references this to make sure parts on a released BOM are moving through checking, purchasing and manufacturing.

From paper to digital

Mike explained that before having Manage, if they noticed that a step in the process didn’t happen, they didn’t immediately know why.

“ISO procedures, for example, were in binders and not handy. Someone had to go look up a form or a flowchart of a workflow. Today, it’s no longer a paper exercise. The ISO form is right there on screen, being filled out as you move through the process, and data from the forms can be mined to look for trends and statistics.”

Racking design

Designers once carried stacks of paper from engineering to manufacturing. When they had to make changes, they had to print new drawings and take them to each station, making it difficult to track changes, as well as risking errors and rework.

Using Manage, communication between engineering and the shop floor happens in real-time, digitally, and is easily traced.

Turning ideas into workable options

Mike and his team laid out a detailed plan of what pain points they wanted Manage to solve. TriMech’s technical specialists, with their deep knowledge of the software, translated that wish list into workable options.

“I wouldn’t recommend trying to use Manage ‘out of the box,’” he said. “It’s powerful and flexible – that’s its strength. To get customized workflows, you will want a partner who knows how to implement your ideas into Manage objects and processes.”

Company-wide benefits

Phil Mauer’s people, systems, and departments (including engineering, manufacturing, quality, sales, and purchasing), are now tied into the workflow, or digital thread. Some examples:

• In manufacturing, an export into Excel gives the production supervisor the labour data he needs to make his resource plan and production schedule for the job.
• Upon release of the BOM, purchasing staff can clearly see what materials need to be ordered and when.
• When a project is noted as complete, Manage triggers a customer satisfaction survey. A notice lands in the salesperson’s inbox, so he or she knows to call the customer to check in.
• Mike makes great use of the Manage Live dashboard by showing the real-time status of projects at weekly meetings. Outstanding and upcoming to-dos are discussed.

Another benefit is having clear information about performance against metrics. The quality manager used to enter any design changes made (after production started) into a Microsoft Access database. Now, distribution of the change document happens in a Manage workflow that automatically logs statistics, including how many changes are being generated, the reasons behind them, cost impacts, and the time spent making each change.

SOLIDWORKS Manage dashboard: This dashboard is used to look for issues with part release. It shows relative status of a routing being released in contrast to the stage of the overall project process. For example, are there issues such as parts not released on jobs that should already be in the shop?

Continued evolution and growth

Phil Mauer continues to find new ways to work collaboratively with TriMech. As Mike said, “I have been the champion for Manage, but it’s not just my ideas anymore. Other people have ideas to improve on existing workflows, create new process workflows, and generate new dashboard reports. TriMech knows what we built, and why, and is always there to say, ‘Did you think about doing it this way?’”

Mike explained that overall, Manage is a project management tool that filled a gap between PDM and their ERP system, all brought to life by TriMech.

“It can be hard to get buy-in for a new platform,” Mike said. “But I can tell you that no one here is still asking why we need this. Everyone is informed. No one scrambles. If you want to do more projects with the same people, you have to keep improving processes.”

And speaking of those people, Mike emphasized that he is continually impressed by his team.

“We are always busy, but they are all willing to do what’s necessary to do quality work and grow. Everyone is proud of their work and wants to be better and faster for our customers.”

Phil Mauer & Associates is online at philmauer.com

From job sites to camp sites, farms to fishing holes, DECKED products allow pickup truck owners to improve storage capacity, protection from weather, organization, and ergonomics. The idea is to put more in your truck and retrieve all of it without stretching over the bed rail or crawling over everything you’re carrying.

DECKED products allow pickup truck owners to improve storage capacity, protection from weather, organization, and ergonomics

In business for about nine years, DECKED continues to operate with a dynamic team and start-up culture. In earlier years, they focused on designing and building truck bed drawer systems and accessories; today, they are expanding product offerings, such as a new toolbox that sits behind the cab and includes an integrated ladder.

DECKED has grown to a team of 70 people and is on track to sell 50,000 drawer systems this year. Design, sales, and marketing are in Ketchum, Idaho and manufacturing is in Defiance, Ohio.

Calvin Allan is Principal – Product Development for DECKED. He said a midwestern, Idaho work ethic is built into the company’s DNA.

“We’re proud of our attention to detail and we must get it absolutely right. We could stop at good enough, but we don’t. We always make it stronger and better than we have to. Our company prioritizes that.”

Solving the slowdowns

As the DECKED design team expanded, they were wasting time opening and rebuilding large assemblies. The OEMs supply massive, detailed models of their truck beds. Add that complexity to DECKED’s own complicated models, and integration and manipulation of assemblies wasn’t happening fast enough.

“Customization is our magic and the key to our profitability,” Calvin said. “Our configurable SOLIDWORKS models need to be updated quickly. I knew we needed to go deeper into how SOLIDWORKS is running and learn how to optimize accordingly.”

To investigate, TriMech did a Large Assembly Performance Audit and a PDM Health Check and Audit.

They recommended that DECKED take advantage of TriMech’s Large Assembly Productivity Service, to teach Calvin and his team how the software operates “under the hood” during opening and rebuilding phases, how to identify what causes slowdowns, and how to solve those problems. It was also important for users to learn best practices for creating fast and clean large assemblies.

“TriMech didn’t just do the work,” Calvin explained. “They taught us what levers they pull to make a difference. We learned the implications of how we were doing CAD, such as how display states and section views were affecting our work. Unused elements and suppressed components were creating errors and bloated models.”

Calvin’s team learned that when they don’t need great detail, working with resolved (unsuppressed) assembly components is unnecessary.

“When vendor models come in, there is excessive detail. Now we know that if we don’t need to see a detailed thread pattern, we get rid of it. We didn’t know we had so much control over opening individual parts.”

The team now works faster than they ever have before.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say our opening times are 10 times faster. Files that took 30 minutes to open now open in a few minutes and files that took a few minutes now open in seconds.”

Custom, relevant training

TriMech delivered team training remotely from Canada and it was recorded for anyone who couldn’t attend live (or for future new hires). Even Calvin, an advanced user, learned “golden” tips during TriMech’s training sessions.

“The training was custom to our work, geared toward what we were seeing every day. They didn’t use canned examples. You could spend years doing something one way, never knowing there’s a better way.”

Work faster and reduce errors using PDM features

Calvin also noted that TriMech’s PDM Health Check and Audit revealed areas for improvement. Again, the DECKED PDM system was organized well enough for one person but not efficient when multiple users contribute to the same files.

“TriMech didn’t come in with a prescribed recipe. They said, ‘show us what you’re doing.’ Their audit report recommended improvements, then their services team built them right in front of us.”

Overall, that meant modifying the existing workflow to suit current business processes. DECKED now has a faster, better file search function, automated processes (such as file conversion) using SOLIDWORKS PDM Tasks, and email notifications to speed up drawing review and approval.

“We were using PDM for file storage, like you would use Google Drive,” Calvin said. “We weren’t using it to manage our workflow and we had no gating. Now, our file structure is efficient. It’s fast and easy to find files, see if they are checked out, and understand what stage they’re at. We can tag files to bypass review or demand review. We can see if files have been to the vendor or parts have been released.”

With PDM use elevated, more people at DECKED are beginning to understand how it can be a meaningful tool across the company.

Devote the time to learning

DECKED started benefiting from their investment in training and services quickly, putting new methods into practice right away.

