Suretank selects Autodesk PLM 360

Suretank Ltd. is a world leading manufacturer of CCU’s (Cargo Carrying Units) for the Offshore Oil Industry and now new users of Autodesk PLM 360.

Established 1995 in Ireland to supply the North Sea, the company is a global supplier with design and manufacturing facilities in Ireland, UK, Poland, Thailand and China as well as sales offices in USA, Norway and Brazil. Suretank’s product range includes Chemicaland Acid transport tanks, Helifuel tanks, offshore Containers, Baskets, Mudskips and Cryogenic tanks.

Suretank Horizontal Chemical Tanks

Suretank’s customer base includes most of the major service, rental, exploration and production companies in the offshore industry. Their units are found worldwide in places such as the North Sea, West Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Caspian, Sakhalin sea, India, Australia, Middle East and the Far East.

Manufacturing & Delivering Products Worldwide

Further from Thailand to The North Sea, from Poland to the People’s Republic of China, Suretank have designed, manufactured and installed specialist CCU tanks for some of the world’s leading oil producing companies.

No mean feat you might say, but what really sets them apart is the fact that they also have engineers working on the ground in all of the areas they supply. This ensures that they can provide the highest level of service and advice to their customers, whenever they need it and wherever they might be.

SC 2000 is a robust T75 tank used to transport bulk cryogenic liquids to offshore rigs

So this week I met up with David Keeley, Engineering Manager for Suretank to discuss Autodesk PLM 360 and how they are getting on.


Mike: Hi David, tell me about your experience with Autodesk PLM 360. So far, what are your thoughts, first impressions?

David: Hi Mike. Having used some other PLM solutions before I was probably a little bit cynical about some of the things that Autodesk was saying PLM 360 could do 'out of the box' with no customisation and minimal configuration. That cynicism was gone within about an hour of starting to use the system. There was a real 'wow' experience as the value opportunities for Suretank became immediately obvious. It was the same for all of the other people in the workshop I attended. Even though we were all from different industries with different needs and problems, within a few hours everyone started talking about how PLM 360 could be used to solve their own particular problems. It's a very powerful solution.

Mike: Thanks David! Really great to hear your comments. Can you tell me about some of the processes that you're going manage in Autodesk PLM 360?

David: Initially we're going to concentrate on the Engineering and Quality functions in the Dunleer (Ireland) facility. Over time we'll implement the system to perform other functions and at all the other global sites. It's important that we first tackle the areas where PLM 360 can provide the most value for Suretank. A good example is our 'Sales Handover' process. The 'Sales Handover' is the specification document that Sales issues to Engineering at the start of a new contract. The data in the document is used to create a more comprehensive and detailed 'Technical Specification'. At the moment, this part of the process involves significant manual data re-entry. PLM 360 will eliminate this. Additionally there will be a more robust change process around these items so that we're always dealing with the latest customer requirements. PLM 360 also allows us to create processes and 'forms' that exactly match how we're doing things now. Except that now in PLM 360 it will be controlled, more efficient, traceable and repeatable. This will make the transition much easier for internal stakeholders. 

Mike: How have you found the cloud based and configurable nature of Autodesk PLM 360?

David: We're already using some 'cloud' applications in Suretank. Eventually PLM 360 will replace most of them. There's little resistance to cloud-based applications now. There certainly hasn't been any within Suretank as everyone can see how a cloud based solution fits perfectly within our global organisation. As I said earlier, I have some experience with other PLM systems and I'm delighted not to have to deal with the pains that accompany hosting a large PLM system on a local server!! With respect to the 'configurable' nature of PLM 360 - I think I read somewhere that Autodesk has described the system as 'insanely configurable'? I think that's about right. It's very flexible while remaining intuitive and easy to use. There's still some things that I'd like to see added but the product development team have been very responsive to my requests.

Mike: Thanks David, looking at the No.1 image above I'm really excited to work with you over the coming months, and making sure that the 8th reason for you being on top is the use of Autodesk PLM 360! Look forward to catching up soon.

Thanks for reading...Mike

Autodesk 'Open Doors' Revolutionise your business

I'd like to introduce our Autodesk 'Open Doors' Product Lifecycle Management event. Please join us and our special guests for a day of strategic discussions and information sharing that aims to help you revolutionise your business and improve your processes. Perhaps you’re an expert in PLM but you are still trying to improve some key processes more flexibly and cost effectively, or maybe you suspect PLM could be good for your business but have always believed it’s too big, too complicated, and too expensive and maybe you just want to learn more. 

