Initial reports successful integration of 3YOURMIND automation software for AM
October 26, 2019
Initial, Seynod, France, a subsidiary of Prodways Group, reports that it has achieved significant cost savings and shorter lead times on its Additive Manufacturing orders for the sports, medical and aerospace industries thanks to the integration of Prodline, a customised automation software developed for the company by 3YOURMIND, Berlin, Germany.
According to 3YOURMIND, Initial approached the company with the aim of increasing the amount of AM orders it can process for its existing customer base, and to scale its production and increase the overall utilisation of its machines. As such, the company required a solution to automate order processing.
3YOURMIND worked with Initial to develop, test and customise the order management software to integrate with its existing production ecosystem. This included adding intermediary processing steps to match current workflows, matching pricing formulas to their existing calculation methods, and customising the checkout procedure to account for its existing long-term purchasing relationships with customers.
Some benefits of the new Prodline platform are:
- Customers are able to directly place AM orders
- Guarantees file accuracy and guides the ordering process for its customers
- Order intake happens immediately, at any time, including evenings and weekends
- Costs are reduced by allowing customers to set up and manage their own projects
- Customers are able to provide shorter lead times across their own production
- Payment is handled by the existing purchasing agreements that Initial has with customers, but all project documentation and cost tracking is maintained in the platform and available as an export into the global Prodways ERP system, allowing accounting departments to optimise overall profitability
Initial estimates that in the near future a significant amount of its Additive Manufacturing production orders will be managed with Prodline. These incoming orders from over 100 existing customers can now be processed by a single employee due to the high level of automation and the tools provided in the software to validate files, select production technologies and verify production requirements.
“Our customers are happier with shorter lead times, and our sales team can focus on the high-value problem solving that will help Initial to scale,” stated Raphael Martin-Cocher, Sales Manager, Initial, a Prodways Group. “3YOURMIND brought experience with integrating their software into other large production environments. Now, our AM workflow syncs with other production structures and allows our customers to quickly and accurately set up their orders.”