“There will always be emergencies competing for your attention,” Calvin said. “You have to devote the time to learning to be better off in the long term. And TriMech has been a well-oiled machine. They have what I need – the people and processes for deployment and follow up.”

DECKED is online at decked.com.

Damon has patented a 360-degree AI-enhanced Advanced Warning System for Motorcycles called COPILOT™ and designed and built the world’s first shape-shifting electric motorcycle.

The safety system locks onto dozens of objects around the motorcycle and alerts the rider to oncoming threats using LEDs and vibration in the handlebars. The embedded crash detection sensors also collect rider, traffic, and vehicle data and send that information to the cloud. This means that Damon’s system learns from every rider and every situation.

The electronically adjustable ergonomics system unique to the Damon design is called SHIFT™ and is made up of four auto-adjustable points: seat, handlebars, foot pegs, and windscreen. Incredibly, the bike shifts from sport to touring to upright/city positions.

Damon Motorcycles – Halo Bike designed in SOLIDWORKS

Meeting design challenges using SOLIDWORKS

Damon’s strengths are rooted in technology but their mechanical engineering team gets the credit for building their proof-of-concept Halo bike.

They used a combination of 3D scanning, SOLIDWORKS desktop software, and 3D printing to create the unique and tricky components that would allow the bike to transform.

Product Design Manager Raymond Leung said a bike like the Halo had never been built before and it was challenging work.

“We had to build a safe, ridable prototype that would not only have a pleasing appearance but also features that transform. Parts need to morph safely and smoothly without interference.”

Raymond arranged for the basic features of a motorcycle to be laser scanned, then imported the scanned data into SOLIDWORKS. Reverse engineering gave him the base for creating the necessary appearance, as well as for designing mechanical parts.

Raymond said he trusts SOLIDWORKS to allow for multiple designers and engineers to work on a single file, and to handle large assemblies well. His team members often have to work in parallel and his models have more than 500 components. Those models come together to create the main assembly.

Advice on working with large assemblies is one of the ways Raymond has received help from TriMech. He has been using SOLIDWORKS for many years but occasionally relies on TriMech’s depth of expertise.

“TriMech gets back to me immediately with advice about how to solve any problem I run into. It’s convenient for me to visit them in person in downtown Vancouver to show them a problem and get timely help. They also have expertise in working with scanned data and in 3D printing so they bring a lot to our conversations.”

Next up, Raymond will be investigating SOLIDWORKS Simulation to enhance his ability to virtually test part performance, as well as solutions to improve data storage and supply chain management. Damon will also use SOLIDWORKS to design the next generation of the ergonomic system – one that conforms to the unique characteristics of an individual rider for maximum customization and comfort.

Changing the industry and rider experience

Head of Product Marketing Amber Spencer said the Damon team is proud of their progress to date.

“We’ve done so much in so little time, including taking the bike on tour. Our founder and CEO Jay Giraud presented a TechCrunch session and we’ve given media and motorcycle manufacturers a chance to try the bike. Everyone has been blown away. Seeing the reaction on people’s faces, when they ride the bike we created, has been very rewarding.”

Damon’s main purpose is to cause a shift in the industry. Motorcycles are often seen as unsafe, intimidating, and hard to ride.

“We want to see more people enjoying motorcycles,” Amber said. “With our background and tech expertise, we’re able to increase a rider’s safety and comfort exponentially. As we move forward into the future, we will continue to find ways to make the riding experience better.”

Damon’s future also includes securing further investment and business partners, and spreading the word about their innovations to individual riders. Amber said any motorcyclist who is interested can get on a list to test ride the bike and give essential feedback.

“We definitely want people to visit our website and learn more about us. And when you put your name on our beta list, you’ll have an opportunity to test ride and pre-order the Halo bike.”

For more information, please visit the Damon website.

Damon Motorcycles Team, Vancouver BC

Greg is an instrument and toolmaker in the Design and Fabrication Services Branch of the National Research Council of Canada. He works out of NRC’s Victoria location, the site of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre.

Greg is part of a team of advanced machinists who build components for Canadian and international scientists and astronomers. Their work involves precision machining to tolerances of three to five microns, using the kind of machine that can engrave a human hair. Finished instruments are shipped around the world to the sites of massive optical and radio telescopes, such as the twin Gemini telescopes in Chile and Hawaii or the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, BC.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, an opportunity opened up for Greg to move professional development higher up on his priority list. With the support of his employer, Greg took the time to upgrade his skills in SOLIDWORKS 3D design tools.

Long-time user learns new tricks

Greg is far from a novice user of SOLIDWORKS – he has been using the software for 20 years. He simply knew that proper training would increase his productivity and make his life easier.

“I was self-taught,” Greg said. “I had my own ways of making drawings and parts but occasionally became frustrated with some tasks. I could put a model together using my own techniques but wasn’t necessarily comfortable handing that file off to someone else.”

During training with TriMech, Greg learned valuable tips and tricks.

“I now use tools I didn’t know existed. I used to work through several menus to get to certain functions and now I know the keyboard shortcuts that eliminate those steps.”

Greg learned how to automate repetitive tasks related to components he uses regularly. And instead of using a calculator, he now programs formulas to maintain design intent when a part is modified. He calls the tips he learned for mating assemblies and working with advanced mates “pieces of gold.”

Through training to certification

Greg participated in three of TriMech’s live online training options for SOLIDWORKS users: Essentials, Drawings, and Assembly Modeling. He then added to his list of accomplishments by successfully completing the examinations for two designations: Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional Advanced Drawing Tools (CSWPA-DT).

“After using SOLIDWORKS for such a long time, it was time to prove my skills,” Greg explained. “Even with years of experience, I never would have passed the certification exams without going through the training courses.”

Greg also prepared for the exams by checking out supplemental training on the SOLIDWORKS website. He picked up a few new skills while refreshing his knowledge before being tested.

Greg Nuspel from NRC with a Kern CNC mill in the shop

SOLIDWORKS online training well designed and engaging

TriMech has been delivering live online training (called JOLT) for years and Greg said that experience stood out.

“The courses are well organized, and are structured to adult learning, which is about making sure we know why the content is important. The TriMech manuals are excellent and easy to work through.”

It takes a little more effort to provide personalization and a sense of community in the online environment. Greg reported that he was a little hesitant at first asking his questions, but he and the rest of the trainees quickly became more relaxed. Eventually they were able to replicate some of the peer-to-peer exchanges that happen in a classroom.

“If we ever had a question that stumped the instructor, he said he’d get us the answer right away. By the time we had done an exercise, he was back with the answer. I’m sure that speaks to the solid support team TriMech has.”

Proof of proficiency

Because of the skills and confidence Greg has gained, he has become much more efficient in completing fixture designs. Also, the engineering team is able to offload the task of detailing drawings, freeing up their valuable time.

“The engineers know I’m certified and can manage their drawings. When we work together more efficiently, everyone saves time. Adding more of my expertise in machining and manufacturing to the design process is an added benefit. My organization’s investment in training is easily recouped in overall increased productivity.”

For now, Greg is satisfied with his two new professional designations. He may continue his learning with some advanced TriMech training in the future.

“I hope to encourage others to do training and certification and find better ways of working. People might have some time to focus on training now; once they get back to the regular grind, they might not take the time to improve their skills.”

With facilities in Nova Scotia, Canada and Maine, U.S.A., Nautel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. Since 1969, they have deployed more than 15,000 transmitters in 177 countries. Nautel is best known as the first company to develop a commercially available, fully solid state broadcast transmitter. They also design and build navigational radio beacons, GPS transmitters, weather transmitters, and sonar systems.

As of December 2017, Nautel’s largest transmitter – a two-megawatt AM medium wave system – is on the air at Antenna Hungaria’s transmission facility near Solt, Hungary. It marked Nautel’s largest single installation to date.

Drafting manager Joey Panczyk has been with Nautel for 21 years. He jokes about seeing the drafting process go from sketches on paper napkins to complex designs in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software. Since 2003, Nautel has been using SOLIDWORKS products provided and supported by TriMech.

“We needed software we could expand on and grow with, plus a solid provider and partner,” Joey says. “I knew SOLIDWORKS would represent our product in the best possible way and reduce our time to market.”

Joey’s department includes three mechanical designers and two circuit board designers. Over the last few years, Nautel has been ramping up their SOLIDWORKS use and adding features and functions offered by a variety of products in the SOLIDWORKS family. For about a year, Joey’s team has been using SOLIDWORKS for electronics design.

“One of the reasons we chose SOLIDWORKS is the easy interface between it and SOLIDWORKS,” Joey says. “There were hurdles to overcome but at the same time we successfully created the biggest circuit board in the history of our company.”

Nautel also chose SOLIDWORKS because they knew they could count on support from Javelin, support they didn’t have for their previous circuit board software.

“Even when PCB was challenging, TriMech was helpful, and reported any bugs to PCB. We took a chance on PCB because we have such trust in TriMech.”

Multi-product approach meets different needs

Nautel’s designers use SOLIDWORKS mainly for sheet metal design, since 95 percent of a transmitter is sheet metal-based material.

NVLT-GV FM Transmitters

As they have moved into working on sonar projects and complying with the requirements of shipboard mounted systems and military specs, they have been using SOLIDWORKS Simulation to test their designs at early stages, instead of having to use an external shock and vibration tester right away.

Joey also credits SOLIDWORKS Simulation for giving his team the ability to reliably test air flow, particularly important when working on small scale projects.

He recalls the old days of making models with cardboard and using “the brute force method” to see how a design would react in real life. Today, Simulation allows them to quickly test, catch bugs, and improve the design.

Another SOLIDWORKS product, Composer, has given Joey and his team the ability to present assembly drawings in three dimensions. Assembly drawings were always on paper – three dimensional drawings, but presented in two dimensions. Nautel now places a monitor at each work station along the assembly line for an FM power module. Employees interact with the screen, rotating or pulling apart a drawing, or accessing health and safety data. They can also view instructions for working with parts provided by third party suppliers.

“They have links to the information they need right at their fingertips,” Joey says. “We’re limiting our paper use, and no one has to flip through a book anymore. It has been well received.”

Composer also generates publications to outline how to operate and service Nautel transmitters, including images and 3D animations.

“This worked well for us in Hungary,” Joey notes. “We deliver all over the globe – the Middle East, Europe, India – we need documentation with fewer words and more images.”

Joey says presenting animations to potential customers allows them to understand the product better at an earlier stage in the sales process. For example, instead of seeing only a top-down view of the proposed floor plan, customers can see – in 3D – exactly how the equipment will fit in their space.

Nautel’s bid to win the business in Hungary was strengthened with images and 3D animation.

“For the first time in 40 years, they went shopping for one of the most powerful AM transmitters in the world and they take great pride in their equipment. We won them over and they took a chance on us with a $4-million project. 3D technology helped make that happen.”

To control data and improve collaboration, Nautel also uses SOLIDWORKS Product Data Management (PDM). PDM helps the team manage files and workflow. It offers a secure vault with controlled access – everyone involved can access the information they need, while files are protected by automated version and revision control systems.

“Sign-offs are easily recorded, and everyone knows what stage a project is at, reducing the risk of building the wrong part,” Joey says. “And not everyone has a super computer to manage full design files, so being able to generate a PDF for our manufacturing department is important.”

Joey has been a champion for SOLIDWORKS for years. He says Nautel is packed with people interested in the latest and greatest, and in finding the right tools to help employees be faster and better.

“We’ve invested a lot in SOLIDWORKS to get the benefits of building stronger and better products. We can make design changes in seconds, generate images documentation, easily explain designs to others, and just get to market quicker.”

Results for Nautel

• Using a variety of products in the SOLIDWORKS family is meeting Nautel’s unique needs in equipment design, testing, production, deployment, servicing, marketing, and sales.
• Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation software, Nautel’s designers can test air flow and shock and vibration in-house, and earlier in the design process.
• SOLIDWORKS offers easy integration between electrical and mechanical design and is well supported by TriMech
• Visuals and technical documentation created in SOLIDWORKS Composer, using existing CAD data, help Nautel stand out from the competition and allow them to communicate better across cultures.
• Data management tools provided in SOLIDWORKS PDM help everyone at Nautel maintain up-to-date files, manage workflow and sign offs, and avoid costly errors.

Doran Avivi is a Staff R&D Engineer at Baylis. He said his team contributes to creating new, innovative technologies for cardiologists.

“Our devices give surgeons minimally-invasive access to the left side of the heart. When the surgeon can work more efficiently, we’re enabling them to provide better care for their patients.”

Doran and his colleagues continually improve the design and manufacturing processes for their devices, and efficiency and productivity must remain at a high level. One key way they do this is through ongoing training.

Every 3D model for every product designed by Doran’s team is created using SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software. To build skills and knowledge in the full suite of SOLIDWORKS tools, Baylis turns to TriMech; in particular, Doran appreciates the flexibility of TriMech’s corporate training program.

Baylis Medical VersaCross® Steerable Sheath – SOLIDWORKS model

Flexible SOLIDWORKS training

TriMech’s corporate training is easy for clients because it’s one order, one purchase, yet includes 20 or more flex training days that can be used by any employee, in any location, to attend publicly offered in-person or live online courses.

Some Baylis designers take advantage of SOLIDWORKS Essentials training, to get better acquainted with the software. Others, like Doran, take advanced courses in SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Drawings, and SOLIDWORKS Advanced Part Modeling.

“TriMech has a huge list of public courses to choose from. It just depends on who is looking for training at the time and how much experience they have.”

Doran adds that the flexibility in scheduling is helpful because they can send just one or two people, instead of managing the downtime that comes with having 40 people training at one time. He also likes the half-day online options because trainees can keep up with their regular work.

Growing in popularity

Baylis is on its third year of investing in TriMech’s corporate training days. In 2020, they chose 20 days; in 2021, they increased to 35.

As the engineers started taking courses, first discovering how easy it was for them to choose a course and get approval quickly, then experiencing the quality of instructors and course content, demand began to increase. Plus, the overall team continues to grow, with new talent arriving.

“There are many ways training makes us better,” Doran said. “Mainly it’s learning best practices to do CAD properly and getting comfortable with any new features. We always want to create 3D models quickly, iterate quickly, make a better product, and get to market faster.”

Even for an experienced user like Doran, there’s always more to learn.

“CAD is time consuming by nature. I make a note of all the shortcuts so I get more efficient. I also like practising on a real case. I’m a visual learner who learns by doing.”

Baylis came to TriMech from another provider several years ago and Doran said he enjoys SOLIDWORKS flexible training and working with the people at TriMech. “TriMech has great customer service. The instructors are friendly and knowledgeable, and they answer your questions live. They send training manuals beforehand so you can prepare or look up content afterward, and the courses are thorough and in depth.”

