Growing revenue by 48 percent in five years and reducing design time for sheet metal flat patterns from hours to minutes

Optimizing performance and efficiency

Founded in 1990, KIS Ltd. has experienced dynamic growth, employing over 200 professionals after starting with a team of six.

KIS provides comprehensive engineering services, from design and feasibility studies to equipment manufacturing, assembly, commissioning and certification, as well as personnel training and maintenance.

Its customer base spans a wide range of industries, including chemicals, oil and gas, food and beverage production, pharmaceuticals and environmental protection. Since 2003, the company has held International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management certifications.

What distinguishes KIS is its ability to combine the flexibility and cost competitiveness typically associated with midsized enterprises with the stability and reliability characteristics of large corporations.

However, to continue meeting its goals and overcome challenges, KIS decided to leverage Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Designcenter™ Solid Edge® software, which is part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services.

Needing to overcome fragmented and inconsistent data

As the industrial landscape continues to evolve, KIS always aims to deliver solutions that are accurate, energy-efficient and cost-effective.

Before 2019, the company relied on multiple computer-aided design (CAD) platforms, which led to fragmented working environments and inconsistent data. The need to standardize the software portfolio and ensure full transparency across design and manufacturing processes became increasingly urgent. This was particularly important to maximize the potential of the company’s advanced production capacities.

Simultaneously, KIS aimed to expand into custom and small-batch manufacturing, ensuring the full use of its newly installed machine fleet.

Integrating Designcenter Solid Edge to improve processes

In 2019, KIS made a strategic decision to implement Designcenter Solid Edge and Designcenter Solid Edge CAM Pro software, supported by grant funding. This investment also enabled the construction of a new production hall and the acquisition of state-of-the-art computer numerical control (CNC) machines, resulting in a fully integrated CAD and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system.

Today, the company operates a 3,000 square meter (m²) prefabrication hall equipped with crane capacity. Production includes equipment weighing up to 40 tons, with dimensions reaching 6 meters (m) in diameter and 30 m in length.

The machine park features a 5-axis machining center, a 16-axis welding robot and a large-format CNC waterjet cutting machine with a 6.3-meter table, capable of cutting materials up to 140 milimeters (mm) thick. Demonstrating its professional recognition, KIS also supplies tanks for the European market to Omax/Maxiem.

Using Designcenter Solid Edge software plays a central role in daily operations. The company achieves a major efficiency gain due to the automatic synchronization between models and workshop drawings, which eliminates manual redrawing and prevents version errors. Additionally, the specialized sheet metal environment simplifies “unfold” calculations for complex geometries, such as transitions from square to circular shapes with offset centerlines, which would be extremely difficult and time-consuming to calculate manually.

“Designcenter Solid Edge is excellent at this,” says Attila Árvay, technical director at KIS. “I really enjoy using Designcenter Solid Edge, because it makes creating unfolded drawings much simpler. Previously, this had to be calculated manually, which could take one to three hours. Now it only takes minutes.”

The software also enables the creation of preliminary 3D models during the quotation phase, greatly improving communication with customers. Additionally, its structural design and workshop drawing capabilities are critical, especially when handling custom orders.

To maximize these benefits, KIS trained its engineers, with the support of graphIT specialists, in using Designcenter Solid Edge and Designcenter Solid Edge CAM Pro simulation systems.

“The sheet metal environment, structural design and workshop drawing capabilities in Designcenter Solid Edge are extremely valuable for us,” says Árvay.

Increasing revenue, reducing design time and gaining new opportunities

Thanks to integrating Designcenter Solid Edge software and modernizing its machine park, KIS achieved a revenue increase of over 48 percent, rising from 3.5 billion Hungarian forint (HUF) in 2019 to over 5.2 billion HUF by 2024. This growth clearly reflects the improvement in production efficiency.

Additionally, by implementing Designcenter Solid Edge, the company significantly reduced the design time for sheet metal components. With a CNC machine park fully supported by Designcenter Solid Edge CAM Pro, the company is now capable of producing complex, custom components. KIS also offers small-batch production services for external customers.

“Using Designcenter Solid Edge enables us to produce precise, 21st-century technical documentation that meets the complex requirements of our major partners in the oil, chemical and pharmaceutical industries,” says Lippai. “We prefer Siemens solutions because they are highly favored by our customers. This orientation allows us to meet their complex technological needs effectively, using the specialized capabilities and high-level documentation standards provided by Siemens software and hardware.”

Using 3D models during the quotation phase gives customers a more comprehensive understanding of proposed solutions, enabling faster decision-making and increasing customer satisfaction.

“The unique size of KIS allows us to combine the flexibility of smaller enterprises with the financial strength of larger corporations,” says András Papp, managing director at KIS.

The company regularly integrates its own experience and ideas into customer projects, thereby improving efficiency and success rates. Leveraging its digitally supported, customer-centric approach, KIS has established itself as a reliable partner on the European market – not only in manufacturing but also in on-site implementation.