CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
23 January 2007
Implementation Investments
Autodesk Revs Up Production at Wild West Motor Company
Autodesk, Inc . announced that Wild West Motor Company ( Wild West ), a manufacturer of high-performance custom motorcycles, is using Autodesk AliasStudio software as an integral component of its design and manufacturing operations. The 3D design software has played an instrumental role in helping Wild West reduce the time and cost of developing new products, allowing the company to increase production by 100 per cent over a two-year period and fuel a corresponding increase in sales.
"Autodesk AliasStudio offers a way for us to drive innovative designs and bring a definitive style into our motorcycles, giving us a strong competitive advantage," said Wild West Founder Paul Seiter. "Wild West's philosophy is based on pushing the limits for new designs, and we are using Autodesk AliasStudio to take cruisers forward, challenging the norm."
Autodesk AliasStudio software is a complete solution for the creative design process. It integrates the tools designers need for the shape definition and communication processes -- from sketching to production modeling -- within an intuitive working environment.
"As a motorcycle manufacturer, we need design software that offers the ability to easily develop original and organically shaped components, supporting the design of free-flowing surfaces and shapes like fuel tanks and seats," says Seiter. "Prior to using Autodesk AliasStudio, changing a profile of a curve was time consuming; we would have to start from scratch, slowing down the entire workflow. Now, making a change to a curve 20 steps back means the entire design becomes updated at once."
Leveraging AliasStudio has allowed Wild West to keep its design processes in-house, side by side with its manufacturing facility. This allows the company to create and craft many of its own major components for its motorcycles.
"Because iterations are so easy to do in AliasStudio, we don't face the design limitations we'd encounter if we outsourced our designs," said Seiter. "We can easily take a surface model next door to our machine shop, determine what changes need to be made, and then make the alterations in AliasStudio. I estimate we save $75,000 -- not to mention weeks, or even months, of time -- on every fuel tank project we undertake by doing the design and tooling in- house instead of outsourcing."
This speed and efficiency has helped Wild West significantly accelerate time-to-market for its products. As a result, the company has been able to increase production of its motorcycles by 100 per cent since implementing Autodesk AliasStudio, and its new designs have been met with consumer interest and enthusiasm. Wild West 2006 featured models, the Dragoon and Gunfire, are garnering widespread praise and attention for their sleek design and exotic styling.
"Wild West's products are a good example of how Autodesk industrial design technology can help manufacturers make new and innovative concepts a reality," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "With AliasStudio, Wild West is bringing their designs to a maximum efficiency level without limiting their creativity, and that combination is driving both new sales and repeat business."
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