3D printing aids medical product development

Baylis also has four Stratasys Polyjet 3D printers, which the team uses during product development to make prototypes and test designs. It’s another reason why knowing the ins and outs of SOLIDWORKS is so important – designing properly for additive manufacturing.

Doran Avivi with their Stratasys 3D Printer – an Objet30 Pro

Baylis Medical Investing in people

Baylis is serious about investing in its people through professional development, and managers all have development plans for their team members.

“Baylis recognizes that the growth of the company depends on the growth of the employees,” Doran said.

Baylis is online at baylismedical.com.

TriMech’s public training schedule includes courses in design, simulation, data management, CAM, electrical, and communication. Learn more about our training and consulting solutions.

TriMech customer Ka’ana Wave Co. has designed and built a wave machine that can be installed in an existing body of water or new custom build, such as a community swimming pool. To produce a wave for a surfer, the Ka’ana machine shapes a flow of water as it passes through the contours of a shaping head. With interchangeable shaping heads, and the ability the articulate the pitch of the shaping head, one machine can create a variety of wave forms and flow rates.

See a demonstration of the Ka’ana machine: 

Jamie Watson is Ka’ana’s CEO. He said he was first introduced to SOLIDWORKS 3D design software because it was recommended by their manufacturing partners.

“When we had our minimum viable product and started communicating with our engineering firm and steel and fibreglass fabricators, they all pointed us to SOLIDWORKS.”

TriMech suggested that Ka’ana Wave apply for a SOLIDWORKS program that supports entrepreneurs and startups with a year of free access to 3D design software tools and the SOLIDWORKS online community. Ka’ana’s application was successful.

“Support from SOLIDWORKS was vital to our success,” Jamie said. “As a startup, resources were tight.”

Previously, Ka’ana had been using a lightweight software to design small prototypes that were produced on a desktop 3D printer. When it was time to meet the industry standards of engineers and traditional manufacturers, using SOLIDWORKS was key.

Analyzing designs before production

Upon completing the free one-year term offered by the SOLIDWORKS program, Ka’ana purchased SOLIDWORKS Premium.

Surface modelling is especially important at Ka’ana. Jamie said the team has worked with a thousand iterations of the wave machine’s shaping heads. Being able to easily evaluate surface features, well before moving to creating fibreglass parts, has been valuable.

Jamie appreciates that SOLIDWORKS makes communicating with Ka’ana’s partners seamless. He is also benefitting from their experience. In one case, Ka’ana’s fibreglass manufacturer told Jamie that a part’s design needed to be modified before production. They provided instructions to help Jamie make the change, which helped him add to his knowledge of the software.

“I am so impressed with the SOLIDWORKS community,” he said. “We have access to an extensive public knowledge base. I’ve watched YouTube videos with qualified teachers and relied on TriMech’s technical blog articles for troubleshooting.”

Jamie reports that TriMech has been “fantastic from the get-go,” helping Ka’ana apply for free software, then supporting them along the way.

“I can call anytime to ask questions, and I have also benefitted from their expertise in 3D printing.”

High quality renderings help the marketing effort

Ka’ana had planned to launch at a large amusement and attraction industry trade show in the U.S. in November 2020. When the pandemic made that impossible, they quickly ramped up their marketing efforts, creating new materials and methods. Their live product demo in a test pool in Chilliwack proved to generate a lot of excitement for their product.

Ka’ana park overview rendering

Renderings and animations created in SOLIDWORKS are helping potential customers understand how the Ka’ana machines work and how they would look and function in real life settings. These include resorts, waterparks, amusement parks, municipal or private swimming complexes, and mixed use developments combining shopping and entertainment attractions.

The small and medium sized units can produce waves up to six feet tall and will be ready around the end of 2020. Larger units, coming in 2021, will produce waves up to 12 feet tall.

The Ka’ana machine is a crowd pleaser, and suitable for all levels of surfer. It’s unique because when you turn off the machine, your swimming pool is still there for regular uses.

Ka’ana machine rendering

Making surfing accessible is the goal

Jamie is most proud of the mission his team of nine lives by – to share the fun experience of surfing. On a wider scale, he hopes to support the board sports industry and retailers, who are challenged by seasonal highs and lows.

“Snowboarding depends on climate. Until now, surfing has depended on geography. We are using our technology to make a great wave, challenging the theory that surfing happens only in the ocean.”

Surfing Machine Project Results

• One year of free access to the suite of SOLIDWORKS 3D design software allowed Canadian startup Ka’ana Wave to begin using the industry standard tools expected by all of their manufacturing partners.
• Ka’ana continues to take advantage of the technical expertise of TriMech specialists, as well as the SOLIDWORKS community, to learn how to maximize their use of the software.
• Being able to easily evaluate surface features, well before moving to creating fibreglass parts, has been valuable, considering Ka’ana has worked with a thousand iterations of the wave machine’s shaping heads.
• Renderings and animations created in SOLIDWORKS are helping potential customers understand how the Ka’ana machines work in real life environments

To learn more about Ka’ana Wave, visit kaanawaveco.com.

Most importantly, it was starting to slow down the company’s ability to grow as fast as it was capable of. Learn how DELMIAWorks (formerly IQMS) integrated ERP software and MES system has removed the roadblocks to greater revenue growth and enables Eldon James to enter and excel at winning new business in new markets.

Eldon James

Founded in 1987, Eldon James manufactures a wide range of standard and custom hose fittings, adapters, couplers, elbows, specialized connector configurations and plastic tubing, medical-grade tubing, and formed tubing. Their PVC-free tubing and connectors serve a broad spectrum of domestic and international market sectors such as transportation, automotive, medical device, water purification and industrial.

Siloed systems quit scaling forcing an operations breaking point

Eldon James’ business quit scaling when their stand-alone systems did. Multiple, standalone systems not connected were taking valuable time that could be better spent inventing new products, serving customers and growing the business.

Their stand-alone QuickBooks accounting application could not keep up with the speed and scale they were expanding at. Not having accounting and finance systems integrated with manufacturing also was making it more difficult to balance supplier inventory levels and coordinate the inbound inspection with production planning. Because accounting and manufacturing systems weren’t integrated, more time had to be allocated for job setup, quality management, and trial production runs.

Relying on non-integrated systems took valuable time out of every day to get routine tasks done and was starting to impact the company’s growth potential in the following areas:

