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Best Practices
Robertson Ceco Automates Design Process, Leverages Designer Knowledge
Robertson Ceco Corporation (San Ramon, CA), a manufacturer of pre-engineered metal buildings for
the industrial and commercial industries, set out to improve the design and detailing stage of its
engineering process, where most time is spent, typically measured in weeks. In the face of an
increasingly competitive marketplace, Robertson Ceco sought out a single system that would automate
its design process and leverage the knowledge of its most experienced designers. Since implementing
knowledge-based modeling technology from Design Power, Inc, (Cupertino, CA), the company has seen a
record rise in productivity. Man-hour per ton, its primary measure of productivity, is on a downward
trend. Design time for what the company categorizes as a simple building has gone from two days to
one day, while the time to design and detail a complex building has decreased from 45 days to 25.
Unrelenting Pressure Requires New Technologies
Manufacturers' gains from leveraging 2D and 3D assets for use in collaboration during the design
process and afterwards, including downstream processes associated with the product, can be
massive. But maximizing the use of MVP technologies requires IT changes, work process changes,
and a careful examination of a comapny's IP protection strategy. The unrelentingly difficult
manufacturing economy, however, requires companies to make these changes in order to stay
competitive.
The Case for Intelligent P&IDs
Of the many types of intellectual property created during the design of a process plant, one of
the most crucial is the piping and instrumentation diagrams or "P&ID." Learn how Rayong
Olefins and Lyondell Chemical Company implemented "intelligent P&IDs."
Digital Simulation to Meet Today's Product Development Challenges
Read about Ford Europe's discovery that a careful examination of its existing design processes,
including IT tools, coupled with a clear vision of the design environment it needed to create to
remain competitive, can lead to substantial savings and efficiency improvements. What can you
learn from their successes?
High-Performance Technical Computing in the Aerospace Industry
Current economic conditions have intensified longstanding technical computing infrastructure
challenges involved in engineering and manufacturing aircraft.
Best Practices for IT Infrastructure in Product Lifecycle Data Management
Read about the ways in which world-class manufacturing companies have ensured that their IT
infrastructure investments stand the test of time in this white paper sponsored by Daratech and
EMC Corporation. You'll read how four manufacturing companies in industries as diverse as
Formula-1 racing, aerospace, plastics and power distribution systems manufacturers have optimized
their IT infrastructures to support their business needs. All have realized that an efficient IT
infrastructure can help their companies meet customer demands, weather uncertain economic times
and prepare for an eventual upswing.
3D Plant Design Systems: Benefits & Paybacks
This white paper analyzed the business case for investment in 3D plant design technology, at a
time when the value of 2D versus 3D tools and methods was a controversial, hotly debated topin
in the process and power industry.
AutoCAD 2000: The Gold Standard of Design
This 1999 white paper detailed the immediate strong user reception given to AutoCAD 2000's new design
features, and analyzed why users were slower to capitalize on the software's then-revolutionary Web
connectivity.