Fini Compressors Standardizes On think3 for "Mass 3-D" Design: Anticipates 40% Productivity Increase for World-Class Line of Compressor Products
25 September 2000
Fini Compressors Standardizes On think3 for "Mass 3-D" Design: Anticipates 40% Productivity Increase for World-Class Line of Compressor Products
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Sept. 25, 2000--Mechanical design upstart think3(TM) today announced that Fini Compressors (Bologna, Italy), a leading manufacturer of alternating and industrial compressors, has standardized on think3's flagship "mass 3-D" solid and surface modeling software, thinkdesign(TM).
Fini Compressors currently produces an average of 1500 pumps of six different types every day. The company is confident that by deploying think3's mass 3-D solution across the organization and supply chain, they will be able to "significantly improve design, quality and integration with the company's workshop and with model subcontractors to create a powerful, truly effective design process." With think3, the company expects to increase design productivity by 40 percent.
Fini embarked upon an intensive, 7-month evaluation of a variety of mechanical CAD products - involving hands-on technical testing and design process analyses - with a goal of identifying a design software solution that would provide the foundation for an integrated design process across all departments. Having achieved ISO 9001 quality certification in July 1999, the company sought greater control over the product development process to streamline the workflow between groups, thereby continuing to improve product quality, while reducing overall design costs.
think3 and thinkdesign emerged the superior choice for Fini over many other competitive mechanical CAD products, according to Fini Engineer Nino Marici. As part of the evaluation process, the company conducted a side-by-side comparison of development times for a new screw compressor project with a new 3-D design method developed in collaboration with think3 and Fini's old method. The results were phenomenal, says Fini. "With the new method, it took two days to model a casting as opposed to 15 days with the old method. In addition, Parametric molding of a pump casing took 15 days, as compared to 60 days typically required with the old method, which reflects a 75 percent time savings!"
For Fini, a company that's been in business for more than 45 years, archive management and compatibility with historical 2D drawings and files from other CAD applications is critical. With think3, "all 2D drawings were successfully recovered" and immediately reusable. In addition, think3's flexible, annual subscription pricing model has proven a big advantage for Fini. "During the long test period, we have had the opportunity to discover that think3 has invested effort in ensuring our satisfaction," says Marici. "With an annual subscription fee, we have the guarantee that think3's commitment, enthusiasm and support will continue well into the future."
Marici says think3 and thinkdesign earned high marks across the board during the evaluation process, based upon the following criteria:
| -- | Technical suitability |
| -- | Compatibility with other CAD applications & Microsoft Office operating environment |
| -- | Legacy system connectivity enabling the use of existing archives |
| -- | Problem-free project management data exchange |
| -- | Ease of use & ease of learning |
| -- | On-line help and continuous updates from the software vendor |
| -- | Customized modules |
| -- | Gradual, cost-effective investment |
About Fini Compressors
Fini Compressors has been designing, manufacturing and exporting alternating and industrial compressors worldwide since 1952. Fini was the first company in the world to manufacture an alternating co-axial compressor. Today, the company has five production facilities and designs and manufactures all of its screw pumps in-house. The company has an ongoing information exchange arrangement with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Bologna. It was this collaboration, which led to the introduction of a 3-D design department and relative management organization.
About think3
think3 is a privately held mechanical design upstart company that produces software for designing common, everyday physical objects, ranging from home appliances, children's safety products, engines and automotive body parts to boutique home accessories and custom cars, to name a few.
Upstart think3 established a unique market position in March 1999 with the debut of thinkdesign, the first mechanical computer aided design (MCAD) product to offer the power of parametric solids, advanced surfacing, wireframe and 2-D drafting to every designer - not just an elite few - on the desktop, all within a single environment.
With the company's flagship3-D design software package - thinkdesign - customers get the benefit of powerful surface modeling and shape design features on par with popular industrial design packages (e.g., Alias from Alias/Wavefront and Rhino from Robert McNeel & Associates and Velum from Ashlar), but as part of a single environment, solid and surface modeling system. They also get comparable power to high-end 3-D mechanical design software packages from companies like Dassault Systems, Parametric Technology Corp., Structural Dynamics Research Corp. and Unigraphics at a fraction of the price - and at a comparable cost to traditional low-end 2-D packages such as AutoCAD from Autodesk.
think3 is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with engineering centered in Bologna, Italy and supported by R&D teams in Bangalore, India, Boston, Massachusetts, Marseilles, France, Pesaro, Italy, and Salt Lake City, Utah. think3 products are sold through a worldwide network of distributors and VARs, and online at http://www.think3.com. For more information, call 1-800-323-6770 or send an email to productinfo@think3.com. Among think3's top customers are adidas, Alessi, Buell Motorcycle Company (a division of Harley-Davidson), Candy/Hoover, Dinan, Matsushita Seiko, Mercedes, Nissin, Perception Kayak, Peugeot Citroen Automobile (PSA), Tokuda Kougyo, and Tycos Tool & Die.
think3 and thinkdesign are trademarks of think3. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.