• Lack of visibility into production capacity to support new customer
  Eldon James’ industry-leading PVC-Free manufacturing expertise that is essential for selling into the medical and food & beverage market needed greater system integration to grow and serve new customers. Eldon James was a pioneer in their insistence of never producing products with PVC due to the materials’ potentially hazardous effects on employees and corrosion to equipment. Also, Eldon James does not manufacture PVC products due to the harmful health effects of phthalates and plasticizers used in the medical industry. This turned out to be an excellent decision as medical, and food & beverage companies started to look for alternatives to PVC. Eldon James wasn’t getting the full value of one of their greatest differentiators because disconnected, siloed systems were making it a challenge to see how the production team could free up the additional volume and take on new orders.
• Difficulty scaling to support growing international sales.
  Eldon James was beginning to get inquiries from foreign distributors, yet multiple, disconnected systems were making it hard to scale international sales. CEO and co-founder Marcia Coulson says she and her team were honored to get e-mails from foreign companies and distributors who wanted to buy from and represent the company in their respective markets. Marcia says that the CRM systems she was using at the time didn’t connect to manufacturing, quoting, production scheduling or finance, which made every inquiry from a potential new international account very manual to respond to. “At first I was ecstatic to see how we were being considered by companies in Europe and Asia,” Marcia said. “And then I realized that we were going to need a process to scale international responses so we could stay in front of the growing demand globally for our products.”
• Time-consuming financial reporting.
  Financial reporting was becoming more time-consuming as the number of spreadsheets multiplied, and QuickBooks was bogging down in the sheer volume of entries being tracked and calculated daily.  Eldon James’ CPA accountancy firm faced the formidable challenge of producing monthly financial statements based on a multiple of spreadsheets and a QuickBooks system bursting at the seams with transaction data. QuickBooks had been the financial reporting system of choice since the founding of the company, yet as international sales grew along with the product lines, the application was bogging down and taking longer to produce reports than ever before. One of the senior members of the accountancy warned that QuickBooks had reached its limits and would crash soon or at the very least, cease to be able to complete queries and run reports. The lack of system integration across manufacturing and financial systems was becoming an issue to getting the reports needed to manage the business daily.
• Challenges responding to quotes, promotions, and customer upsell and cross-sell opportunities
  If slowing down financial reporting cycles every month wasn’t enough of a challenge to deal with, Eldon James was starting to see QuickBooks and the legacy, standalone systems they relied on to upsell, cross-sell and offer promotions to existing customers slow down and eventually take minutes to provide any response. “We learned how to be very good at small talk with our customers,” Marcia Coulson, CEO said. “QuickBooks would work for minutes on a query while we tried to keep customers engaged on the phone.” Marcia continued, “it was frustrating and cumbersome, and it was slowing down our ability to get the customer the information they needed quickly.”
• Manual and time-consuming audit process
  Providing audits to a fast-growing new base of medical products manufacturers was manually done, taking valuable time away from continuous improvement efforts. Initially, quality management was handled through Excel spreadsheets and an isolated manufacturing system that didn’t integrate across the shop floor. Eldon James’ medical products manufacturing customers wanted greater audit visibility than Microsoft Excel spreadsheets could provide. An essential element of these audits is providing customers with tool validations using digital calipers. Ensuring tools are operating within specifications removes variability in production and increases quality. Customers were also asking for Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) data, and Eldon James produced these reports manually using Excel. This took valuable time away from quality and continuous improvement efforts, and tied up members of the quality team for hours and in some cases days when integrated systems could produce the reports in minutes.
• Escalating scrap costs
  As more customer orders were processed, it was becoming more challenging to find what the sources of scrap material were. Eldon James was beginning to grow fast and taking in as many orders as they could profitably produce. The isolated, stand-alone systems were handling the scheduling of orders and providing production scheduling within constraints while ensuring the best mix of machines as best as possible. The Quality Manager saw scrap rates begin to increase with the exponential increase in production with no easily-traceable signs of why. Scrap rates on some jobs were reaching 30%. The quality team, CEO and senior management team looked in detail at the problem and decided they needed to invest in an ERP system with MES functionality purpose-built for the needs of plastics manufacturers.

“We learned how to be very good at small talk with our customers. QuickBooks would work for minutes on a query while we tried to keep customers engaged on the phone. It was frustrating and cumbersome, and it was slowing down our ability to get the customer the information they needed quickly.”

— Marcia Coulson, CEO

Siloed Systems had to go in order to keep customers happy

“With our disconnected systems, it was at times a challenge to get products shipped on time to customers. If a late part ships from Eldon James then a customer of ours may shut down an entire production line because they’re waiting on one specific fitting,” said Andrea Collins, System Operations Manager. She continued, “We knew we had to turn this situation around to keep our existing customers and grow to find new ones.” Andrea adds that “Eldon James prides itself on its ability to communicate with customers, constantly providing them the information they need to keep their production operations running.”

“With our disconnected systems, it was at times a challenge to get products shipped on time to customers. If a late part ships from Eldon James then a customer of ours may shut down an entire production line because they’re waiting on one specific fitting.”

— Andrea Collins, System Operations Manager

Eldon James was at an inflection point and knew the siloed systems had to go:

• The lack of real-time data from the production floor and individual machines was making it difficult to deliver excellent customer service and communication the company prided itself on.
• Eldon James was growing quickly, and the CEO and senior management team needed more real-time, in-depth data in production status, costs, quality and yield to guide the company’s growth.
• Inventory control was becoming more of a challenge with over 6000 different products to manage as Eldon James was rapidly designing and launching new plastic tubing and connectors for tubing for new markets.
• The production teams were finding it nearly impossible to get accurate cycle counts at the machine level with the existing manual systems in place.
• Distribution sales were active in over two dozen countries, which would eventually soar to over 40.

Quality Assurance needed the following from the existing siloed systems to stay competitive, yet was finding workarounds very time-consuming and costly from a delay standpoint:

• Isolate the sources of scrap rates by production run and gain insights into how these could be reduced.
• Attaching certificates of compliance and conformance to orders that customers specifically asked for was turning into a major accuracy and time challenge.
• Having traceability to the lot and material level to begin creating a thorough product genealogy record that would streamline vendor and agency audits.
• Needed greater control over which data specific members of the Eldon James team had access to and which items they could modify, which is also essential for passing audits.
• More automated approaches to Statistical Process Control (SPC), which was being completed using Excel spreadsheets.
• An urgent need for real-time monitoring that would make troubleshooting scrap rates more efficient, in addition to improving the accuracy and quality of audit records, while streamlining manufacturing operations.
• A system-level plan that could scale and support the company’s goals of ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications, both of which are essential for gaining access to new markets where regulatory compliance is a must-have.

Exceptional product quality and on-time deliveries are the two differentiating service values that Eldon James had engrained into every manufacturing and customer-facing process they have for years. With the siloed systems that often required manual intervention, she said the company had to make many special efforts to get customers the information they needed.

Eldon James Chooses IQMS as its ERP and MES Solution to Grow its Business

Eldon James quickly began the search for a Manufacturing Execution System that could scale across its entire business. Their requirements included a system capable of integrating accounting, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), finance, manufacturing, operations, and service, ideally located on a single database. The company also wanted to find someone who had expertise in the plastics industry, who could not only provide the system but also provide guidance on how to streamline operations for future growth. They quickly realized what they needed was an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system designed specifically for the plastics industry.  That’s when they called IQMS.

Positioned for quality, production performance and growth

CEO and founder Marcia Coulson says the decision to select IQMS as their ERP systems provider and partner “was probably the single best decision I’ve ever made for the company. That was one of those milestones in the history of Eldon James that allowed the company to grow,” she continued. Marcia and her senior management team went to work defining an implementation plan with IQMS and quickly began to see the difference in operations, quality and most of all, customer satisfaction.  Here’s what Eldon James was able to accomplish and has enjoyed the efficiencies for the past 10 years with IQMS by breaking free of the siloed systems that held them back in the past:

Positioned for Product Quality

• Quality Assurance and perform an audit anytime a customer or regulatory agency wants one as all data including product genealogy is available in IQMS. Eldon James found having an integrated ERP system streamlined their attaining ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 Certification. Also, using the integrated Quality module, the Quality Assurance team can provide Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) data to any customer who wants it in seconds. They’re able to deliver calibration certificates with orders, have complete auditing and control of all production records and process workflows, have tighter controls on work order instructions and now have SPC to the machine level, reviewable anytime. In short, the IQMS ERP system has given them an entirely new level of visibility and control over every aspect of quality.
• The long-term goal of offering and producing over 6,000 products has been achieved with scale to spare. One of Eldon James’ strategic priorities is always to be innovating, always find new ways to improve, and this includes their new product development strategies. With IQMS in place today they are now offering over 6,000 products to their customers located in 40 different countries.