Whatever your situation, attending one of our PLM ‘Open Doors’ events will be time well spent. 


Germany: 
http://www.autodeskplm360.de/events/autodesk-plm-open-doors-event-serie/

UK & Nordics:          http://www.autodeskplm360.co.uk/events/autodesk-open-doors-product-lifecycle-management-event-series/

Event Date & Locations:

Dortmund, 31/10, with CIMData                              
Munich, 15/11
Stuttgart, 27/11

Gothenburg, 7/11, with CIMData
Aarhus, 21/11   

Oxford, 1 /11, with CIMData
Manchester, 21/11

Information about our independent key note speaker, CIMData, can be found here http://www.cimdata.com/about/company_profile.html

Where CIMData is not present, Autodesk will present highlights from their presentation

The German events will be held in German.  UK and Nordics events in English.


Session Times:
08:00 - 11:00 - Morning session (incl. breakfast)
11:00 - 13:00 - Morning 1:1 discussion slots
13:00 - 16:00 - Afternoon session (incl. lunch)
16:00 - 18:00 - Afternoon 1:1 discussion slots

Event Cost:
Free of Charge

Who should attend:
VP/Director Engineering
VP/Director Quality
VP/Director R&D
VP/Director Operations
Product/Project Management Leaders

Thanks for reading....Mike

Space Group selects Autodesk PLM 360

This week I visited Rob Charlton (Chief Executive) and Adam Ward (Technology Leader) from Space Group, BIM specialists and new users of Autodesk PLM 360.

 Laser survey of Manchester Town Hall

Mike: Morning guys great to meet you both, after chatting via twitter for the last few years, it's good to put a face to the twitter name! Can you tell me about Space group and the companies background?

Rob: Space group started out a Waring and nets Partnership in the 1950s. Over the past 15 years we have evolved into space group. This process has occurred through our passion for finding more efficient ways of designing, delivering and operation building. Whilst there is a huge amount of talent in the UK construction industry we do continue to do things inefficiently. We are passionate about using technology to achieve our goals.

_space group now includes space architecture who have been an early adopter of BIM and now exclusively use 3D software on all projects. BIM technologies specialise in developing applications to assist in the delivery of projects as well providing support to the whole construction supply chain to deliver BIM. BIMstore.co.uk is an on line library of BIM components. We also have spacehus within the group who specialise in pre fabricated buildings.

Baltic Place Gateshead Quayside

Mike: So what does a typical project look like and do you specialise in any particular area?

Rob: There is no such thing as a typical project however what is constant is our passion to use the latest techniques and technologies to improve the outcomes for our clients.
We work across several sectors and have offices across the UK. Our clients are across the public and private sector. Most of our clients share our passion for improved outcomes and are a central part in delivering innovation.

Laser model of Manchester town hall

Mike: I Really like that approach Rob, so tell me about your experience with Autodesk PLM 360 so far, what are your thoughts?

Rob: We are relatively new to Autodesk PLM 360 and it has taken a few weeks to get our head around how we can apply it to the construction sector. The manufacturing industry operated in a more controlled and structured way. We always use the processes of manufacturing as an example of what the construction industry should be considering. The power of Autodesk PLM360 is obvious to see. However the challenge is how the established processes and procedures in construction can be tipped on their head to deliver improved outcomes. We are now developing a roadmap which will get us to this point. We are starting with some small projects and plan to develop these over time to encapsulate the whole project lifecycle.

Spacehus pre fabricated buildings

Mike:  Can you tell me about some of the processes that you're going manage in Autodesk PLM 360 and what results you think you will achieve?

Rob: In the first instance we are starting with the quotation and delivery cycle for BIM store. This is small enough to manage and will show benefits. We then plan to move onto a construction project and look to develop a Project Execution Plan.
As the manufacturing process for spacehus develops we will look to develop a workflow to manage the complete cycle from order to completion. We also intend to move the whole design process onto Autodesk PLM 360  We acknowledge this is quite a challenge but believe it is achievable.

