CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
July 30, 2007
Implementation Investments
Irrigation Equipment Maker Trims Weeks from Design Cycle with SolidWorks Software
Fresno Valves and Castings is using SolidWorks® 3D CAD software to shave weeks and, in some cases, months off the production cycle for its extensive line of irrigation products, ranging from garden hose faucets to hydroelectric dam gates.
The Selma, Calif., company's brass valves and vents take hours instead of months to make now that engineers use SolidWorks software and CNC systems instead of handcrafting casting patterns, according to engineering manager Sukhbir Singh. Built-to-order fabricated gates and lifts now take half a day to make instead of two weeks, the time it took with two-dimensional CAD.
"When we worked in 2D, drawings had to go back and forth with the customer for weeks," said Singh. "It's just difficult for a farmer or irrigation district manager to comprehend the finer points of 2D drawings and come up with a vivid picture in his or her mind. With SolidWorks models, customers understand what we propose, and we can design better products for them faster."
Assisting in Fresno's accelerated product delivery is the integration of SolidWorks and RuleStream® design automation software from SolidWorks Solution Partner RuleStream Corp. This combination automates Fresno's request-for-quote (RFQ) and engineering documentation processes, allowing Fresno salespeople to visit the customer site and fill out intuitive online forms to configure new designs in SolidWorks software. Ninety percent of the work is done for engineers, who then detail the drawings, a process that has been reduced from a week to less than 36 hours. Custom rules enforce Fresno's standards and best practices.
Fresno also convinced its manufacturing partners in China to use SolidWorks software, making it easy for Fresno to ensure its products are accurately produced the first time. Fresno uses COSMOSWorks® design analysis software to optimize part weight, which can yield major savings on these and other products it ships around the world.
"Many of Fresno Valve's customers' business needs are agricultural and, thus, tied to the seasons, so time is always of the essence," said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks vice president of worldwide marketing. "Accordingly, we continually improve our software to help customers like Fresno to more quickly bring better products to market."
Fresno Valves and Castings uses authorized SolidWorks reseller CAD Graphics West for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
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