Improved Performance

• On-time deliveries happened 50% of the time with siloed systems that didn’t communicate, and with IQMS integrated across their operations, they soared to 98% – a jump of 96%. By having a single system that organized all the data they needed for production scheduling, quality assurance, and shipping, Eldon James was able to increase their on-time delivery accuracy by nearly 100%, jumping from 50% to 98% in less than a year.  Customers were thrilled and more orders poured in. Eldon James had become one of the most trusted suppliers in plastic tubing and connectors for tubing and continues to expand their reputation today.
• Reject rates plummeted from 30% to 2% as Quality Assurance had real-time monitoring to track where scrap was being produced in the production process. Like on-time deliveries, scrap rates and reject rates drastically improved when Eldon James had real-time data from IQMS to manage production. Where and how scrap was being produced was no longer a mystery; the answers to the most challenging quality assurance questions were in the IQMS system anytime they needed them.

Ability to Continue to Grow and Scale

• Improve selling efficiency by accelerating the quoting process, improving response times to international distributors and global customers. With QuickBooks and the siloed systems the company had been using before, it often took hours to produce a quote given how slow the systems were operating. And with international distributors interested in stocking their products, Eldon James was facing a time crunch with nearly every inquiry to make sure it stayed in consideration for every possible opportunity. Now with IQMS, quoting takes 3 minutes at the most and having an integrated system with real-time response, pricing, and availability including Available-To-Promise (ATP) dates are all done automatically.  Close rates for new quotes are soaring, and order-to-close rates keep growing to new records as the company’s reputation for quality and speed bring them into new markets.
• Lights-out manufacturing is making it possible for Eldon James to compete and win opportunities anywhere, anytime, against any competitor. By partnering with IQMS, Eldon James achieved the most important goal they have, which is being able to run lights- out for a shift or more. Being able to run their 27 injection molding machines non-stop is giving them speed, quality and cost advantages many of their competitors can’t touch. Lights-out manufacturing is making Eldon James a single source supplier for many of the world’s leading medical products, pharmaceutical, beverage, automotive, pneumatic machinery and general industrial product manufacturers.  CEO Marcia Coulson says that “IQMS has proven it can grow with the company, and we could easily grow 50 to 100 times larger with IQMS.” Partnering with IQMS opened up new avenues of growth and helped the company scale and capitalize on all its opportunities and more.

Conclusion

Improving product quality, increasing production performance, and achieving the highest level of customer responsiveness are just a few of the many areas Eldon James is excelling at today. Their results show that the more integrated an MES system is with accounting, finance, Supply Chain Management (SCM), CRM and ERP, the greater the opportunities to excel for current customers and grow by winning new ones. An integrated MES has removed the roadblocks to greater revenue growth and enables Eldon James to enter and excel at winning new business in new markets.

Return on Investment

• On-time delivery accuracy jumped from 50% to 98% in less than a year
• Reject rates plummeted from 30% to 2%
• Gained greater visibility and control over every aspect of quality
• Streamlined ISO 9001 & ISO 13485 Certification
• Achieved Lights-out manufacturing goal
• Scaled operations to support international growth

Uncover how their transition from their home-grown system to IQMS (now DELMIAWorks) EnterpriseIQ providing real-time data accuracy to everyone in the company, from the shop floor to the top floor, in a single reliable database.

Top Die Casting Company is a “one-stop-shop” for aluminum die castings and plastic-injected moldings. Top Die is ISO certified and a preferred supplier for a wide base of customers, including markets such as consumer products; industrial; filtration; heavy vehicles; hydraulics; electronics; appliances; and more.

Single-Source ERP System Best Fit for Quality Driven Die Casting Company

Top Die Casting Company understands the value of quality delivered at a competitive price, on time, every time. As a leading domestic, full-service provider of aluminum die castings and plastic-injected moldings, Top Die Casting serves an array of high-profile customers in both consumer and industrial markets. Founded in 1977, Top Die Casting has a long history of providing unequalled product quality and customer service, and is driven to “be the best in the business by doing things right the first time.”

Over the years, Top Die Casting has grown sales from $1.5 million to over $40 million by offering consistent quality and a “one-stop-shop” from design to packaged part. But while company growth has been steady, and quality output a mainstay, Top Die Casting was hindered in the past by an outdated, home-grown enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and needed to update their internal IT system.

“Our old system had limitations that wasted a lot of valuable time,” explained Jeff Colson, application engineer at Top Die Casting. “People spent more time trying to figure out how to make things happen in spite of the system than they did focusing on the actual process of making quality parts.”

Housed in an older-style database that used index sequential files, the company’s previous system was inherently slow, especially when 20 or more people were using it. What’s more, the system had evolved through several different in-house programmers and stages of company growth that involved the transfer of system files from a DOS format to Windows. But with each system iteration, critical information such as production history and employee data was lost.

“We got to a certain point where sticking with the old system was no longer a viable option,” said Colson. “The information was in one database, but extracting it was difficult unless you were a programmer. We had to manually sketch out data just to see where we stood on things, and even then the data could be outdated or simply incorrect.”

To solve this issue, Top Die Casting sought a single-source, centralized ERP system that could provide real-time data accuracy to everyone in the company, from the shop floor to the top floor. The company established a team of key people who had the most detailed knowledge of the old system and fully understood what was necessary for its replacement. The team considered carefully what the company needed, from accounting and customer service to quality management and real-time production control. After reviewing a number of ERP systems, they found the best match in EnterpriseIQ by IQMS.

“We got to a certain point where sticking with the old system was no longer a viable option”

— Jeff COLSON, Application Engineer

Time Savings a Clear Benefit with Centralized ERP Solution

“EnterpriseIQ won out over the other systems because it keeps everything central in a single, reliable database,” said Colson. “Some of the other systems we considered used more than one database for functions such as scanning, which seemed clunky. With EnterpriseIQ we did not have to cross over several systems to put things together. Now that the system is up and running, it’s clear that the centralized format also delivers advantages in eliminating non-value added activities in all departments.”

Like many other companies its size, Top Die Casting operates lean without the benefit of large numbers of employees to track and analyze data. According to Colson the biggest asset of having EnterpriseIQ in place is the time it affords key employees, like Nancy Hyser, the company’s quality manager.

Along with two other employees, Hyser was responsible within the old system for tracking inventory, which Top Die Casting holds for its customers. Additionally, Hyser was tasked with manually inputting time card data from jobs run the previous day. This meant the company was always operating a day behind, and Hyser spent most of her time trying to keep pace with data entry.

“EnterpriseIQ lets people focus on their jobs rather than the mundane tasks that can drag down quality operations,” said Hyser. “We used to have only one or two people who knew where inventory was. This often delayed deliveries and increased our holding costs. Now EnterpriseIQ keeps track of our inventory to the very last detail, so we aren’t hassled by trying to chase down a customer’s supply or rectify our counts against data that isn’t in the system yet.”

Top Die Casting relies on EnterpriseIQ’s ease of use and access to information to make it is easy for anyone in the company to call up data anytime, anywhere, whether they are working on the shop floor or in an executive meeting. With direct access to all ERP related information, Top Die Casting has eliminated redundant data entry, costly errors, and time lags in shipping.