We are also planning to partner with some construction partners who have expressed an interest. The management of workflows on site during construction will benefit significantly from this new thinking. Autodesk PLM 360 will allow the processes to be far better integrated. At present so many processes and procedures in construction are disjointed leading to errors and waste.

240 Blackfriars BIM

Mike: Excellent I'm looking forward to working with you on these projects. How have you found the cloud based and configurable nature of Autodesk PLM 360?

Rob: We see all of our business moving to the cloud. One of the major selling points of Autodesk PLM 360 is the ease of use. The potential is in effect, only limited by your thinking. We have no issues with the software more how we can change our processes to benefit. We were able to start developing workflows within half an hour.

Cramlington Junior Learning Village

Mike: Do you think Autodesk PLM 360 could become the standard offering in your industry?

Rob: Autodesk PLM 360 is an excellent and flexible tool. It can be configured to suit individual needs. There will be a move to the cloud in the next few years. BIM has encourage new thinking across the industry, as well as the influx of some fresh new minds. The industry will become more joined up and will see the benefit of joined up workflows. I believe we are seeing the start of the next generation of development in the industry which I refer to as BIM2.0. We have moved beyond 3D platforms and are now looking at cloud based solutions. Autodesk PLM 360 will play a large part in this change.

Mike: Thanks Rob, catch up with you next month to see how things are shaping up.

Thanks for reading....Mike

Autodesk PLM 360 and Cheeky Monkey

This week I met with Nina Dar the Managing Director of Cheeky Monkey business solutions, I've known Nina for many years and prior to my role at Autodesk we met at many occasions at events like PLM Innovation. We share a mutual interest in PLM and discussed many best practices for Innovation. So after joining Autodesk I was really excited to show Nina Autodesk PLM 360 and get her team using our product.

Mike: Hi Nina, we've know each other for many years but could you tell my readers about you and Cheeky Monkey?

Nina: I describe myself as a Business Architect; it's a term used in the US for people who have the rare combination of business knowledge, process experience, transformation talents, methodology skills, and a winning personality that helps with communication and business change management.   You have to take the Americanism "winning personality" in the spirit it is meant, as you know Mike, I'm not a wallflower! Really it’s the latest name for those individuals who have had accidental careers not ever really fitting into a conventional business structure but sticking their hands up for every business changing project they can get stuck into, refusing to get side-lined by protocol and delivering dazzling results...that's me and you!.


A loud and proud Mancunian from the blue side of the city, I have spent the last 20 years taking ballsy decisions with some of the biggest (and smallest) companies in this country and all over the world, including some of the toughest places like Nigeria, Ghana and Indonesia.  Always described as a “wild card” I was head-hunted for projects no-one else knew what to do with. My approach was and still is seen as unconventional, but I think it’s just common sense. Few disagree with the fact that I am direct, uncompromising and fearless.

I felt my peer group was dull and uninspiring, so I set up Cheeky Monkey Business Solutions in 2004 www.cheeky-monkey.co to show the world that business change projects can be delivered differently. Cheeky Monkey delivers a human approach to innovation and change in four key areas; transformation, project management, innovation and PLM.  It has a client list that includes Boots, Unilever, Bibby Distribution, John West, PZ Cussons and many smaller businesses that are just doing exciting things.

Mike: So 'PLM made simple' is a solution that I really like, how did it start and what does it offer businesses?

Nina: We were delivering a number of different projects for PZ Cussons; moving one of their manufacturing sites, new build programmes, new processes, ways of working and re-energising brands and they asked us to direct their PLM project.  We hadn't heard about PLM, so we did our research and became very excited by the prospect of doing this, it seemed to be a culmination of everything we did, in our eyes PLM was about joining the dots in throughout a business allowing everyone to work in a shared space.  We could see the benefits immediately.

Sadly, PZC had already purchased a PLM software (a little back to front in our eyes) and we had to make it work.  This became a labour of love!  I became so involved in the concept of PLM, since in my eyes it had been so ill defined by the software providers, and the battle between what business need and what it could be if not for the constraints of the software.  I designed workshops, processes, ways of working and change management structures that would allow the business to see success and started to talk openly about my frustrations at PLM conferences...which I think is where we first met you...kindred spirits!

PLM Made Simple is a concept that cuts through the bull in this space.  It focuses on modern business, people who are really interested in collaboration, open innovation and taking their business to its next level.  Adopting PLM is like a game of snakes and ladders; get it right and you short cut so many things that accelerate your business potential; get it wrong and you go backwards, sadly we have had to rescue too many people who have chosen those snakes. 

