Cadcraft

Configurable web-based models produce more accurate orders

Manufacturing
Software Development

Since 1985, Scandinavian Autodesk Reseller Cadcraft has been building solutions for companies in the Scandinavian manufacturing industry with custom applications based on Autodesk products, including AutoCAD 2D and 3D CAD software, Revit building design software, Vault data management software, and Inventor 3D CAD software for mechanical design. Cadcraft has been providing Swedish manufacturer Svedbergs with Autodesk software and services for many years. Recently, Svedbergs approached Cadcraft for help with Duschstudio, a new web-based configuration tool.

Challenge

Svedbergs designs and manufactures everything bathroom-related, from luxury baths and showers to towel hooks. The company sells solely to resellers, who traditionally relayed customer choices, measurements, and needs back to Svedbergs by way of non-visual, written descriptions. The Svedbergs team then had to draw up designs for each order in a time-consuming, back-and-forth process prone to error, and resulting in delayed manufacturing and waste. In a bid to create better customer service, streamline the ordering and manufacturing process, and improve product outcomes, Svedbergs decided to shift the product configuration process to the web. After some unsuccessful attempts, the company turned to Cadcraft to assist with the creation of Duschstudio, a web-based configuration tool that would empower customers to view, configure, and order products accurately, anytime and anywhere.

How Cadcraft solved it with Forge

Cadcraft has been working with the Forge platform since its beta inception, and the Cadcraft team knew from extensive experience that Forge APIs would provide the most effective way to accumulate and showcase accurate, configurable production data.

The team chose to use the Forge Design Automation API for Inventor in combination with iLogic as a means to collect and deliver accurate product design data and create viewable models. Customers can choose from a standard assortment of models and products, which they can then view in their browsers and customize—from shape, size, and material, to smaller details such as knobs. This configured data is collected through the Design Automation API. The customer’s chosen reseller can then access the finished product configurations, download the design PDFs, and send the final order to Svedbergs. The Forge Data Management API is used to store template files and the Webhooks API notifies the user when files are ready for download.

Thanks to the now-standardized format of the configured drawings delivered by all resellers, the Svedbergs team no longer has to create customized designs for each individual order. Additionally, there is no more time-consuming back and forth that leads to delays in production and delivery, and errors and cost have been substantially minimized. In fact, the company’s labor has been reduced to a few clicks as design drawings can be sent directly on to be manufactured - resulting in as much as 20% time savings for internal data handling.

Forge highlights include the following:

  • Easily configurable web-based product models increase order accuracy, cutting cost and boosting customer engagement and sales by around 10%.
  • Standardized order format eliminates the need for time-consuming customized product drawings.
  • Streamlined order process speeds the time from customer choice to receipt of product.

“Forge is excellent at extracting accurate production data and drawings from a front-end configurable product. That’s where Forge is unique—you can go the whole way, from product configuration to production.”—Daniel Marcus, Key Account Manager, Cadcraft

Config

APIs and Services

Data Management API
Data Management API
Design Automation API for Inventor
Design Automation API for Inventor
Webhooks
Webhooks

Autodesk Products

AutoCAD
BIM 360
Inventor
Navisworks
Revit

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