Transport systems in all sizes

Verhoeven Oss BV Engineering Works designs and manufactures internal transport systems for an international market. Its customers operate in a range of industrial sectors, including food processing, automotive and building materials. The company’s products range from small assemblies, such as small roller conveyors, all the way to entire factories, and from conveyor systems for pot lids to forklift trucks, pick-and-place units and palletizers.

The throughput of this equipment runs from thousands per minute to scores per day. “We must manage a portfolio that includes a great variety of products,” says Erik Willems, project engineer for mechanical engineering and internal automation. “The sales value of an order can be anything from a few thousand to a few million euros. We have a good reputation and a loyal customer base that operates internationally.”

CAD with integrated PLM

Quality and delivery times are two critical elements in the purchase decision for this type of equipment. The price must also be attractive. With these competitive factors in mind, Verhoeven Oss Engineering Works decided to upgrade its engineering process.

“We used AutoCAD for a long time,” Willems explains. “But it just wasn’t working for us any longer. It had become clear over the years that 2D drawings could not be maintained and were difficult to revise, and that their re-use just wasn’t happening. And that doesn’t include the drafting errors that crept in unavoidably and created manufacturing problems. Moreover, machines have become more complex and could no longer be developed properly in 2D. Ultimately, 2D was costing us money.”

Over time, Verhoeven Oss gradually acquired a number of different 3D computer-aided design (CAD) programs to meet local needs. Among these was Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Solid Edge® software, a powerful CAD solution for accelerated product design, faster revisions and better data re-use. It was used for sheet metal design among other things. In 2007, the company decided to standardize on Solid Edge, along with Teamcenter® software, a product lifecycle management (PLM) solution preconfigured for rapid development and fast return on investment, also from Siemens Digital Industries Software.

“The reason we opted for Solid Edge is that we also wanted a high-value data management infrastructure. Solid Edge is the only package for which the supplier can also provide a PLM solution that integrates perfectly with the CAD system. Moreover, the PLM system can be expanded in the future and links well with an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system,” Willems says.