Acergy engineers global Autodesk CAD solution

This project, which was part of its exercise to standardise IT resources across all its international sites, was carried out with assistance from Autodesk partner Imass. As well as moving from several stand-alone licences to a consolidated shared network, Acergy has also updated its CAD software with the latest versions of AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical and Autodesk Inventor across its global network. The implementation of the new integration products will help to increase productivity with an expectation of a rapid return on investment. Colin Watson, director of design solutions for Imass, says that significant savings have come from standardisation of versions, with centralised administration also bringing big benefits. He says, for example, that Acergy's IT departments can now implement upgrades remotely – especially valuable when it comes to dealing with software at remote locations. "With increasing globalisation, many businesses can suddenly find themselves with a myriad of different CAD systems and versions, leading to lack of communication, inability to exchange drawings and money being wasted through outdated licensing agreements," comments Watson. "Acergy's experience shows how it pays to examine what can be done – and do it."