Leading CNC brake manufacturer aims at higher-end market by adding value to products

In order to continuously improve research and development (R&D) quality and throughput, and to expand the high-value-added customer base, in 2015 Toong-woei implemented Solid Edge software, a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) system from product lifecycle management (PLM) specialist Siemens PLM Software. As expected, the new design solution has not only enabled the company to improve its overall design capability but also to seamlessly integrate its production and assembly workflows, completely transforming the entire process from ideation and design simulation to production and assembly.

“One of the most common problems we faced back then was incorrect part sizes that required repeated modifications,” Chen says. “Though we managed to go about our business as the brake structures in those early days were relatively simple, we had to innovate and develop new products with increasingly complex structures and designs in order to survive and thrive. Time-consuming, costly and inefficient operations such as these had to be eliminated.”

Compelling 3D animations amaze customers and help win orders

“Solid Edge has enabled product development breakthroughs in our company,” says Chen. “With 3D animation and simulation, I can be fairly certain whether a new idea is practicable without even leaving my chair.” The company’s efforts gradually paid off. Now when bidding for a new order, Toong-woei can display 3D animated demonstrations that have high visual appeal and communicate product details better than the 2D drawings still commonly used in the industry.

“Now, whenever we’ve got a new idea, we use Solid Edge for design simulation, and provide customers with animated demos,” Chen notes. “High-end users who are accustomed to German and Japanese technologies are experts them-selves – they know the value embedded in these features. As long as we meet all of their requirements, the negotiation will move along, all the way down to sample testing and quotation.”

Shorter time-to-market, transitioning to high value-added business

A substantially shorter time required from ideation to simulation helps Toong-woei develop new and more competitive products more quickly. Chen cites a new in-process product as an example: a servo-electric press brake. “There are already some energy-saving press brakes on the market, but I came up with a new idea to help save even more energy,” Chen says. “So I asked designers to draw it with Solid Edge and do some experimentation. After we made sure that it was feasible, we applied for a patent and went into production at the same time.”

Solid Edge has also changed Toong-woei’s marketing approach. Today, if a new idea is proven to be practicable using Solid Edge, Chen posts the relevant animated demonstrations in the online customer community, so that interested customers can contact the company directly. In this way, the company is marketing continuously and is no longer limited to international machine tool shows that are held periodically.

Chen concludes, “We have significantly improved our creativity and capability to customize our products according to customer requirements. We are no longer solely sales-oriented, but more focused on driving up the profitability of every machine, distancing ourselves from low-price competition and pressing on with the realization of high value-added business.”