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case study

Accelerated, more efficient design and construction with Solid Edge

Truck manufacturer achieves competitive advantage using Siemens Digital Industries Software solution for product development

Accelerated, more efficient design and construction with Solid Edge

GIF Modul

GIF Modul’s primary business is design, manufacturing, sales and service of special vehicles (special trucks with loading cranes, aerial platforms or special lifting equipment). The company’s long-term goal is to provide complex services that combine quality, efficiency and speed.

http://www.gifmodul.hu
Headquarters:
Aszód, Hungary
Products:
Solid Edge
Industry Sector:
Automotive & transportation

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We managed to design our new project with Solid Edge, and could manufacture the parts on time.
Zoltan Imre, CEO
GIF Modul

Everything from a single source

GIF Modul Kft. (GIF Modul) designs and manufactures trucks with special and unique superstructures for the automotive and transportation industry. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Aszód, Hungary, the primary goal of the company is to plan and construct perfect structures that fulfill stringent customer requirements.

Over the past few years, GIF Modul gained market share as a Hungarian distributor of the crane manufacturer Fassi and is today one of the leading suppliers of heavy-duty cranes. Since 2005, GIF Modul has also been a distributor of Socage aerial work platforms, a leading manufacturer in Hungary, as well as the French company Haulotte, a manufacturer of self-propelled aerial platforms.

Competitive advantages through flexibility

Developing a vehicle with lifting equipment is a unique and complex project. All trucks that are equipped with cranes, aerial platforms or container lifting equipment are different. Therefore it is a serious professional challenge and responsibility to plan a new product. The necessary instructions, background information and new developments that are essential for professional mounting are obtained directly from the manufacturers.

In addition to installation of the lifting equipment, the company can also produce the required superstructures. As a result, the entire construction process is handled by a single company, significantly reducing the delivery time and probability of errors.

The main goal of GIF Modul engineers is to develop vehicles with high quality and advanced technology, with careful consideration and flexible handling of individual customer requirements.

Reliability is top priority

To mount products onto a truck requires exacting and accurate work. The first step is design. The most important point is to handle the truck as a complex unit, because reliability and everyday usability is crucial for a truck with mounted lifting equipment. Reliability and usability can be maintained only if the specifications of the vehicle, lifting equipment and superstructure are addressed together, as a single unit and by a single company.

GIF Modul employees assist customers with precise calculations and technical drawings. They pay attention to the needs of customers and also consider regulatory requirements, manufacturing processes and feasibility.

Visualization of new products

To accelerate the development process, meet delivery deadlines and fulfill individual customer requirements, GIF Modul decided in 2011 to implement Solid Edge® 2D Drafting software from product lifecycle management (PLM) specialist Siemens Digital Industries Software.

As GIF Modul began a new project to design a vehicle with a unique winch, it became apparent that the winch had many moving parts that are extremely time-consuming to design in 2D. To meet the requirements and save time, the company upgraded to Solid Edge software for 3D design. Through the use of Solid Edge 3D tools for designing complex assemblies with moving parts, GIF Modul significantly reduced design workload.

Once designed, parts are re-used several times to accelerate the process. The ability to locate existing parts easily is vitally important and is supported by the integrated product data management (PDM) capabilities of Solid Edge. These enable engineers to quickly search for data directly from Solid Edge design sessions, using file names and standard or custom properties. In addition, users can perform “where-used” searches to identify the assemblies and drawings in which parts are used.

Fast and flexible modeling and simulation

For the design of the subframe and platform of the trucks, GIF Modul engineers primarily use the sheet metal and welding design capabilities of Solid Edge. Designers can effortlessly create sheet metal models from 2D sketches and work directly with the geometry. The use of synchronous technology supports independent editing of various features. Whether designers are creating new custom welded frames or selecting from the library of standards-based frames, they can reduce design time and eliminate errors.

With the motion simulation tools of Solid Edge, GIF Modul can create automated, accurate and realistic conceptual motion studies during the design phase. Typically, the company simulates the motion of cranes, winches and platforms to verify operator safety and detect and eliminate component collisions. For winches, designers also use simulation to confirm that the cable rolls evenly onto the winch.

This approach allows fast and effective collaboration among engineers, and helps them provide accurate and detailed information for production, leading to fewer questions and manufacturing errors.

Zoltan Imre, chief executive officer at GIF Modul says, “My concern was to implement the software quickly enough that we did not lose too much valuable time.

We managed to design our new project with Solid Edge, and could manufacture the parts on time.”

Customer loyalty as success factor

Using Solid Edge, GIF Modul has significantly reduced development time for its products, enabling the company to offer faster, more cost-effective service and to focus more directly on fulfilling customer requirements. The company has reduced delivery times, increased customer satisfaction and gained competitive advantage. As a result, GIF Modul now achieves higher production output with the same level of staffing.