ARB

Automotive component manufacturer drives down time to market

ARB has reduced its time-to-market by two-thirds as a result of its computer-aided design and manufacturing implementation from Intercad part of Central Innovation.

Who

ARB: an automotive component manufacturer specialising in accessories for four-wheel drives

What

SOLIDWORKS® Enterprise PDM, with customised Intercad training

Where

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Why

“We are at the point where lower-end overseas manufacturers are copying our products, right down to putting ARB stickers on their products,” says Ivan Clencie, Engineering Manager at ARB.

“Our challenge is to ramp up our R&D efforts and to stay ahead by producing better products more quickly, which we have been able to do with the help of Intercad’s products and services.”

Results

“Not only are we using Intercad’s products and services to reduce the time to design and manufacture our products, but we are also using complementary programs, like finite element analysis, to provide our customers with a better quality product, Ivan says.

The ability to import scanned data of the vehicles to which we are fitting accessories has dramatically reduced product failure because we can improve the product before manufacture. The customised training Intercad provides is essential in getting the most of the new programs we invest in.

One of the good things about SOLIDWORKS® Enterprise PDM is that it has a familiar look and feel to our previous PDM system, which, along with the training, help our engineers get up to speed quickly.”  Ivan Clencie, Engineering Manager, ARB