Mike: Love the snakes and ladder concept! Sounds great. So you have seen Autodesk PLM 360 and we have discussed MANY topics. What's your first impression?

Nina: Seriously, it does all of that!  It's not often I'm lost for words but as you took me through what you have done with this tool and what it's capable of I was thinking AT LAST, someone has listened to what business needs in this area!!

Mike: Thanks Nina, we sure are excited about Autodesk PLM 360. Do you think that our approach will benefit your existing customer base and can you see Autodesk PLM 360 fitting into your business model?

Nina: You were very kind Mike when you said I was ahead of my time with PLM Made Simple, it would be great to combine that approach with Autodesk PLM 360, I think there is a perfect fit and I sense that the outcome would make the business involved very successful. 

Mike: Well, I brought a  book with me today called 'Transform Your Business' that’s written by you. This book looks really great, can you sign it ! Jokes aside how did this all come about?

Nina: Haha, of course! Alison from Hodder called me on April 1st 2010 and asked me if I'd been signed up yet?  I thought it was one of my mates playing an April Fool joke on me. After that embarrassing mistake they still wanted me to write a book for them!!  They had followed my blog and liked the Cheeky Monkey style, they gave me free reign to write an easy to follow guide to business transformation, all joking aside its something I'm very proud of having a book published is on everyone's bucket list I think. 


Mike: So next steps, how do you intend to use Autodesk PLM 360 in your business and which customers can you see will have an immediate need?

Nina: Some of our clients have really struggled to get the headline benefits from adopting various PLM software solutions and I would love to show them Autodesk PLM 360 and see if it would make a difference to what they are trying to achieve.  As we discussed Mike, I too had been suffering a bit of battle fatigue with PLM and it's not really been the focus of our business recently, but I feel really excited about what I have seen with Autodesk PLM 360 and my mind is already turning ideas over on how we could get more involved again, so watch this space!

Thanks Nina, and lets catch up next month to see how things are progressing

Thanks for reading...Mike

Take PLM With You - Cinemagraphs

With the convenience of the cloud, you can use Autodesk PLM 360 when you’re on location and outside of the office. Never again let an off-site visit prevent you from doing your job. Keep your projects on track with easy approvals and don’t let your timelines suffer.


Whether you design and manufacture bespoke components (JWA Tooling, Roulunds Braking), create inspiring buildings (David Miller Architects), produce products for the motorsport Industry, (Titan Motorsports), design custom yacht interiors (SMI group), create t-shirts (Maison Twenty) or sunglasses (Marcello Martino), count votes at elections (DRS), supply digital media signage, websites, or mobile apps (Beaver Group) you can now discover how PLM could be right for you. 

Use our Discovery Tool today to see what Autodesk PLM 360 can do for you and your company.Thank you for stopping by and enjoying our cinemagraph series. We hoped that you enjoyed the fun new way to tell the Autodesk PLM 360 story. To stay updated on the latest Autodesk PLM 360 news and updates, subscribe to our social media channels.

Thanks for reading...Mike

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PLM To-Go - Cinemagraphs

Keeping up with our transportation theme, you can use Autodesk PLM 360 on a train, boat or plane. When your data is in the cloud, you can work almost anywhere with easy access to your data stored in your PLM.

From the beaches of Ibiza ! to being stuck at the airport waiting for a connecting flight, you don’t have to miss a beat when you have Autodesk PLM 360.

SMI Group replies on the fact that they can access their PLM data anywhere, anytime and on any device. With their super yachts located miles from the office they don't have to worry about bringing all the data with them, with PLM360 they have access on the move. 

Use our Discovery Tool today to see what Autodesk PLM 360 can do for you and your company.

Don’t forget to come back on Friday for our final cinemagraph. 

Thanks for reading....Mike

Something New With PLM - Cinemagraphs

Since Autodesk PLM 360 is all about doing things differently, we decided to do something new. We decided to develop a series of cinemagraphs as a fun new way to tell the Autodesk product lifecycle management story. 

Cinemagraphs are still photographs where a subtle animation occurs. For this week we have 3 to share with you, I will reveal a new cinemagraph on Wednesday and Friday.

