Van Beek
Explicit Modeling Conveys Quality and Flexibility

"The explicit modeling approach has proven much faster for us. Even after many iterations of design changes the models can be handled by anybody in the team. All our unexpected changes could easily be incorporated into the models."

Marten Verhoeven, Head of ICT, Van Beek BV

The Complete Story

Van Beek focuses its production entirely on producing high-quality products within short lead times. Its ERP system is a home-built solution that supports rapid production of quotes, provides direct insight into order status, facilitates purchasing, and controls production. In fact, the ERP system unifies all the company's business data, no matter the actual source.

To cut lead time further and assure quality, Van Beek migrated its customized 2D software to 3D CAD and PDM. With 3D CAD, the company hoped to promote standardization, re-use, and error-free design. As a result, the company reasoned, 3D CAD would streamline engineering and limit production stops in the factory.

"We started our search with 3D looking at PDM at the same time," says Marten Verhoeven, Head of ICT at Van Beek BV. "PDM evaluation followed immediately so implementation could be done simultaneously."

Verhoeven looked closely at the practical usability of a parametric based application as well as the explicit modeling approach to 3D product development (formerly known as Dynamic Modeling).

Verhoeven quickly found that the CoCreate explicit modeling approach to 3D product development was better suited to their needs, as the company is primarily interested in deriving a design quickly without creating or maintaining a recipe of parametric design features that produce that geometry. "Since we have to cope with constantly changing input from our clients we needed a system that supports us to incorporate a huge amount of unforeseeable changes," says Verhoeven.

Verhoeven and his team spent quite some time to evaluate the competing modeling approaches. "In a pilot project, we started to process customer orders, which is the best way to evaluate an engineering application," explains Verhoeven. "The explicit modeling approach has proven much faster for us. Even after many iterations of design changes the models can be handled by anybody in the team. All our unexpected changes could easily be incorporated into the models", summarizes Verhoeven. Needless to say, the engineers at Van Beek did not have to spend any time to think about building intelligent models – they simply explored their various design alternatives by freely interacting with the geometry directly.

Van Beek also found that OneSpace Modeling was an ideal choice when an existing design was to be the starting point for a new creative design project. The explicit modeling approach allowed them to quickly change the existing geometry to reflect the new specs of the new project.

Van Beek decided to invest in OneSpace Modeling. "We implemented OneSpace Model Manager along with OneSpace Modeling to be sure of accurate data management." says Verhoeven. "This is important to Van Beek's processes because the ERP system relies on the availability of the right data at the right time."

The final implementation is so well integrated, engineers do everything from quotation to delivery using only the OneSpace Modeling interface. They add metadata and the system adds production-specific data it infers from OneSpace Modeling.

The company's ERP system can fully access the data. Bills of material are fully synchronized including support for long lead items. "Purchase orders for our supply network are based on the bills of material," says Verhoeven. "The system automatically provides the right data from OneSpace Model Manager."

Drawings are generated automatically, including all annotation, DXF, and PDF files.

"OneSpace Modeling and OneSpace Model Manager streamline the Van Beek business process and meet the demands for improved quality and reduced lead times while keeping personnel happy. "They are very fast and highly flexible in evolving their 3D based designs."

Company Profile

Superior quality and very short lead times are essential in Van Beek's business. The company's stainless steel screw conveyors, which link production stages together, are an indispensable part of manufacturing lines.

When assembling production lines, companies generally order conveyor systems last. That in turn creates immense pressure on Van Beek to deliver high-quality products within tight lead times. As such, the company uses a highly automated logistical process to produce efficient quotations, optimal customer support, and an aligned supplier network.

Drunen-based Van Beek further improved performance by introducing 3D CAD and PDM to its environment to increase standardization and re-use, improve product designs, raise quality, and cut lead times and costs.

Van Beek has some 70 years of experience and employs 30 people of which 8 engineers manage around 1200 customer projects each year. Each project consists of several screw conveyors.

Visit Van Beek on the Web at http://www.van-beek.nl

Van Beek's stainless steel screw conveyors, which link production stages together, are an indispensable part of manufacturing lines.