CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
October 26, 2004
Implementation Investments
Laird Security Systems Locks in Cost, Time Savings with SolidWorks 3D Mechanical Design Software; U.K.'s Second Largest Window and Door Hardware Provider Cuts Thousands of Dollars, Weeks out of Prototyping
The second largest window and door hardware provider in the U.K. is speeding new product design, reducing prototyping costs, and engineering more creative hinge, lock, and handle solutions using SolidWorks® Office Professional software, SolidWorks announced today. Laird Security Systems is using SolidWorks PDMWorks® product data management (PDM) software to enable engineers in different offices to collaborate on product designs while ensuring version control and providing an audit history.
A subsidiary of Laird Group PLC (with revenues of 256 million GBP), Laird Security Systems specializes in designing multi-point locking systems that secure more than just the mid-section of the door. The company supplies door and window hardware to home improvement companies such as B&Q and Wickes in the U.K. and Europe, and Pella in the U.S. Laird Security Systems chose SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software because the software's ease of use, flexibility, and intuitive interface let engineers try more new design concepts and discover door and window lock innovations faster than with its other CAD software.
"SolidWorks' simplicity allows us to work faster," said Graham Loakes, director for design and quality engineering for ERA Products, Ltd., a subsidiary of Laird Security Systems. "It gives us more thinking time to develop new ideas. We can consider three different options rather than just one - under typically tight time constraints - which is a huge advantage to finding the best approach."
SolidWorks physical simulation capabilities, which allow engineers to identify and fix part interference, along with COSMOSWorks® and COSMOSXpressT design analysis software, give Laird Security Systems engineers the confidence that their designs will meet rigorous security demands. For example, they can simulate the impact of a baseball bat on a new lock to see how it will stand up. This type of electronic prototyping reduces overall development time by weeks and cuts costs by as much as 15 percent. Streamlined prototyping and faster design capabilities with SolidWorks enabled Loakes and his team to complete a new door restrictor (a chain that limits how far a door opens) in half the time it would have taken with the other CAD software.
Laird Security Systems uses PDMWorks to ensure that engineers in Europe and the U.S. can work concurrently on projects without introducing errors and ensuring that project managers can see different design iterations throughout the life of the product. The company also uses SolidWorks PhotoWorksT photorealistic rendering tool to produce life-like images of product designs to share with customers and marketing and sales teams.
"No one wants to compromise when it comes to security, and Laird Security Systems understands that its door and window hardware must meet or exceed customers' expectations," said Neil McArthur, regional director for the U.K. and Ireland at SolidWorks. "Designing in SolidWorks lets engineers explore options they may not have considered before to make the most durable, yet stylish, locks, handles, and other hardware on the market."
Laird Security Systems relies on SolidWorks reseller Solid Solutions Management for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
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