Autodesk PLM 360 is accessible from planes, trains and anywhere there is an Internet connection from any device including mobile phones, tablets to laptops. For example, Beaver Group one of our customers, uses Autodesk PLM 360 to streamline their processes in order to manage design, project management and installation process of their digital menus and signs. Being able to access their PLM while on the move is a big benefit to Beaver Group.

Autodesk PLM 360 is also a perfect fit, not only is it accessible on the move, but it allows them to configure the software to fit with the ever changing demands and requirements from their customers while on site. Beaver group intends to capture and manage the entire design process from the initial sketches done on site at the customer, all the way through the compliance checking once the installation is complete. 

The great thing about cinemagraphs is that they are meant to be shared so feel free to embed on your blog or pass along to your colleagues. 

Follow my blog for the next one on Wednesday

Thanks for reading...Mike

David Miller Architects combines BIM and Autodesk PLM 360

This week I visited David Miller (Director & Principal Architect) and Fiona Clark (Practice Director) from David Miller Architects, based in London and new users of Autodesk PLM360.

Mike: Hi David, Hi Fiona, thanks for meeting me today and sharing your thoughts on the Autodesk PLM 360 experience! Can you tell me about DMA and the company’s background?

Fiona: The practice was set up in 2000 by David shortly after he completed the Media Centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground when he was the Project Architect for this Stirling Prize winning building at Future Systems. The structure was the world’s first monocoque aluminium building and the knowledge that David gained from this experience, along with his work on earlier projects with the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, helped develop his expertise in complex three dimensional problem solving. This has been a major influence on our practice’s approach where we combine 3D skills with new technology to enhance the design of everyday buildings. The office is now a thriving team of fourteen and we are based in the heart of London’s West End which is a great place to be.

David Miller offices in London, UK

Lord’s Media Centre

Mike: Can you tell me a little bit about your products and what you specialise in?

David: At DMA we place equal value on design and delivery excellence and we have a strong track record of producing inspiring designs which has earned us high-profile repeat clients. We work on a range of building types and in the past few years we’ve enjoyed focusing on schools, housing, hotels and mixed-use projects. Having said that, we love applying our grey matter to a fresh challenge! To come up with the best design solution we work through a number of different options with our clients. In recent years we’ve made a big break through in making this whole process more efficient by being early adopters of BIM (Building Information Modelling) technology. This means that we design everything in 3D from the outset and build a virtual prototype of the building in the computer before it starts on site. Using Autodesk’s Revit and their suite of BIM tools, we are able to communicate our ideas much more easily to clients which gives them confidence to make decisions and they can see exactly how their finished building will look. Also by prototyping the building we are able to iron out all the potential problems which means the construction process runs smoothly and avoids costly delays. As a result we’re winning new business with existing and new clients because this approach brings tangible benefits to their projects.

George Eliot School – BIM of a new school in Westminster showing the structure and the architecture with classroom and furniture layouts

Mike: How do you think Autodesk PLM 360 will help you?

Fiona: As a relatively small architectural practice we’ve always believed that having robust systems and procedures has helped us punch above our weight. Essentially this means that our team can really focus on the design aspect of the job which is where we add value, whilst the strong infrastructure means that jobs run smoothly and there are no distractions. We think that Autodesk PLM 360 will fit in perfectly with this approach and really compliment our existing ISO9001 accredited Quality Management System. Also because we already use a lot of Autodesk products we know that they are user friendly and Autodesk PLM 360 is just as intuitive.

Design Team Meeting – reviewing the virtual building to resolve problems

Mike: Sounds great, can you tell me about some of the processes that you are going manage in Autodesk PLM 360?

Fiona: There are two angles that we are really keen to explore. Firstly the technical project development process where it should provide a well structured framework within which we can communicate and store information about the building as it evolves. Building design is a very collaborative process so having a system that allows us to share information easily, but in a structured manner with the other consultants, our client and the contractor is very appealing.  Secondly from a project administration point of view we think there could be some major benefits to us in developing and managing information to do with fee proposals and appointments and generally strengthening these processes. 

Project/Portfolio Management apps

Request for Information (RFI) app showing the workflow map

Elgin Estate – initial proposal to add new roof top extensions and community facilities to a large housing estate in Westminster

Mike: Do you think Autodesk PLM 360 is good for your industry and will it help you and your customers be more productive? 

