Optimum data management remains elusive for many businesses amid the fourth industrial revolution. Despite significant advancements in data management, 48% of engineers still spend at least an hour each day searching for supplier or standard parts because of inadequate or poorly classified parts master data within their company. Disconnected systems and siloed workflows make it difficult to track design changes, resulting in version control issues and miscommunication between teams.
What’s the best way to organize design and manufacturing data so stakeholders get the access they need, all from a centralized system? Autodesk®Vault offers a solution.
Autodesk Vault helps engineers, designers, external teams, and stakeholders bring together collaboration in one secure place. Autodesk Vault for product data management (PDM) software integrates with Autodesk tools and CAD systems to manage data and workflows in a single web-enabled source of truth. With Autodesk Vault, everyone stays aligned using the latest information—whether through an on-premise server or a cloud service like AWS. Listed below are just some of the ways Autodesk Vault supports your design and manufacturing processes:
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Speed up the transition from engineering to manufacturing
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Automatically track changes, revisions, and design history
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Collaborate with your team and external partners, suppliers, and customers
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Search for and reuse existing data so you don't have to start from scratch
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Visualize concepts and simulate real-world performance
Continue reading the article to explore how Autodesk Vault’s flexible, web-enabled system for managing design and production workflows can empower your team to stay agile, efficient, and resilient to market shifts.
Improve Design and Manufacturing Process Visibility
Architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), and manufacturing projects generate massive data. With such a volume of information, finding, using, sharing, and fully maximizing the relevant data throughout the design process can be challenging. Autodesk Vault simplifies design and manufacturing workflows through its capabilities, addressing these challenges with key features that help streamline processes and improve efficiency:
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Reduce the risk of misplacing or duplicating files by providing all team members with the same data set. Working with a single data source minimizes department miscommunication and provides the team with the most recent design iterations.
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Take the hassle out of searching for files or resolving data conflicts through the platform’s smart search function.
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Support just-in-time (JIT/JIS) efforts to reduce the need for on-site inventory management.
When all teams have centralized access to accurate product data, each stage of the development process moves more quickly. This agile process can help eliminate too many design iterations and avoid the delays of traditional, step-by-step methods.
Streamline Version Control and Tracking
With Autodesk Vault's intuitive workflow, managing engineering change orders (ECOs) becomes simple. Changes are tracked seamlessly, keeping stakeholders informed from initiation to completion.
Autodesk Vault secures and regularly backs up all design and engineering data to further enhance data integrity. Enjoy built-in version control features that help prevent confusion over which file is the most up-to-date, which reduces errors and the potential for downtime caused by rework or incorrect information.
Manage Security and Permissions
Autodesk Vault offers customizable security settings to control who can access specific files. You can set user-based permissions so only authorized personnel can view, edit, or share sensitive product data.
The software incorporates a check-in/check-out system to manage file access and editing. When a team member checks out a file, they reserve it for exclusive edits, while others can only reference it in read-only mode to prevent conflicts or unauthorized changes. Once the file is checked back in, the updated version is accessible for others to modify.
Simplify Design Processes
Rather than beginning a project from the ground up, you can use Autodesk Vault’s intelligent search, saved searches, and shortcuts to quickly find the file you need. You can also combine properties filtering with geometric search capabilities to improve duplicate search workflows.
Enhance Team Collaboration
In 3D CAD models, each part is a separate file, and many people can work on different parts of the same assembly concurrently. Autodesk Vault accelerates workstreams by making it easier for teams, functions, and departments to work together toward the same goal, whether in the same office or across the globe.
Accessing project data simultaneously allows team members and external stakeholders to participate in the design process in real-time. Multiple users can access the project through the Vault client and mobile app with Vault Gateway without a VPN connection to speed up the design-to-market time.
You can also share the designs in Autodesk Shared Views, a part of Autodesk Vault Professional, so the key stakeholders can zoom in, mark up, or post their comments during review.
Integrate with Autodesk Tools
Autodesk Vault integrates with other Autodesk products, such as Inventor and AutoCAD. By managing files directly within the software, teams can cut down on time spent switching between programs. They can instead focus on design and production tasks without being hindered by software constraints, resulting in quicker project completion and greater accuracy.
Go Beyond Autodesk Vault Data with Hagerman
Manufacturers, despite using Autodesk Vault, still face challenges in making sure their crews and contractors in the field have access to the right, up-to-date information. Whether it’s difficulty accessing data or securely sharing it, disconnected systems can create inefficiencies. You can still get the most out of your Autodesk investment with data management solutions – which should be deployed by the right experts in the field.
Hagerman & Company has the right team of experts with years of real-world experience to help companies find innovative ways to use Autodesk Vault data beyond engineering. With centralized data, your team can experience more streamlined procurement processes, better product development cycles, and deliver more responsive customer service.
Our consulting team of SQL and IIS experts, including Certified Microsoft IT professionals, supports diverse customers, including discrete manufacturers, process plants, and utility companies, using single and multi-CAD systems. We also offer comprehensive training to equip your team with the skills to simplify workflows, improve data management, and enhance collaboration across departments.
Access Data at the Right Time in the Right Place with Autodesk Vault
Even the most talented teams can struggle to stay on track without efficient data management. With Autodesk Vault, teams can centralize their data, streamline processes, improve collaboration, and maintain full control over design changes.
We use Vault to maintain all our files. Gary gave great training for new users and was able to bolster existing users’ knowledge of features we weren’t aware of. Great trainer.
- Michael, Documentation Specialist
Hagerman & Company helps teams implement agile design development from concept to prototype and from engineering to manufacturing, using Autodesk Vault for Product Data Management (PDM). Your business can also take advantage of Autodesk data across different areas, such as purchasing, product development, and customer relations to maximize the benefits of your software.
Solve bigger problems, address challenges, and make engineering processes more efficient and agile with Hagerman & Company. Connect with Hagerman & Company today to discover how we can help your team succeed.
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