CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
November 2005
Implementation Investments
TopSolid Customer Success Story: Formula Group
The Formula Group was set up in Bangkok in 1978. Employing more than 600 people the company produces automobile air condition units under the brand name "Formula". The company also works for automobile sub-contractors and OEMs while its main business remains the supply of parts for the after market.
The company's principal product line is air condition systems for the automobile sector but also produces such products as blowers & fans, condensers, electronic parts, evaporator units, hosing & fittings, etc. The company supplies all the major car manufacturers in its local market but also in the rest of Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. 70% of sales are made on the export market to more than 43 countries with the local market representing the remaining 30%.
In 2004 the Formula Group decided it was time to invest in a new CAD/CAM system. The group had already been using a well known CAD and CAM system. However, the company needed a more efficient, high-tech system to respond to increased time pressures. The increasing sales of automobiles in South East Asia and worldwide has meant that the demand for automobile parts has been on the rise over the past few years. Therefore, the Formula Group needed a highly efficient CAD/CAM software capable of responding to its design and manufacturing needs. To gain a competitive edge and remain an industry leader, Formula Group recognized that it needed a integrated solution that would help it be more responsive to customers by delivering designs and manufacturing faster. It needed a solution that would enable the company to quickly generate a 3D modeling and NC code from a simple customer sketch or sample part and which could also be easily modified to meet other customer requirements. Formula Group also required the capability to carry out mold, electrode and progressive die design to make the design and manufacturing process more efficient.
The company made a thorough analysis of many well known CAD/CAM systems including TopSolid, the fully integrated CAD/CAM solution which was still relatively new to the Thai market at the time. UGS Thailand, official TopSolid reseller in the country since 2004, sells the TopSolid CAD/CAM line in Thailand.
This fully integrated solution from design right through to manufacturing was an innovative concept on the Thai market and automatically appealed to the Formula Group. With its own Research & Design department, mold shop, progressive die shop and manufacturing workshop the possibility of having one software solution to manage the entire process seemed perfect for the Formula Group. The company also needed to increase its responsiveness to customer demands and last minute changes. According to Jirayouth Panjavongroi, Production Manager of the Formula Group in Thailand: "'In the past with other 2D and 3D CAD/CAM systems it was nearly impossible to make a change once the project had started. We had to start again whenever customers made changes. With the TopSolid integrated solution, we've reduced design time and engineering change orders by about 50%. Such integration means, for example, that any changes made to the CAD file are automatically taken into account in the CAM file without the need to re-enter information twice. '' Such advantages have resulted in significant time gains for the Group. According to Jirayouth Panjavongroj, Production Planning Engineer at Formula "I would say that since the installation of TopSolid there have been time productivity gains of 30%. Such gains result from the reduction in design and manufacturing times guaranteed by TopSolid." The company now uses TopSolid'Design for the design in 3D of all mechanical parts and tools; TopSolid'Mold is used for the design of molds and tools. TopSolid'Electrode is used in the design of electrodes; TopSolid'Progess is used in the design of progressive tools and TopSolid'Cam is used to machine all the parts. Using TopSolid files from the design of products right through to tools means offers an efficiency previously not known in the Formula Group.
The formula Group has been particularly happy with such important functions as:
• The TopSolid library with intelligent components. A screw, for instance, knows its hole and its tapping. This brings about important time gains for the company as the number of manipulations is reduced
• Dynamics - the dynamics function is directly integrated in TopSolid. Mechanisms with constraints can be dynamically simulated. Various forces can be added to the mechanism and the movement can be simulated. For a more in-depth dynamics study the module TopSolid'Motion from Solid Dynamics is available.
The company designs many of its products entirely and in some cases they work backwards from a prototype received from their sub-contractors.
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.