David: Like most other sectors, it’s a tough trading environment in construction so we are constantly seeking new innovative ways through technology to find efficiencies in what we do and to make us a more competitive part of our customers’ supply chains. Adopting BIM has had this effect and we’ve seen the benefits of that. We think that adopting Autodesk PLM 360 is a natural progression and believe that it will help us to streamline our processes even further and potentially allow us to offer new project management services to our customers as well which will help them be more efficient too.

CityWest Homes Area Service Centre -  model shows the client services locations in the building to help with facilities management. 

Mike: Ok so tell me something random/interesting about DMA!!

Fiona: Not sure how much we should reveal here! Something which we are really excited about right now are Epson’s new see-through glasses (or X Ray Spex as we like to call them!). We work closely with the product design studio Keech Design discussing new product development and they have just given us a pair of the new Moverio glasses to trial. They allow you to enter a virtual world through vision and sound whilst still being able to interact normally in your real environment and we’re sure there must be a way that we can use them to advance how we work. As you can imagine we’re having a lot of fun playing with them and there seem to be plenty of non-work related ideas too – as a team we’re fond of a karaoke evening (yes we really are!) we can definitely see scope for Moverio there!

Great to meet you guys and I'll look forward to catching up with you in the next few months.

Thanks for reading...Mike

JWA Tooling selects Autodesk PLM 360

This week I visited JWA tooling, a company close to my heart, and one of our Autodesk PLM 360 customers. Prior to Autodesk, I spent 20 years working in the manufacturing and construction industries so to visit one of our true UK manufactures and long-time Autodesk Inventor users was great. Talking about apprenticeships, tools, shadow graphs and topless calendars…I could go on for hours! They have been around since 1985 and are a truly innovative company and manufacturing institution. They specialise in design and manufacture of special purpose ECM machines and tooling. Their CNC machines run 7 days a week and as you walk around the shop floor the sounds and smell of coolant let you know you are in a company that designs and manufactures products that really improve the way we do things.

So I caught up with John and Pete Wood, owners of JWA tooling, to find out more and to learn how they’re using Autodesk PLM 360.

John Wood - As quoted by all the staff at JWA, “The Brains” of the organisation!

Pete Wood  -  Will be using Autodesk PLM360 to capture and share all of 'The Brains' knowledge with all of the staff at JWA Tooling.  

Mike: So, morning guys, great pleasure to meet you. We have chewed the fat enough about the old days, so tell me more about JWA Tooling.

Pete: JWA Tooling is a family business established in 1985 from the loft of MD John Wood, and specialises in the manufacture and development of EDM /ECM tooling and machinery and subcontract manufactures for emerging technologies in the alternative energy industry. Historically, we have worked on mission critical aerospace, automotive and military projects.

Capturing the detailed product knowledge in Autodesk PLM 360 will allow new starters and existing staff to innovate faster and work on any of the products that JWA produces

Mike: Tell me a little bit about your products.

John: The nature of our business gives us the opportunity to manufacture a vast array of products which are high in complexity yet small in quantity. They are typically produced by CNC milling, turning and wire EDM (electrical discharge machining) methods and many of the components we produce are used as tooling for producing air film cooling holes on jet engine blades. We also manufacture components for hydrogen fuel cell engines and equipment for producing stress free internal features on a range of advanced diesel fuel system components.

As long-time users of Autodesk Inventor, JWA has the ability to help their customers visualise the design in 3D, with great success. With tools like Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Inventor Publisher they are exceeding their customers’ expectations.

Mike: Why do you need PLM? 

Using PLM360 via mobile tablet (ipad, android etc) to make sharing the data to the shop floor easy and accessible

John: Knowledge is the most valuable asset in any successful business and due to the alarming rate that manufacturing is declining in this country engineering knowledge is particularly valuable. Each time an engineer retires he/she takes away a lifetime of job knowledge which was previously accessible to everyone. Furthermore, with skill being a scarce commodity we need a way of recording job knowledge and process methods to create a resource to tap into whenever we need it. With Autodesk PLM 360, Autodesk has helped us create that much needed resource.    

Using the quality apps 'Out of the Cloud' powered by Autodesk PLM 360, JWA Tooling is able to keep track of inspection tools and machines.

Using the new product introduction app powered by PLM360, JWA Tooling is able to capture every detail of the design process, from design intent, material selection and assembly processes.