“EnterpriseIQ delivers incredible time savings by putting the same real-time information at the fingertips of all our employees,” said Hyser.

“The system increases our visibility and improves our reaction time by pushing data to those who need it. This has gone a long way in improving internal communications and has allowed us to turn our focus back to the things that matter, like delivering quality parts to our customers on time.”

— Nancy Hyser, Quality Manager

RealTime Accountability, Real-Time Results

After running EnterpriseIQ alongside the old system for a brief period of time, the company went live with immediate results.

“EnterpriseIQ is user-friendly and easy to navigate, so the switch over was simple and everyone adapted quickly,” said Colson. “We shipped and invoiced parts the same day we went live with no problems. It was like the IQMS system had always been in place.”

Because EnterpriseIQ is a single database solution, written, developed and supported only by IQMS, Top Die Casting has found the system to be cohesive across its multiple facilities and entire supply chain.

Top Die Casting uses core ERP functionality such as AR, AP, Inventory Management, and Customer Service modules as well as enhanced functionality such as Quality, Wireless Warehouse Management, eCommerce, and RealTime Production Monitoring. By supporting machine management in real-time, EnterpriseIQ allows the company to track all aspects of production immediately as parts are being made. The system automatically applies real-time data to the shop orders, and updates the ERP modules with the schedule and finished product counts, giving Top Die Casting a truer picture of what they can deliver to their customers and detailed costs of those deliveries.

“We like that EnterpriseIQ lets us see in real-time what is happening at all of our plants,” said Hyser. “This level of accountability is a big thing for our customers. With RealTime Production Monitoring we’ve improved efficiency and productivity and are more responsive to customer needs.”

In fact, according to Hyser, RealTime Production Monitoring has been instrumental in Top Die Casting’s ability to win new customer accounts: “RealTime Production Monitoring is the wow factor that impresses potential customers,” she said. “When they see that EnterpriseIQ lets us take the pulse of the shop floor in the instant their parts are being made, it’s a big selling point. They typically don’t see that capability with our competitors or even within their own plants.”

Empowers Culture of Continuous Improvement

EnterpriseIQ and RealTime Production Monitoring have also helped Top Die Casting drive a cultural shift at every level of the company. In the past, two or three people acted as key business drivers whom others looked to for direction, now everyone – across multiple departments – can pitch in and do their part because they have the information to produce quality work.

With the historical and real-time data EnterpriseIQ provides, Top Die Casting operates a bonus system that empowers the company’s shop floor operators to work more efficiently. This allows the company to develop a culture of continuous improvement that could not have been considered using the previous system.

“It’s the shop floor aspect, combined with the core ERP, and the fact that EnterpriseIQ is made for manufacturers that gives IQMS an edge over other ERP systems,” said Hyser. “EnterpriseIQ with RealTimeProduction Monitoring lets our operators see in easy-to-understand color coding whether their machine is running lean. Whereas before they might not have known there was a problem until it was too late, now they can stop problems before they occur. With EnterpriseIQ everyone is accountable, and the effort they put forth reflects that.”

Focused on Future Manufacturing Success

Top Die Casting consistently wins business over its competition by adhering to strict quality standards and exceeding expectations every time. EnterpriseIQ by IQMS has been instrumental in that effort by giving the company business and plant management software designed specifically to help manufacturers run more effectively and more profitably. Yet for all the many benefits Top Die Casting has obtained since implementing the system, Colson noted there is more to come.

“We are always expanding on what we have because there is so much available in EnterpriseIQ,” he said. “Our customers constantly make new demands of us, and with EnterpriseIQ we can meet those requests without hesitation. With EnterpriseIQ we can focus on the future and our ambition to succeed instead of spending time trying to force our ERP system to comply.”

Running DELMIAWORKS manufacturing ERP system delivered via Hosted Managed Services (HMS) provides Ventura Manufacturing the most economical system architecture for greater scalability and efficiency as well as to attain disaster recovery goals.

Ventura is an award-winning semi-automated assembly and production company that serves the automotive, office furniture, education seating, and molding and assembly of optical silicone industries globally. Headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, the company has multiple plants in Zeeland in addition to plants in Budaörs, Hungary, Saltillo, Mexico and Shanghai, China.

As demand for Ventura’s services grew and the company began attracting customers worldwide, it was apparent the dependency on a single ERP system on-premise in Zeeland, Michigan was becoming an impediment to faster growth. “Relying on a single system to manage our global plants was proving to be a huge scale challenge,” said Joel Boyles, IT Team Lead at Ventura Manufacturing. Ventura’s customer base is globally-based and to serve them as responsively and effectively as possible, Ventura made the decision to open new production plants in Hungary and Shanghai, China.

Overcoming the Challenges of Improving Speed and Scale

With eight plants globally running from a single ERP instance on a server in Zeeland, Michigan, the IT team faced the challenges of scaling their systems to support the global growth fueling their company’s expansion. The IT Teams at Ventura prides itself on offering live support to any plant, anywhere in the world that needs help, anytime.

“When we just had the plants in Mexico and Hungary, our existing staff could scale to support the calls coming from plants for help with their IT systems and take care of ERP related tasks,” Joel said. When the Shanghai, China facility went online, Ventura was reaching the limits of scale and speed with their IT teams and the system running on-premise in Zeeland.

As demands increased on the system, so did concerns over Availability and Disaster Recovery Objectives the IT Team had defined. Two metrics that are of specific interest to Ventura’s IT team are the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO). IT defined the RTO goal as 8 hours and the RPO as 15 minutes, achievable on a 24/7 basis.

To accomplish these goals, Ventura would need to create an entirely new system platform that could scale more efficiently with their growing business. The new platform would also need to increase the speed of system updates, which had been a problematic area in the past for the single system to complete.

Joel Boyles, IT Team Lead, says the challenges of scalability and disaster recovery are what drove the urgency for Ventura to decide that Hosted Managed Services (HMS) from DELMIAWORKS was the best possible solution. “Plant system updates including MRP were taking at least 2 hours per plant, which translated into our IT teams having 24/7 shifts in our Zeeland-based IT offices,” Joel said. “Clearly we had to redefine our system architecture for greater scalability and speed.”

Ventura chose DELMIAWORKS’ EnterpriseIQ delivered via Hosted Managed Services (HMS) because it was the most economical and fastest option for solving the system performance challenges and attaining the disaster recovery goals the company has. Under the DELMIAWORKS HMS purchase option, software licenses are owned in perpetuity by Ventura and hardware and platform software is provided by the DELMIAWORKS data center. DELMIAWORKS is managing the Ventura systems today in a secure data center environment. Ventura’s IT team can gain access to key system metrics and key performance indicators anytime via any browser-enabled laptop, tablet or smartphone.

“Clearly, we had to redefine our system architecture for greater scalability and speed.”
— Joel BOYLES, IT Team Lead

How Ventura Defined A Global Roadmap To Greater Speed And Reliability with Hosted Managed Services

Like many manufacturers, Ventura initially ran their operations using QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel, then transitioned to a single enterprise system to operate all production plants. That’s often the first phase of many manufacturer’s IT roadmap as the demands to scale to support greater production capacity in multiple locations forces the need for a new system architecture. Ventura’s infrastructure had reached the end of its life.

Supporting the Shanghai, China facility was just one of the new functional requirements, as are the RPO and RTO goals. “The combination of the staffing requirements and time it took to run reports supporting production operations showed our process and systems would have to change for us to keep up with the growth,” Joel said. The next stage in the Ventura IT roadmap was the adoption of Hosted Managed Services.

