Economic downturn drives change in strategy

Przedsiębiorstwo Projektowania i Realizacji Goster (Goster) is a Poland-based design and contracting company, whose main business is manufacturing state-of-art machinery and providing quality services to its customers. The company strives to develop robust, cost-optimized solutions that meet user expectations in accordance with a basic principle that any success requires a balanced combination of human resources and appropriate equipment. Initially, Goster was focused on designing machines and tools for the mining industry. However, just before Poland joined the European Union in 2004, the company decided to realign its core business, because it viewed the food industry as the most promising sector in terms of growth opportunities.

After an early period of prosperity, Goster’s business was disrupted by the global economic downturn in 2008. Facing fewer orders from formerly thriving enterprises, Goster sought a way to limit the negative impact of the recession and support ongoing company growth. Therefore, the company decided to refocus on designing and manufacturing machines for the mining industry. The strategy paid off.

Solid Edge tested best

With the shift of its manufacturing strategy and new emphasis on the mining market, Goster searched for an appropriate, easy-to-use 3D design tool. After having tested several systems, the company chose Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Solid Edge® software, which provides the industry’s most complete hybrid 2D/3D CAD technology. “We wanted to expand our business with new machines and equipment, so we were looking for 3D software that would help us present our new solutions to customers,” says Anna Pater, Goster’s owner. “After a month of testing applications from three different vendors, we came to the conclusion that Solid Edge was the most easy-to-use CAD software solution.”

Because Goster’s innovative designs and modifications required changes at every stage of product development, the company wanted software that would easily handle design changes. That requirement was readily realized using the software’s synchronous technology functionality. Using Solid Edge, Goster also developed designs and related documentation substantially faster. “The unique characteristics of our industry require us to take an individual approach to every customer project,” explains Pater. “In the beginning of each process, customers provide us with their expectations and assumptions. We can quickly showcase customer requirements and key project assumptions. During the customer consultation phase, we can demonstrate how products will look and operate by showing them 3D models, and in the process validate agreed-upon principles and design-related needs. Using Solid Edge also makes it easy to develop documentation in as little as two to three weeks for assemblies with as many as a thousand parts.”