Mike: Can you tell me about your first steps?

Pete: We were lucky enough to get to work with Autodesk to develop an app to capture all of the information we needed to store regarding job knowledge. Once we had that in place we started to think in depth about the work we do and how we achieve certain tasks and as jobs popped up we recorded the methods we used ready for the next guy to pick up in the future.  The great thing about Autodesk PLM 360 is that we’re able pull together existing set up sheets, etc. and throw in additional images, video links to web resources, plus add notes about techniques used with 8500 products or so in our catalogue. For us, PLM is going to be work in progress for some time but it’s totally worth it.

Once of the many CNC machines in action

Mike: So How's it going?

Pete: Really well actually. Like all of the Autodesk products used here, we found PLM 360 really intuitive while creating customised data logs and accessing the info is really easy. Showing people how to use it and access what they need has been easily achievable too.

Mike: Ok. What’s next?

The vision is to give every CNC machine operator direct access to PLM360 on every machine station

Pete: Currently we use a very basic spreadsheet system to keep up to date with calibration records for our inspection kit and we also use a separate system to log job specific inspection procedures. We can clearly see that PLM 360 has some very powerful tools to manage this data for us and prod us when a piece of kit needs calibrating or taking out of circulation, etc. We hope to implement that element of PLM 360 in the coming months. In the long term, we anticipate that we can roll out a device for each user / machine to put the knowledge at everyone’s fingertips. This is something that we have been looking to do for a long time. PLM 360 will enable us to install a centralised database to do this and thus eliminates a maintenance hassle and training on multiple systems. Being cloud-based, PLM 360 removes restrictions in hardware needed and we can access our data from any device that can connect to the web running on any operating system. 

Thanks guys and catch up soon to see how your doing..

Thanks for reading, Mike

Maison Twenty Selects Autodesk PLM 360

Maison Twenty is a visionary unit comprising twenty emerging artists/designers from the UK. From multi-disciplined backgrounds, each artist has designed a collaboration of T-shirts that can be now seen in Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, London.  Founded by artist Dannielle Hodson, Kevin Dixie - Managing director of Fuelmywebsite and Peter Joyce - Managing director of TOT Shirts. Maison Twenty is supported by one of the UK’s largest garment printers, TOT Shirts Ltd.

Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, London

Maison Twenty is distinctly different with its approach to t-shirt decoration - seeing them as artistic platforms. Ranges have been created for the brand by some of UK’s most exciting artists - each from different artistic backgrounds - video art,make-up, costume, fashion, illustration, punk, typography and photography to
name a few.

Antonia Rudebeck - Antonia has been a make-up artist for several years,  she has worked alongside many high profile photographers shooting for editorails such as Vogue and Nylon.

This unique collaboration of artists includes David Bray (featured in the recent Absolut television and press campaign), Mark Hayward (work recently sold in the high profile Macmillan De'Longhi Art Auction, Bonham’s London), Cameron Loeb
(Loeb Hosiery, costume designer at the notorious Box Nightclub Soho), Paolita (London Fashion Week), Holestar, Quilla Constance (Saatchi emerging artist of the week) Atoi Arts creative duo (currently exhibiting in Dasha Zhukova’s The Garage for contemporary culture in Moscow) and many more.

Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, London

So what has this got to do with PLM, I hear you ask!

Maison Twenty was looking for a cloud based solution to manage their products, designers, supply chain and product launches they looked around at some client based programs but with no success. They needed a way to easily share and collaborate with all the people that are part of the maison twenty group, and capture information in realtime from the shopfloor and warehouses.

After searching around the web for London based designers they came across my blog post on Marcello Martino's use of PLM 360 and knew within 5 minutes then that Autodesk had a solution that would help them.

"Being a startup business PLM360 is everything we need to manage our products and supply chain. I had no idea what PLM was but Autodesk made it easy to understand ” Dannielle Hodson - Founder and Creative Director, Maison Twenty

Product Launches are a complex process involving many people from the designers that design the product, to the manufactures that make it and the store that needs to stock it. All of this has a lifecycle and PLM360 is perfect to be able to manage the approval process and track progress.

One of the new Product Lines that will use PLM 360 to launch at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, London

I'll be popping into London next month to see how they are getting on and picking up myself some new t-shirts for the summer! 

Thanks for reading...Mike