Metal Work Cuts Six Weeks out of Pneumatic Component Development Time with SolidWorks, COSMOSWorks; 3D Mechanical Design and Design Analysis Software Speed Time to Market, Grow Revenues; 3D PartStream.NET Boosts Company's Online Catalog Sales

Business Wire, August 3, 2005

PADUA, Italy -- Leading Italian pneumatic component manufacturer Metal Work has reduced new product design and validation cycles by nearly six weeks after standardizing on SolidWorks(R) 3D mechanical design and COSMOSWorks(R) design analysis software. The company has also increased sales by using SolidWorks 3D PartStream.NET(R) service to create an interactive online catalog. Customers such as Volvo and Volkswagen download 2D drawings and 3D models of Metal Work components from the catalog into their product designs to check form and fit.

Founded in 1967, Metal Work has become one of Italy's most significant pneumatic automation manufacturers, with a range of products in five different lines, including actuators, valves, air-handling units, connections, and manipulation components. Company headquarters are in Concesio, and it operates 36 distribution and service subsidiaries in 16 countries, providing pneumatics to 12,000 customers in most every industry. Metal Work realized that accelerating time to market and innovating new product design was essential to growing sales and increasing its market share. After evaluating various CAD software packages, including Pro/ENGINEER(R) and ME10, Metal Work chose SolidWorks because it delivers the design speed and ease of use to create new products faster and with fewer errors than with its previous software.

"SolidWorks gives us the flexibility to design parts made of a stamped technopolymer or die cast aluminum and send the models directly to the stamping manufacturers," said Metal Work Product Manager Giorgio Guzzoni. "We also use the models to create rapid prototypes that we can test and refine prior to final production. The intuitiveness of the SolidWorks interface and the innumerable capabilities for modeling stamped parts allow our designers to propose innovative products in a much shorter time, giving the company a competitive advantage that is essential to our market."

According to Guzzoni, SolidWorks made designing Metal Works' ONE, the company's latest innovation, possible. ONE is a highly integrated compressed-air handling unit that has set new standards for multiple pneumatic functions from a single unit. This product won the International Prize for novelty in 2004 awarded by Fluidtrans Compomac, which is the International Biennial conference for power transmission, movement, command, control, and design.

Metal Work uses COSMOSWorks to conduct comprehensive analyses that show how pneumatic products will stand up to a variety of stresses, including manufacturing and everyday use. COSMOSWorks lets engineers study everything from part interference to structural integrity so they can troubleshoot problems before manufacturing begins, saving time and money, and speeding product delivery.

Boosting sales with interactive catalog

Metal Work is also using 3D PartStream.NET to allow customers to configure the right pneumatic part for their product designs. The 3D PartStream.NET service ensures customers will quickly find, configure, and design in (download and subsequently purchase) the right Metal Work product for their application. Metal Work components are available to CAD users around the world on SolidWorks' 3D ContentCentral(SM) (www.3dcontentcentral.com) Web site, an online directory of downloadable 3D CAD models.

"Metal Work has set a standard for creative pneumatic product designs that improve manufacturing processes," said SolidWorks Regional Manager for South Europe Luca Rossettini. "Its innovative products are an example of how multifunctional, yet easy-to-use design software like SolidWorks can allow engineers to concentrate on developing ever-better products."

Metal Work collaborates with Solid Technology s.r.l., a SolidWorks reseller, which provides the company with training, installation, and support. It also works with Exis s.r.l., for the design and creation of its electronic catalog featuring the 3D PartStream.NET technology.

About Metal Work

Specializing in the production of pneumatic components for industrial automation, Metal Work SPA was created as a private firm in 1967, and began its business with the production of quick-connect fixtures for the use of compressed air. Today, it is one of the most significant players in the pneumatic automation sector, with a range of products embracing five different lines, i.e., actuators, valves, air-treatment units, connections, and manipulation components. Product distribution and assistance are handled by 36 subsidiaries in Italy and abroad. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.metalwork.it.

About Solid Technology

Solid Technology was formed in Milan in 1996, as a supplier of solutions and qualified competence in the CAD and design automation sector. Since Oct. 1, 2000, Solid Technology has been a part of Softpeople, a leading company in the IT sector. Solid Technology's mission is to offer mechanical production companies, design and industrial design studios, and universities not only the classical and tested CAD/CAM/CAE solutions, but also its own growing experience, attuned to the evolution of the market, toward collaborative product definition management, which includes product data management (PDM). For more information, visit the company's Web site, www.solidtech.it.