“By choosing the HMS option we were able to accomplish a lifecycle upgrade to newer, more powerful servers that took corporate-wide MRP runs down from 2 hours to 8 minutes”

In running a consolidated MRP company wide to support all facilities Ventura had to find a 2-hour quiet time to do the MRP run. They had originally done this at night, but once the brought the Shanghai plant online, they no longer had a 2-hour quiet time. With several plants and the need to run MRP daily once at the corporate level, transitioning to the Cloud-based Hosted Managed Services also reduced the time it took to run reports, in some circumstances by 50%” The graphic below shows the locations of Ventura’s plant locations globally.

Lessons Learned

The greater scalability and speed Ventura has today is enabling the company to expand into entirely new areas of business on a global scale. “Our new system enables us to define custom Bills of Materials and schedule production in the plant that is the closest to the customer,” Joel said.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is also a core aspect of their system requirements. On average, Ventura receives 1,000 EDI transactions a day. A key aspect of the new systems’ scalability is the need to provide greater expansion for EDI transaction support. Joel says that this is already beginning to scale up.

Joel says that Ventura considered several different options and stayed with DELMIAWORKS. “We wanted to know best practices in our area of manufacturing, and the DELMIAWORKS team was supportive and responsive to my requests for assistance as we completed the implementation,” Joel commented. DELMIAWORKS provides a 24-hour hotline during the implementation, an Atlassian instance including planning tools, and a global team available to answer questions at any time.

“It was the DELMIAWORKS expertise on the topic that drove the value. That, and the manufacturing knowledgeable engineers I worked with at DELMIAWORKS”

Global Interconnect (GII) is a worldwide provider of custom engineered cable assemblies, connectors and components. Used for medical applications, such as electrosurgical tools and critical patient monitoring devices, their products have zero failure requirements.

Under pressure to deliver fail safe products while managing a complex global supply chain, their antiquated MRP system had finally reached its limits.

Complex Global Supply Chain Demands a Modern ERP Solution

While outsourcing lowers their manufacturing costs, it adds complexity and presents the need for tight oversight and controls in their day to day operations. Due to the limitations of their old MRP system, much of their work still had to be done manually which became increasingly more difficult to manage as business continued to grow and their supplier base expanded.

For example, to prevent counterfeit items from entering the supply chain, GII bought a significant number of parts domestically and consigned them to their factories in China. Such a practice required the need to perform a manual calculation of needed components based on finished assembly usage and inventory levels at the factory. In addition, GII team members had to calculate the necessary excess to purchase based on historic scrap levels.

Furthermore, communicating with their Hong Kong and China operations required them to share and access data around the clock which proved challenging given the time differences. About their numerous challenges, COO, Todd Squire said “Once we received in the finished good, we literally had people performing intensive manual calculations that were not only time consuming, but prone to errors.

In addition, we were operating in two completely separate software systems to run our business – one for accounting and one to manage our inventory, purchase orders and sales orders. Individuals were forced to navigate in and out of both systems to be able to see the complete picture of our operations and business.” In addition, GII had to account for inventory with a manual backflush process. Not only did this take someone upwards of three hours at the end of each month, it had to be crosschecked by several other people. To further complicate matters, their accounting application didn’t interface with purchasing, so invoices ready to be paid would require manual approval as well.

Incoming receipt of materials with their old system also proved to be burdensome. First, they’d bring in the packing slip, match it with the purchase order, approve it and give it to accounting. But such a practice required someone to manually enter the invoice into their accounting system, run it, and then perform their check run.

Troy Mauk, Director of Global Procurement for GII was one of the users of their old system. As their business continued to grow, he recalled the moment he realized they needed a better system.

“There was one day that I put my pencil down and went into my boss and said – We can’t continue to operate this way if we want to continue to grow.”

Solutions to Manage Global Supply Chain

Accounting, Purchasing, Sales Orders and Inventory Now Under One Roof with Multi-Currency Capability

When they first decided to replace their outdated system, the GII management team set out to find their best three options. DELMIAWorks (formerly IQMS) came out the clear winner. Among the reasons he was first attracted to DELMIAWorks, Squire said, “It was the intuitive nature of it, and the user-friendliness of the system overall.” Further, from a training perspective, Todd felt the simple navigation would make it easier to get the whole organization on board during the transition. And another attraction was the standard reporting capabilities, which gave them powerful new reports.

“The biggest benefit was bringing everything together under one roof, the accounting, purchasing, and sales orders in conjunction with inventory. And rolling this all up into a set of financials while managing multi-currency.”

Having everything in one system and under one roof not only introduced tremendous efficiencies to their operations, but it ultimately benefited their expansive and growing customer base as well.

Now that there is complete integration and critical data being shared across functional areas of their business, users can now get a complete and comprehensive financial picture of the company. Inventory interfaces with accounting, bill of materials can be created that drive demand of consigned material that is based on inventory levels across their four factories in China. In addition, their new Quality Module is helping them through DHR compliance, with capabilities like traceability and lot coding features.

Results

Return-on-investment within Year One and 50% Sales Growth by Year Four

While Squire believes a 3 to 4-year return-on investment is typical for ERP purchases, he says “We achieved tremendous returns within the first quarter of implementation and to this day, we are still continuing to add further efficiencies and return on investment with the roll out of new features, reports and other modules.”

Outsourcing is now a seamless operation for GII with DELMIAWorks. They can effortlessly consign material, send it out, have something of value added to it, and then bring it back into their system at a standard rolled up cost that shows them their true cost.

Having real-time information lets GII run a much leaner global operation too. For example, their carrying costs are lower because they can now bring inventory in on a just-in-time basis. At any point in time they know exactly what’s “in WIP” (industry term indicating there’s a part that in the process of being formed) and completed in the way of finished assemblies at their four factories in China.

Return on Investment

• Grew sales grew by 50% within 4 years
• Increased total productivity by 25%
• Reduced time spent on Accounting and Receiving by 50%
• Achieved anywhere, anytime visibility
• Able to grow without adding headcount
• Improved employee morale
• Better handling of medical compliance
• Reduced inventory carrying costs
• Automatic generation of shipping docs
• Manage global supply chain for their operations

Automate Process

GII’s automated back flushing process now takes seconds instead of hours. This frees up a quarter of a day for the people who once did it manually, adding a half-day of capacity to the resources they already had in place. And with far more capacity for those individuals, they’ve been able grow while maintaining the same headcount. This has resulted in a 25% increase in productivity. Mauk, says “I used to spend 80% of my time buying. Now, this is down to 25%. And time spent on accounting and receiving has been reduced by at least 50%.” And for Mauk, there are personal benefits too.

When selecting their new ERP system “my personal goal was to sit on a beach in Greece and do my job,” said Mauk. And now this dream has come true. For the past six years he’s able to take a month off for his annual vacation to Greece where he manages DELMIAWorks from his vacation spot on the beach. Meanwhile it’s business as usual 4,600 miles away at GII’s head office.

Summarizing what they’ve gained with DELMIAWorks, Squire says, “through the power of IQ we’re able to maintain and keep a smooth and seamless running operation between all of our global locations. It has allowed us to dramatically improve our operations and efficiencies and give our Team powerful and accurate data under one roof that ultimately benefits our customers.”

When asked about bottom line results, Squire says “in the past five years we’ve been able to grow close to 50% from a sales perspective.”