CATIA V5 IS A BUSINESS TOOL Phil Gray, Quadro’s Managing Director explains, “Our view is that CATIA V5 is not a design tool, rather it’s a business tool and since it has such a far-reaching impact, the benefits really need to be explained at the CEO level. CATIA V5 applies not only for the Design and Engineering departments, but also Manufacturing, the shop floor, in Sales and Marketing, in fact throughout most of a company. It also gives you much more of an opportunity to do effective risk management, by providing the ability to visualize and iterate at the early concept stage, and discover the ramifications of each option; this brings a real competitive advantage.

We are a leading-edge company from a user point of view, with an emphasis on creativity, rather than technology for technology’s sake. At the product design level, it is the subtlety of shape and form that is our real passion. To this we need really advanced surfacing capabilities. Without doubt, CATIA V5 is the best surfacer on the market… it is just fantastic. The latest modules like Functional Molded Part and Imagine and Shape packages are the icing on the cake.”

The name Quadro, which means ‘picture’ in Italian, is obviously indicative of the tendency to work with images and visualizations. Also, the name begins with the letter ‘Q’ - some of which falls ‘outside the box’ which, again, reflects their way of thinking. Quadro has a far reaching network of complimentary partners and associates, which offer capabilities from market research, model making, FEA (Finite Element Analysis), mold making, etc. They also have strategic partnerships enabling them to coordinate projects across markets such as China and Taiwan. Quadro’s list of clients includes Oregon Scientific, Vtech, DBTel, GE Healthcare (formerly Amersham Bioscience) plus AT&T, to name a few.

Quadro purchased CATIA V5 from IBM/DS Business Partner, Applied, with whom they have an excellent relationship. Says Gray, “Actually, we see a good opportunity to work together since the skills of both our companies are very complimentary. We started using CATIA V5 in 2000. Prior to that, we used various tools for different functions but found that we could replace them all with CATIA V5. We also liked the fact that CATIA V5 is part of a complete PLM offering with sophisticated PDM and manufacturing applications.”

One of the first projects based on CATIA V5 began as a small study and evolved into a half million dollar business opportunity for Quadro. The client – AT&T was planning to develop a new cordless telephone for the US market, and turned to Quadro for advice on product strategy and brand positioning. Quadro worked with the client’s product management team and defined the key brand values for the AT&T phone brand. These are; pleasure in use, classical style and high perceived quality. These three core values became the strategic guidelines for the duration of the project enabling objective judgements to be made at every project review

Using CATIA V5, an early physical representation was produced giving a first feel of the size and shape of the phone, which could house the required electronic components and their footprint. This form, developed for initial sign-off, was complete with the fillets and draft angles that would be required on the final phone. Next, a fully detailed mock-up was CNC machined in the same way to create a replica appearance model. This enabled the phone to be tested in clinics in 3 cities in the USA, and even featured at a trade show where large retailers, such as Walmart, actually placed advanced orders for the product range.

Meanwhile, the product development continued in CATIA V5 and within 8 weeks of the project commencing, SLA (StereoLithography) versions of the front and back housings plus the battery cover were available. These were to such fine tolerances that they snapped together like the final phone, and contained all the walls and key pad locators as needed. Complete with ear-piece sockets and volume controls, the only aspect missing was the electronics and software to drive the screen which had yet to be developed. Quadro has a ‘Learning by Doing’ Approach with Clients.

Bringing this range of phones to market involved Quadro in co-ordinating the product management teams in New Jersey and Portland, USA the R & D team in Vancouver, the design engineers in Hong Kong and production engineering in China. Quadro’s task was to provide an overarching role at VP level across the corporation. The range of telephones was launched in 2002 and was a great success. It was produced in China at the rate of 40,000 per month, and became a $50m revenue stream for AT&T.

 Quadro’s main objective is not just to design a final product, it is about showing a client by example how best to develop and deliver a new offering. Continues Gray, “What we offer is a ‘learning by doing’ consultancy. We take our clients on a journey, we define the starting point, draw a map of where to go and lead them in the right direction. We provide the glue that binds together all the essential parts of a new product development project. We hold the client’s hand as he follows our example and leave him with the legacy of an optimized process.”

Concludes Gray, “In our view, CATIA V5 is the ideal PLM platform for consumer electronic packaging and household appliances which now need to be very functional, but also very well styled and easy to manufacture. We know that CATIA V5 has everything we need for our projects. It is all there, from advanced surfacing tools to full PLM capabilities. A key challenge, as with all tools, is knowing the right ones to use and when!”

 Information about Quadro Consulting Limited is available at www.quadro-consult.com