Case Study
New CAD system leads to better, faster product development
Beha Elektro AS
More effective design reviews, quicker product decisions and ability to try out more ideas are some of the improvements
Sales outnumber the population
Beha has been in business since 1917 and is well-known in Norway for its quality heating equipment (stoves, built-in ovens, stovetop elements, fans and heaters) and home electronics products. The privately owned, entirely Norwegian company has supplied Norwegian homes and companies with more than 10 million products – in a country with only five million inhabitants. Beha has always been a leader in developing new technology and improving production methods. These traits form the basis for the company’s excellent reputation in the Norwegian market. Annual sales are NOK 130 million (approximately US $19 million).
Beha has 40 employees, with four of them forming the product development team. The team previously used an older CAD system that limited the development process in a number of ways. So in 1998, the company made the decision to upgrade to Solid Edge.
Easy to implement
Solid Edge’s ease of use made it easy to implement as product developers were able to adapt to the new software quickly. “Solid Edge has a good user interface,” explains Jan Øverbø, head of Beha’s product development team. “It is easy to learn and easy to find the most frequently used functions.”
Jan Arild Zinke, a product developer who recently began working at Beha, agrees. He says this about his first opportunity to acquaint himself with Solid Edge: “I was able to get started using Solid Edge very quickly. The interface is very good, so it was easy to learn.”
Improved information flow
The product development team is responsible for developing all products produced in-house. They work exclusively with Solid Edge and today 40 percent of product offerings are produced with the help of Solid Edge. According to Øverbø, Solid Edge has changed the way the team works. Since the implementation of Solid Edge, it has experienced an enormous difference in usability, and as a result Beha has quickened the pace of product development considerably.
Another advantage of Solid Edge can be seen in its effect on design reviews. New product concepts can now be conveyed using realistic 3D Solid Edge models instead of hard-tounderstand 2D drawings. “Today we have a fast way of showing our vendors and owners what new products will actually look like,” explains Jon Øverbø, factory manager. “This gives us the ability to make faster decisions, which means that we can test more new ideas.”
Solid Edge has also improved collaboration within the product development team. It has even made the team leader’s job easier. “Thanks to Solid Edge, we can easily take over files from each other, and I have a good understanding of how far the different development projects have come,” Jan Øverbø says.
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Challenges:
- Continue to develop new products while maintaining company's reputation for quality
Keys To Success:
- A new way of working based on Solid Edge® software
- Solid Edge models convey new product concepts
- Designers collaborate through shared Solid Edge files
Results:
- Faster development process
- Better design reviews, quicker product decisions
- Ability to try out more ideas
Industry:
- Consumer Products
Client's Primary Business:
Beha is a producer of stoves, built-in ovens, stovetop elements, fans and heaters.
Business Initiatives:
- New Product Development
Solutions/Services:
- NX Design (CAD)
- Solid Edge
- Velocity Series
Client Location:
Heistad
Norway
"Solid Edge has a good user interface. It is easy to learn and easy to find the most frequently used functions."
Jan Øverbø
Head, Product Development Team
Beha Elektro AS