CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
11 April 2005
Implementation Investments
SolidWorks Brings Design Flexibility, Streamlined Product Development, and System Stability to ATW Automotive Division
Assembly & Test-Worldwide, Inc. (ATW), one of the world's largest assembly automation and testing providers, has purchased 20 licenses of SolidWorks® Office Professional software to accelerate product development, reduce errors, and shorten design change processes in one of its key divisions, SolidWorks announced today.
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, ATW manufactures systems that automate product assembly and testing for a broad range of industries, including appliances, consumer goods, electronics, food packaging, hardware, automotive, heavy truck and agricultural machinery, and medical devices. Its machines produce, handle, or test equipment that makes everything from appliances to disposable medical products and even hard candy. ATW's Advanced Assembly Automation (AAA) division specializes in component assembly and testing for the automotive industry. It chose SolidWorks to replace its previous design software because SolidWorks is faster, more stable, and better capable of handling large assemblies. In addition, the SolidWorks reseller support network proved responsive and knowledgeable, and was very involved in the execution of the implementation plan. AAA will standardize on SolidWorks for all new product design, and its success could influence product design decisions for ATW's other divisions.
"Everything we design is engineered to order because it is specific to the process requirements of our customers' products, having to match their individual manufacturing philosophies and plant environments," said Bill Budde, vice president of operations at AAA. "That customization, along with the need to react to significant levels of engineering changes throughout the process makes for a very challenging CAD environment. Of the CAD software we evaluated, SolidWorks proved to be the most capable package to meet our needs."
Budde and his team also liked SolidWorks' intuitive interface and short learning curve, which have allowed engineers to design complex products in SolidWorks with little training. PDMWorks® software will enable AAA to manage all of its design data securely, while ensuring version control and providing audit trails so engineers can see a history of changes to each product design.
"As design complexity and customization increase with customer demands, so does the pressure on engineers to handle last-minute changes accurately," said Jeff Ray, SolidWorks chief operating officer. "SolidWorks gives ATW's Advanced Assembly Automation division the functionality and design speed to address engineering change orders on the fly, and accurately."
AAA works with authorized SolidWorks reseller Solid Insight for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
Assembly & Test-Worldwide (ATW) is a global leader providing automation systems and solutions fundamental to the assembly and testing of a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. ATW provides its engineering and manufacturing expertise to local and global customers involved in components, electronics, automotive, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, high technology, hardware, medical devices, plastics, cosmetics, agriculture, chemicals, construction, appliance, and transportation industries. With its headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, ATW has five facilities in the U.S. and Germany. For more information, visit http://www.assembly-testww.com .
Solid Insight, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, represents and supports SolidWorks and related CAD applications, as well as Z Corporation 3D Printing equipment to help organizations streamline their product development cycles. For the latest news and information, visit http://www.SolidInsight.com or call 937-436-3535.
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