Configure, design, sell, and manufacture custom HVAC products faster
DriveWorks is used by HVAC manufacturers in countries all over the world. DriveWorks design automation, 3D product configurator, and CPQ solutions enable manufacturers to automate complex engineering tasks, maintain quality standards, and deliver customized products quickly. Twin City Fan use DriveWorks to automate the creation of SOLIDWORKS® parts, assemblies, and drawings
Faster quoting & more efficient manufacturing with DriveWorks
The challenge
Twin City Fan, based in Plymouth, Minnesota, is an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality custom, semi-custom, and standard fans ranging from heavy-duty industrial process fans to commercial supply and exhaust fans.
In 2012, Twin City Fan moved from using 2D line drawings to using SOLIDWORKS® and SOLIDWORKS PDM. Following this move, they started using DriveWorks to automate their model generation.
The solution
For standard orders, Twin City Fan’s customers can input their specific requirements into a product selector, which then returns the model of fan that they require. Once ordered, the order details are stored in a SQL database, and DriveWorks automatically generates the required drawings and emails the relevant information straight to the customer.
For more custom orders, a drafter will use an internal DriveWorks configurator to input the required fan specification. Parameters, including materials, accessories, and paint colour, can all be specified.
TCF’s DriveWorks administrators are made up of engineers and drafters, working in teams across the world. They are currently working on an implementation with their ERP system, Epicor.
Added benefits
Using DriveWorks, TCF can automatically respond to up to 100 customer requests coming through the product selector each day, without the need for any manual intervention.
The workload through the drafting office has been reduced as much of the repetitive, manual tasks are now done by DriveWorks. For minor customizations, the design process can take as little as two hours, including the data generation and final checks.
TCF have also created DriveWorks projects for other internal processes, including tracking scrap and costings.
Using the power of automation that DriveWorks gives us, we’re able to create drawings and models much faster so we can get those out to customers and to our production facilities – hence we can get products shipped out quicker. We’re not waiting on our engineering team to create custom drawings, DriveWorks will do most of the custom work for us.
Shawn Pantzke
Principal Engineer at Twin City Fan
How DriveWorks makes a difference for other HVAC manufacturers
HVAC manufacturers produce highly customized items. Complex HVAC configurations don’t fit easily into traditional manufacturing processes originally set up for off-the-shelf products. This can lead to bottlenecks and delays.
DriveWorks design automation, 3D product configurator, and CPQ solutions enable HVAC manufacturers to automate complex engineering design tasks, shorten sales cycles, improve accuracy, and optimize pricing.
Learn more about DriveWorks
Discover how DriveWorks software can help you configure, design, sell, and manufacture custom products faster and more accurately.