China's largest car maker standardises software

A combination of powerful functionality and excellent technical support has resulted in Power Solution CADCAM software being adopted as the main manufacturing software at China's First Auto Works.

A combination of powerful functionality and excellent technical support has resulted in Delcam's Power Solution CADCAM software being adopted as the main manufacturing software at China's First Auto Works (FAW) based in Changchun.

Delcam's PowerShape and PowerMill are already used by six divisions of FAW, with more sales expected during this year to consolidate FAW's position as Delcam's largest customer in the country.

The FAW Group is China's leading carmaker.

It comprises 35 plants throughout China, plus 11 subsidiaries and 12 holding companies.

The organisation has shares in 14 other companies, and links to more than 200 suppliers and other collaborative enterprises.

FAW produces around 300,000 commercial and passenger vehicles each year.

These numbers are made up with over 200 versions of six main series of vehicles, including the world famous Audi A6 and Bora models.

The company's vehicles are exported to over 30 countries and it also has four assembly factories outside China.

In addition, FAW makes a further 130,000 cars each year in a partnership with Volkswagen.

FAW Technical Centre was the first part of the Group to become a Delcam customer when it purchased PowerShape and PowerMill in 1997.

Using Delcam's software for research projects and new product development made the Center more efficient and gave better results.

Since then, more copies of PowerShape and PowerMill have been purchased, while the first seat of the CopyCAD reverse engineering software was added last year.

The next division to adopt Delcam's software was the FAW Tool and Equipment Co.

This is the largest forging die and equipment plant in the group.

In 2000, Delcam's software was introduced to design and machine moulds and fixtures.

Following the success of this installation, extra seats of PowerShape and PowerMill were purchased last year for use in production machining and in the research area.

FAW Foundry Co was the third part of the Group to select Delcam software.

This company is the largest producer of press tools in China.

With the rapid expansion of its business, the previous CADCAM software could no longer satisfy its requirements.

After completing an extensive evaluation of numerous systems, the company installed its first seats of PowerShape, PowerMill and CopyCAD at the start of 2002.

Further seats of PowerShape and PowerMill were added in the middle of the year.

The second half of 2002 saw three more Group companies add Delcam software.

FAW Foundry Mould Plant specialises in the production of a wide range of casting equipment; FAW Sihuan Mould Co manufactures stamping dies, plastic moulds and jigs and fixtures; and FAW Da Lian Diesel Plant is the group's main producer of diesel engines.

In each case, after comparisons with all the main CADCAM systems, they chose Delcam software to help speed all stages of new product development and to improve their market competitiveness.

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