ARMEP Standardizes on think3 for `Mass 3-D' Design of Highly Stylized Packaging for World's Leading Cosmetics Companies
9 October 2000
ARMEP Standardizes on think3 for `Mass 3-D' Design of Highly Stylized Packaging for World's Leading Cosmetics Companies
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Oct. 9, 2000--Mechanical design upstart think3(TM) today announced that ARMEP (Brittany, France), a leading European injection molder of cosmetics packaging, has standardized on the company's 3-D solid and surface modeling software, thinkdesign(TM). ARMEP designs and manufactures highly stylized containers -- perfume bottles, compact cases, and tubes -- for the world's leading cosmetics companies. Among ARMEP's top customers are Bourjois, Clarins, Dior, Givenchy, Guerlain, L'Oreal and Yves Saint Laurent.
ARMEP is confident that thinkdesign is the best technology solution on the market today for meeting the stringent demands of its customers for on-time delivery of product, cost-effectiveness and design innovation.
Working with think3 over the past 18 months, the company has significantly streamlined the design process by upgrading several collaborative teams with thinkdesign(TM), including research & development, design, moldmaking and manufacturing. Once the implementation is complete, ARMEP expects to realize an overall design productivity increase of at least 20 percent, while improving product quality.
In highly competitive mass markets -- such as the cosmetics industry -- style, design and aesthetics have considerable influence on consumer purchasing patterns. "Packaging is critical to sales," says Stephane Bodin, head of CAD/CAM at ARMEP. "Product exteriors, colors, shapes, and designs often initiate customer allure. So, while plastic molded caps for tubes and bottles may seem like simple parts, they are actually very difficult to manufacture. At ARMEP, these designs require close collaboration among several multidisciplinary teams."
A key factor in ARMEP's decision to standardize on thinkdesign is the company's mass 3D collaboration strategy. "Initiating this mass 3D approach with thinkdesign, a design can be followed from research on the part through to its CNC programming on the machine floor," explains Bodin. "With thinkdesign, we can rapidly respond to the requirements of marketing agencies or design departments with 3D models that provide dynamic color presentations or finished products. Our customers can visualize how the product will look and feel in the real world prior to its completion. With this heads-up knowledge, they can make suggestions or design changes early in the design cycle. Moreover, thinkdesign is adaptable to the evolving and complex cap and case shapes, as well as customer and production requirements."
Among the most important attributes of thinkdesign is that it is powerful, yet easy to learn and use, for personnel with varying levels of 3-D design experience. "We chose thinkdesign because it is an easy to use, effective system with the flexibility to accommodate a range of user requirements," says Bodin. "It comprises powerful 2-D tools, simultaneously giving access to 3-D design and geometry, passing seamlessly between 2-D and 3-D modes. Perhaps most importantly, this approach allows users an easy transition from 2-D to 3-D."
ARMEP was also impressed with think3's flexible subscription pricing policy, which makes it affordable for the company to provide every designer with a full-blown 3-D design system and, over time, to adapt software usage to the company's work flow.
"The thinkdesign annual subscription pricing is so attractive compared to the competition, I can't imagine why anyone would opt for anything else," says Bodin. Best of all, he says, the pricing includes online technical assistance and training. Of particular value to ARMEP has been the thinkcare(TM) Knowledge Base, which provides a graphical, intuitive online resource for the design team, including technical tips, tricks, articles, graphical how-to information and details on known "bugs" and solutions.
About ARMEP
Founded in 1993, ARMEP (Brittany, France) specializes in plastic injection molding, mold research, and manufacturing highly stylized packaging for the cosmetics industry. Among the company's top customers are: Bourjois, Clarins, Dior, Givenchy, Guerlain, L'Oreal and Yves Saint Laurent.
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 Vellum 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 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.