CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
25 September 2007
Implementation Investments
Richlin Machinery More Competitive with Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk, Inc . announced that Farmingdale, New York-based Richlin Machinery (trade name: OmniTurn), a custom builder of machine tools and precision machinery, is successfully using Autodesk Inventor software -- the foundation of Digital Prototyping -- to increase the speed with which it can complete projects for its customers. This reduced turnaround time gives Richlin Machinery a competitive advantage in the marketplace and allows it to win more deals and take on more business.
"Best-in-class manufacturers recognize the powerful benefits that Digital Prototyping brings to their organizations," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "With tools like Autodesk Inventor, Richlin Machinery is staying one step ahead of the competition."
"We are delighted with the way Autodesk Inventor has enhanced our performance at every stage of production," said Jeff Richlin, president of Richlin Machinery. "Thanks to Inventor, we can complete customer projects -- from initial sales meetings, through product design and development -- more effectively than ever before."
Digital Prototyping is a process that allows companies to virtually explore products before they are physically built with realistic 3D digital prototypes. These digital prototypes help Richlin Machinery communicate more effectively to customers during the sales cycle by providing customers with a realistic, accurate representation of the product to be built.
"A customer is likely to have many of their prospective questions answered when we present them with a fully constrained, mechanically functional 3D model created in Inventor," said Richlin. "By visualizing a product before it has been built -- and then sharing that visualization with the customer -- we've been able to take several weeks off of the sales cycle."
The advantages of Digital Prototyping extend into the engineering phase, where Richlin Machinery has used Inventor to design a complete product in two to three days rather than two to three weeks. Since a digital prototype leverages a single digital model, all associated conceptual, mechanical and electrical design data are integrated during the engineering phase, increasing efficiency and accuracy.
In reducing overall project turnaround time by several weeks, Inventor has helped Richlin Machinery to increase its total volume of business: the company now handles approximately ten sets of preliminary designs for customers every week and is able to complete an entire project, from start to finish, in three to four weeks -- a precedent for the company.
Based on its positive experience, Richlin Machinery has formed an Autodesk Inventor User Group for members of the machine tool industry that allows the Inventor community to share expertise and insight.
"Our Autodesk Inventor User Group gives us access to industry brainpower and is an invaluable resource," said Richlin. "Everyone from engineers to C-level executives has been able to learn from one another and see how Inventor can positively impact their particular area of the business, whether it's reducing product development time or increasing the bottom line."
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