MAC Trailer reduces CAD model library by 77% using Strategic Parts Management
MAC Trailer opened its doors to show you how they get their top-of-the-line trailer out on the roads. It all starts with optimizing CAD model inventory.
Project Overview
Starting in the fall of 2020, CADENAS PARTsolutions implemented software to sort existing parts and identify duplicate parts in MAC Trailer’s digital inventory. Once the duplicates were eliminated, the inventory was re-indexed and the data was securely stored on a localized server. The smaller number of parts have been re-indexed within their new product life cycle management (PLM) software, Siemens’ Teamcenter.
As of 2022, this data has been added to MAC Trailer’s PLM system in a much more efficient manner. Now that the new PLM is live, CADENAS PARTsolutions’ software runs nightly updates adding new and updated data. This process makes it possible for MAC Trailer to significantly decrease the time and money spent getting their products to market.
The problem with CAD model inventory
“Our engineers were spending roughly one-third of their day simply searching for existing parts. Most of them ended up resketching these parts instead of continuing to search.”
Zach Kennedy, Director of Information Technology at MAC Trailer
With over 40 engineers on staff, approximately 500 hours per week were spent searching for active parts. Additionally, the problem was growing with recreated parts being added to their inventory daily. To implement a new PLM system, MAC Trailers had to reorganize their digital inventory process. They acknowledged this issue and set analysts out to solve it. That’s when they found PARTsolutions.
Optimizing CAD model inventory
Using the PARTsolutions software, the team was able to reduce MAC Trailer’s parts from 1.3 million distinct parts and assemblies to just 300,000. That is a decrease of 77% of redundant 3D models. With such a drastically decreased part inventory, MAC Trailer has been able to organize their data and more easily share CAD models with all engineers across the country.
“This process has significantly impacted our engineers. They are spending far less time searching for parts and can focus on more productive tasks,” said Kennedy. “This also has helped us identify larger volumes for purchasing.”
Read more about MAC Trailer and their savings by downloading the MAC Trailer Optimizes CAD Model Inventory to Save Millions Case Study.
About the author
Shelby Huber is a Content Marketing Manager at CADENAS PARTsolutions. She is a Strategic Communications graduate from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Shelby has years of experience in marketing and design for a variety of industries.
