Success Story
CFS - Connecting the dots with keytech PLM CFS CFS cooks up next generation Engineering and Production environment with keytech PLM. CFS has chosen keytech PLM from keytech Software GmbH as the Product Data Management backbone for its Research & Development, Engineering and Production system. CFS specializes in performance-focused solutions for the food industry, from a single machine or packaging material to a complete production line for the preparation, marination, processing, slicing and packaging of primarily meat, poultry, fish, seafood and cheese based products. CFS today is the merger and acquisition of more than 20 organisational units with special competencies in technology, sales and
service, operating globally. CFS employs 2,200 people with over 170 working within Engineering. Research & Development, Engineering and Production are all handled within five European key locations in Holland, Germany and Denmark. The move from a site-oriented towards a single, unified organisation along with the desire to provide customers with complete business solutions drove the decision to replace its existing system with a unified 3D Mechanical and Electrical CAD environment at all locations. According to Henk van der Linde, who acted as Project Manager 3D-CAD/PDM at CFS, “It was difficult to exchange Technical Product Data, which was becoming critical as machines manufactured in separate locations often have to work together.�
CFS - The decision for keytech PLM
Alongside the new Mechanical and Electrical design tools, CFS also adopted keytech PLM from German data management specialist, keytech Software GmbH, to provide a single and unified Product Data Management (PDM) system. The selection of keytech PLM centred on several key advantages over more obvious choices. Firstly, it was critical that the chosen PDM system could integrate with SolidWorks, EPLAN and its legacy 2D-CAD systems - AutoCAD and ME10.
... and there, keytech PLM was “much broader.” Also, CFS had very specific requirements in terms of functionality, the combination of this and the range of systems to be managed led CFS to keytech’s door. One of the many influencing factors was CFS’ requirement for more than basic 3D-CAD integrated document management. Van der Linde explained that CFS wanted automatic linking of documents and
electrical package EPLAN as well as legacy data from AutoCAD and ME10 and there, keytech PLM was “much broader.”
A machine produced by CFS
In addition to this, CFS also needed to ensure that all of its five key locations where using the same master data, referencing the most up-to-date information about not only its existing products, but also those in development. To achieve this, CFS wanted to install the keytech Data Federation module, which allows multiple databases at geographically spread locations to operate in a fully synchronised manner. Alongside the management of engineering data, CFS also required that the data be reused elsewhere within the organisation. The PDM data was intelligently linked with its business systems, including site specific Enterprise Resource Planning applications including SAP, Baan and Navision. Each site maintains separate ERP-systems according to its particular requirements and only the PDM data required at that site for production is intelligently transferred to the ERP-system.
The integration process
Working with machines produced by CFS
articles, automatic generation of Bills of Materials, as well as version management. In addition, it needed not only SolidWorks to interface to the PDM data, but also the
Van der Linde described how CFS approached the ERP/PDM integration process: “We defined what information was to be shared between the central PDM-system and the ERP-systems such as Part Numbers, Bill of Materials, product structures and document metadata. 80 to 90% of the data was the same for each site, although some sites had specific requirements. In principle, the main thing was use of the same data structure so that synchronization process wasn’t complex.
CFS - Effectiveness with keytech PLM
Essentially, if you know what kind of data you want to share, then it’s not difficult.” As the process is handled by the keytech/ERP interface technology, the data synchronisation process is handled in an unobtrusive
“If your business rules are right there’s nothing an engineer has to do...“ manner, as van der Linde said: “If your business rules are right there’s nothing an engineer has to do except ‘Release’ the part to make sure that it gets into the ERP-system.” CFS also realised that the wealth of data available within the PDM-system could be used to great effect elsewhere in the organisation. CFS are not solely using the PDM data in an Engineer-to-Order and R & D sense, but also using it in production preparation. All of the data, documents and associated data with each customer’s project are stored and up-to-date within a single, readily accessible folder – making light work of the inefficient search and retrieval tasks many organisations face.
Technical Documentation Easy exchange and reuse due to the complex and highly configurable nature of food processing equipment and the vast range of CFS’ offering to market, it is perhaps no surprise that it was looking to technology to assist with the technical documentation process – which again, fell under keytech’s remit. According to van der Linde the creation of installation and maintenance drawings was complex. CFS quickly realised that with a unified Electrical and Mechanical Product Data Management system, it had a valuable source of information. Business rules within keytech PLM ensure that production intent drawings are reused to create the Service Manual illustrations. keytech PLM interrogates the Bills of Materials and links to the relevant production drawing, which is then resized and inserted into the service documentation along with an up-to-date and accurate parts list. This is done for each sub-assembly and part so that a complex production line can be processed at the push of a button. According to van der Linde, CFS discovered that “90 to 95% of production drawings are also suitable for reuse in the technical documentation process,” where these would have been traditionally recreated manually.
An eye on the future Now that CFS is up and running with keytech’s PLM, it’s now looking to the future and this means extending access and reuse further throughout the enterprise. According to van der Linde, CFS is looking to heighten the integration between PDM and ERP. He stated that “We’re not talking about only engineering anymore. While engineering may have created the data, others such as sales and service are using it.” The CFS ScanBrine
Conclusion The major benefit of adopting keytech PLM is that technical data is more transparent during the engineering process. If an engineer creates a new part, it can be easily reused by others irrespective of location. By standardizing 3D working practices, it’s also easier to exchange engineering capacity. As van der Linde concluded “If you want to put more effort on a specific development
“keytech PLM helps you to balance engineering capacity...“ or a specific machine, it is easier to connect engineers from different sites on the same project because you work in the same way and the information you create during that development process is stored in the same way, it can be easily interchanged
CFS P.O. Box 1 5760 AA Bakel The Netherlands Tel.: +31 (492) 349 349 Fax: +31 (492) 349 416
between the different sites and be in the right place.” He concluded that “keytech PLM helps you to balance engineering capacity and therefore, also speeds up the delivery time for new developments.”
About keytech keytech is a leader in the integration of CAD, ERP and Data Management systems into cohesive, yet affordable, environments that fulfill its customers’ requirements and boost their productivity across many areas of the enterprise. With integration of major 2D- and 3D-CADsystems and integrations into major ERP-systems, keytech’s flagship offering, keytech PLM, is a scalable solution, beginning with simple document management and ending in a complete Product Lifecycle Management solution.
keytech Software GmbH Suderwichstraße 68 45665 Recklinghausen Tel.: +49 2361 985 80 0 Fax: +49 2361 985 80 23 info@keytech.de www.keytech.de