Goldacres Engineering Enhances Engineering Efficiency and Data Management with SOLIDWORKS PDM

Over the years Goldacres has grown as a company and with this growth, the Engineering department also grew significantly. In the early years, the Engineering department consisted of around 3 engineers and it was relatively easy to manage projects, CAD files, etc. By early 2024, the Engineering department expanded to 20 CAD users.

With so many CAD users of varying levels of experience, it became increasingly challenging to manage major projects and CAD data. The poor filing structure along with the increased number of users meant that the Engineering department would continually have ‘Write Access’ conflicts and have issues locating and maintaining legacy CAD data due to poor file structure.

Goldacres chose SOLIDWORKS PDM over other solutions primarily due to its seamless integration with SOLIDWORKS, which the company exclusively used for 3D design. They conducted a thorough Return on Investment (ROI) study and comprehensive analysis of their engineering process, considering functions like:

• Opening, saving and sharing write access to CAD data
• Searching for CAD data
• Automating part number process
• Automation of PDF and DXF
• Automation of Engineering Change process

Partnering with Central Innovation (Ci), Goldacres implemented SOLIDWORKS PDM with meticulous planning.
After committing to the PDM implementation with Central Innovation, Goldacres was provided with a project plan scoped to their exact requirements. This assisted Goldacres with the planning of the following:

1. Data card design
2. Part number allocation process
3. Workflows
4. New CAD Vault file structure
5. Planning of users and user groups

Central Innovation were on-site at Goldacres for the set-up and conducted detailed training with the Admin group to ensure the team were fully aware of all capabilities of the solution.

The implementation process happened in parallel to Goldacres engineering department continuing to work as normal. The implementation process, including data migration, was carefully managed to minimise disruption, with only a brief period of limited CAD access during migration.

PDM was new to most engineers at Goldacres, so comprehensive trainings were delivered by Central Innovation, based on which detailed internal procedure documentation was carried out, facilitating smooth adoption. Regular training sessions and continuous communication ensured that the engineering team remained informed and adapted effectively to the new system.

Since implementing SOLIDWORKS PDM, Goldacres has seen immediate benefits in CAD file sharing efficiency, reduced errors, and faster data retrieval. Automated part number allocation streamlined processes previously managed through excel spreadsheets, enhancing overall productivity.

The implementation allowed them to restructure their CAD data to a better organised layout. It makes finding CAD files much quicker. PDM also has great search functions. Searching via part description is a great feature.

The ability for multiple users to have the same CAD files open at the same time and only have ‘write access’ to the files they need is a major efficiency gain.

Prior to PDM, moving data or re-structuring files was next to impossible. The ability to freely move files and folders without breaking CAD links is a major benefit.

Although specific dollar figures weren’t disclosed, Goldacres anticipates recovering the investment in SOLIDWORKS PDM within approximately one year.

The system’s efficiency gains and improved data management capabilities are expected to positively impact the company’s bottom line.

Reflecting on his experience, Jonathan Roberts, Engineering Manager, Goldacres advises other companies to not delay adopting PDM systems.

He recommends cleaning up CAD data prior to migration to facilitate smoother migration and implementation.

Additionally, he highlights the importance of choosing a knowledgeable and experienced partner like Central Innovation for a stress-free and successful implementation process.