MOVIES

CONCORD, Mass., SolidWorks(r) software has become the standard for three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) in Michigan's manufacturing and engineering industries, the company announced today. Intuitive and powerful, SolidWorks offers solid modeling to thousands of users in Michigan seeking 3D CAD software that is affordable, easy to use, and easy to learn. ABB, Fanuc Robotics, Gentex, The Holland Group, and TRW are among the businesses in the state that use SolidWorks to design industrial machinery, automotive parts, medical equipment, and many other products. Facing intense competition to develop new products quickly, Michigan's engineers need a 3D CAD platform that they can use to reduce design time, analyze structural integrity, manage CAD data, and collaborate with partners. Many large CAD software resellers including DASI Solutions and FISHER/UNITECH emerged because of this growing market for reliable 3D CAD technology. These businesses sell and support SolidWorks 3D CAD software to a variety of manufacturing firms ranging from plastics to sheetmetal, semiconductor, and medical equipment vendors. "SolidWorks is spreading rapidly among manufacturers of all sizes in a broad range of industries throughout Michigan because the software combines ease of use, affordability, and precise design engineering capabilities to handle any job," said David Darbyshire, engineer and partner at SolidWorks reseller DASI Solutions. "Whether it's large assembly design or finite element analysis, SolidWorks software products help engineers do their jobs better than with other CAD products. Its analysis capabilities allow manufacturers to catch design errors earlier in the cycle, so they can reduce the number of expensive tooling iterations that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars." BorgWarner Cooling Systems, the world's largest manufacturer of cooling systems for sport utility vehicles and trucks, uses SolidWorks to communicate 3D designs between three subsidiaries. "SolidWorks brings simplicity to the communication process," said Randy Schwann, manager of CAD/PDM (product data management) systems at BorgWarner Cooling Systems. "It was easy to learn, so we brought everyone on board quickly. It also has a lower roll-out cost than the other CAD products we looked at. With facilities around the world, it's important to have everyone designing on the same platform." BorgWarner manages all of its design data and maintains version control on a global scale with SolidWorks SMARTEAM(r) PDM software. "SMARTEAM makes sure that engineers can work concurrently on the correct version of a design, whether they're in Brazil or here in Michigan, without creating errors," noted Schwann. "That's an enormous benefit for a global manufacturer." SolidWorks has shipped more than 213,000 licenses worldwide because it reduces the cost and complexity of 3D CAD. "SolidWorks is the standard for 3D CAD in Michigan because it makes engineers' jobs easier," said Mike Crismond, vice president of North American sales at SolidWorks. "Our mission is to provide engineers with 3D CAD software that is affordable and easy to use, while meeting their needs for reduced design time, faster time-to-market, and reduced production errors. The growth in Michigan in a variety of industry segments underscores how we continue to pursue that mission."