CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
14 June 2004
Implementation Investments
EAB Engineering Quickly Converts Complex Design Concepts into Reliable Oil and Gas Extraction Tools with SolidWorks Software
EAB Engineering of Norway has standardized on SolidWorks® 3D mechanical design software to develop dependable permanent installations and tools for extracting oil and gas from kilometers below the sea's surface, SolidWorks announced. EAB's products, from permanent oil distribution units weighing several hundred tons to giant winches for hauling thousands of meters of lines, have the design precision that companies like British Petroleum, ExxonMobil, and Shell Oil rely on to efficiently harvest oil and gas from huge reserves in the North Sea and around the world.
Profitable oil and gas operations hinge on meeting high daily production rates, which require trouble-free transmission of petroleum from the ocean floor to derricks on the surface. EAB's products clean the transmission lines, ensure connection stations work properly, and perform a host of other tasks that help companies meet their quotas. "When something is kilometers beneath the sea, you have to trust that it will work," said Tor-Arne Hestnes, EAB's technical manager. "We usually start the engineering process with a need to do something down on the sea bed, sometimes without a clue of what the final product will look like. SolidWorks helps us address our biggest design challenge, which is to convert this complex functionality into products our customers can depend on."
EAB, formerly Mjorud EAB, chose SolidWorks ( http://www.solidworks.com/ ) to strengthen its industry-wide reputation for inventiveness, efficiency, and quality. The software's flexibility and intuitive interface allow Hestnes and his engineers to put a concept into a working 3D model with fewer mouse clicks than the 2D and 3D tools the company previously used. SolidWorks lets the engineers explore all design options before choosing the approach that will best suit customers' needs. EAB standardized on SolidWorks after using Autodesk Inventor, Pro/ENGINEER, and Unigraphics. When EAB first deployed SolidWorks, the software's short learning curve helped engineers capitalize on its advantages.
"SolidWorks is better adapted to what we as a team of creative engineers need: a straight-on approach to design manufacturing that quickly leads to a working product," said Hestnes. "Other systems seem to focus on fancy stuff you don't need, while key functionality is complicated or completely missing. But SolidWorks gave us the tools we need to satisfy our customers' design specifications."
EAB is using COSMOSWorksT analysis software to measure how its products will function on the ocean floor or on the surface and troubleshoot errors before prototyping begins. The company will also use SolidWorks Routing to design the piping and tubing products it makes, and PDMWorks® to efficiently manage all of the CAD data it generates.
EAB works with SolidWorks reseller CAE Consult Scandinavia AS (CCS) for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
EAB Engineering, founded in 1952 and based in Norway, is a mechanical and structural design engineering company specializing in sub-sea tooling and equipment since 1990. Its customers include sub-sea system suppliers, installation and contracting companies, and oil companies. EAB Engineering customizes its specialty equipment to meet individual customer needs. For more information, visit http://www.eabeng.no
Since its founding in 1988, CAE Consult Scandinavia AS (CCS) has provided its clients with CAD/CAM and PDM solutions combined with experience in engineering, production, and analysis. CCS is one of the key SolidWorks resellers in Norway with offices in both Skien and Asker, and a focus on selling SolidWorks, COSMOSWorks, and GibbsCAM software. For more information, http://www.ccs.no
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