KLM Engineering creates bespoke engineering solutions in industries such as point of sale; shop fitting and composite secure doors. Companies such as B and Q, the GAP, Network Rail, BAA, Mercedes and the Elliot Group all rely on KLM Engineering's unique ability to quickly turn concept designs into products in less time with higher quality and at less cost than any other company.

The existing design system at KLM Engineering was proving inadequate for designing complex assemblies and lacked the functionality of more modern systems. Following an evaluation of Pro/ENGINEER and Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks was chosen for its ease of use, scaleable power and integrated manufacturing solutions.

Since using six licenses of SolidWorks Office Professional, KLM have seen a number of significant business benefits: -

• Expensive prototypes for customers have been eliminated. Now advanced visualisation capabilities within SolidWorks allow virtual prototypes to be shown to the customer and any changes made and agreed before any production work has started
  
• Bills of Material are automatically generated by SolidWorks. Estimators and quality technicians can access or view any proposals through SolidWorks data management system PDM Works
  
• Less errors, less factory floor re work and elimination of scrap
  
• Reduction in time to create and deliver new products and increased levels of new orders

SolidWorks integration with AMADA Machine tools has fully integrated the design to manufacturing process. The production department can access the latest issue of SolidWorks 3D geometry and then uses the Gold Partner product Sheet works to create the blank development, scheduling and tooling details for the Amada punch/profiling and press brake machine tools.

"Quite simply, SolidWorks does everything it says in the sales literature and we have seen a clear return on our investment in less than 12 months" said KLM Engineering's Technical Manager Tom Rix.