Stock Redler moves to Autodesk data management
1 min read
Significant productivity gains across engineering design and production, as well as an ability to move gradually from old to new technology were the reasons for bulk material handling plant manufacturer Stock Redler choosing Autodesk Inventor and Productstream. Brian Tinham reports
Significant productivity gains across engineering design and production, as well as an ability to move gradually from old to new technology were the reasons for bulk material handling plant manufacturer Stock Redler choosing Autodesk Inventor and Productstream.
The Stock group says it’s standardising on the solutions at its facilities in the UK, US and India to get seamless workflow all the way from configuration to production.
Says operations director Ian Woolf: “We decided we wanted to do things in a planned, gradual way. We needed to learn to walk before we could run. Because Autodesk Inventor Series includes the latest version of AutoCAD Mechanical as well as Inventor, we can stage our migration to 3D according to the project and skills available. This will enable us to minimise any downtime.”
Woolf says the same applies to the Productstream data management software, with implementation in stages, beginning with the work-in-progress module. “Eventually we will probably link this to our MRP system, but we can now do this when we are ready, rather than rushing into it.”
For him, Inventor was the most cost-effective choice, not least because of the support and flexibility he gets from Autodesk engineers. “The whole world uses Autodesk products and it is very reassuring that the transfer of our legacy data from AutoCAD won’t be an issue,” he says.
As for the benefits, he says: “Its visualisation capability, design acceleration, centre of gravity calculations, automatic weight generation and parametrics will all help us to work quicker and capture knowledge as we go. Once we have drawn the basic models, the parametrics will help us maximise the use of our core components. For example, we often need to add liners or change the plate thickness and this can now be done so much quicker.”
Woolf’s team is already working on the design and development of a new Redler chain conveyor using the 3D tools. “I am able to easily bring in standard 3D components from sub-contractors and suppliers, which is also helping to speed up the work,” he says.
