The challenge
LKI Käldman develops and produces solutions for the automation of sheet metal handling. Their existing PDM solution was no longer meeting the company’s needs and there was a need to speed up the engineering process.
The solution
The story behind LKI Käldman’s implementation of the PDM System is actually quite common. The existing PDM solution was no longer meeting the company’s needs, and, after a thorough assessment, it was decided that a new solution needs to be implemented.
“We were basically looking for a better system because we had outgrown our old solution. The number of software users had grown and, over time, so had the number of files. The old PDM software no longer served us well, so we decided to look for a more effective solution. We wanted to help our engineers speed up their work, as they had been wrestling with slow software every day, which ate up their useful working hours,” explains Benny Strömberg, IT Support at LKI Käldman.
“We’ve been working together with the PLM Group since 2010. In 2015, we decided to adopt the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software. SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional dovetailed with our company’s other IT projects and systems thanks to relatively easy integration,” adds Strömberg.
From test to table
Kari Järviö, Key Account Manager for PLM Group Finland, had this to say about the implementation: “We got off to a fast start with the software implementation right after signing the agreements. We set up a test environment and had an estimated test time of roughly one week. In all, we spent around two weeks on testing. In projects like this, the biggest risk factor is when you’re transferring existing data to the new system, but, in this case, the transfer went extremely easily.”
Strömberg adds: “The PLM Group conducted a preliminary assessment of our needs, built the test environment and we tested how the system works. The transfer was seamless and the software was perfect for our needs. Engineers were given training in the use of the new software well before its implementation. It took one weekend to make the batch transfer – in other words, we started the transfer as we were heading home on Friday and it was done by Monday morning. Right away on Monday morning, our engineers could jump right in with the new software.”
LKI Käldman’s staff was provided with training for the new software over a two-day period. The first day of training was for the users and engineers and the second day was for system administrators. “Basically, one day of training was enough for us, because the software is so user-friendly. We want to keep things simple – it makes the process easy and convenient. Everything goes so much more smoothly,” says Strömberg.
Results
LKI Käldman felt that SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional was a perfect fit for the company and was exactly what they had in mind. The software has, above all, accelerated the engineering work. Daniel Häggblom, an engineer with LKI Käldman, was involved with the implementation process, in both specifying system functionality and testing the system. “With our old PDM software, files were allocated to disks, and revisions were made manually. Now, a new file is always created for revision, and sometime in the future a file and its data will be automatically linked to the ERP system. And, it’s now possible for us to open old revisions easily if we want to see what they used to look like. With the old software, it was extremely difficult to do this. All of the engineers here think that our new PDM solution is extremely fast compared to the old software, and the search tool has been found to be very useful while working. Not only that, the drawing approval process is now easier, because the work cycle is built to support our operating methods. And the new software makes distance work possible,” adds Strömberg.
Co-operation with the PLM Group continues
Both LKI Käldman and PLM Group are excited about the successful completion of the PDM project. Next in line is the development of a link from the PDM software to the ERP system, which will make it possible to transfer product structures from one system to another. The idea is to eliminate manual work between systems and minimize human error.
“The most important part of the project as a whole was that the migration from the old system went smoothly. This kind of thing is usually challenging when replacing an old system with an entirely new system. Another key aspect is that we were able to keep the project simple and short. In so many cases, these kinds of projects have a way of being complicated and user-unfriendly, whereas simple always stays functional,” says Kari Järviö.
“We are really satisfied with how the PLM Group handled the whole project. Each and every area was handled flawlessly, and we were able to start working in the new system surprisingly easily. This process was quite simply a success,” praises Strömberg.
Kari Järviö, Daniel Häggblom and Benny Strömberg
The success
- Implementation of the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional system achieved considerable savings in the time used for design
- The PDM solution provided even greater capacity for processing files
- The PLM Group implemented the solution quickly and in a manner that was extremely convenient for the customer