CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY | Custom Engineering & Fabrication, Inc.

Custom Engineering & Fabrication, Inc. started in 1998 in a Pole Barn in Auburn, IN and has grown to 3 facilities with over 90,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

With years of experience in industries like Foundry, Scrap Recycling, Asphalt, and Structural Steel, coupled with their attention to project management, Custom Engineering & Fabrication, Inc is known for having a dedicated staff ready to help clients minimize waste and maximize output.

Images courtesy of Custom Engineering & Fabrication, Inc.

THE CHALLANGE:

The challenge for Custom Engineering & Fabrication was improving the workflow and communication between Engineering and Manufacturing departments. The creation of plate nests for plasma cutters and saw cut lists for structural steel components was a manual process that would require 2-3 days to complete a single drawing. With one engineer managing the workflow, a 13-week backlog added to the challenge and Custom Engineering wondered if hiring another engineer would be the resolution. It was clear that to combat such a crippling bottleneck to their process, they would need a versatile solution customized to their business and operations.

THE SOLUTION:

The solution D3 provided to Custom Engineering and Fabrication centered around a critical bottleneck of information flow between Engineering and Manufacturing. Because this was such a labor-intensive issue for them we proposed implementing the Autodesk Trunest product to improve their efficiency.

With Custom Engineering’s  challenge identified, D3 was able to assist in designing a three-phased approach to address the key issues. The following is the course of action D3 helped design for Customer Engineering:

• Phase 1: Exam existing workflow – Evaluate the existing manual workflow and map all inputs from engineering and all needed outputs to manufacturing.
• Phase 2: Implement Trunest - Training of user and configuring inputs from engineering and outputs of machine code and shop detail documentation.
• Phase 3: Support -  Continue to support the customer and adjust the solution to improve the process.

Image courtesy of Custom Engineering & Fabrication, Inc.

The Autodesk TruNest product was the winning solution to address the critical workflow issues Custom Engineering was facing. TruNests ability to translate, optimize, and manufacture the nest on all standard machines as well as its ability to translate data from many sources made it the right solution to solve the problem of information between Engineering and Manufacturing becoming a bottleneck.

Image courtesy of Custom Engineering & Fabrication, Inc.

THE RESULTS:

• Single drawing completion went from 2-3 days to 2-3 hours.
• Reduced project backlog from 13 weeks to under 4 weeks.
• Dramatically decreased outsourcing of new projects
• Increased engineering throughput while maintaining engineering resources.
• Eliminated missing parts errors from the nesting process due to human error.

​HIGHLIGHTS OF PARTNERING WITH D3:

• D3 had the required resources needed to make our processes easier and more efficient.
• It’s nice to have someone online that can help with a quick fix when you need it.
• The best part of D3 was that we always got a response back even if you guys didn't have the answer.
• They have the ability to not just help with one area of Autocad but have the skills to help with all of the programs whether it be Recap, TrueNest, 2D, or 3D.

 

To learn more about TruNest, contact D3 using the form below: