Customers include Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Toyota, and Nissan. Algonquin Automotive s goal is to have its products, which are developed in accordance with the OEMs strict engineering and design guidelines, available when a new vehicle is launched. The inefficiencies in the company s previous AutoCAD-based development process made it difficult to do this. The old process also added to development costs by requiring a number of laborious, manual operations such as the creation of clay and wooden concept models and fiberglass prototypes. To meet the demands of its customers, Algonquin had to change the way it was developing products.
Objectives Become a world-class supplier of automotive accessories.
Increase profits and market share by getting products to market sooner and by decreasing development costs. Process Vision Implement the tools and processes to develop products based on digital rather than physical prototypes. Actions A software selection committee established 15 critical requirements for the new software that would help Algonquin reengineer its product development process. Each requirement was given a weight according to its importance and a selection matrix was prepared. I-DEAS significantly outscored the other CAD systems, particularly in the areas of its intuitive solid modeler, integrated PDM, strong assembly modeling and drafting modules, and vendor support.