Form-Scaff sets international standards using Autodesk PDM Solutions
Micrographics has achieved many workflow wins with Form-Scaff in a very short time period. Form-Scaff utilises Micrographics for the majority of their required Autodesk services, CAD software, CAD training, CAD workflow consulting, and process automation development.
Form-Scaff is a division of Waco Africa Pty Ltd and is South Africa’s market leader in the supply and design of scaffolding, Formwork and Temporary works. The division is a leading supplier of formwork and scaffolding and Form-Scaff’s solutions have been widely accepted as the benchmark in South Africa. Strict quality standards and continued development ensure their position in the market is secure for the next 50 years.
Using Autodesk Vault Professional, Form-Scaff centrally manages all current and historic Project Data. The new workflow particularly improves transparency and management of large-scale projects, from early tender phases right through to project execution. Further, implementing company-wide design procedure standardisation increases productivity and efficiency, and ultimately, the system overall also improves ISO9001 compliance.
We chatted to Stevan & Candice about their recent projects, and this is what they had to say:
Is there a particular project that you wish to highlight, that you felt had a more successful outcome thanks to your Autodesk Software packages?
Our main objective during the implementation of Autodesk Vault was to ensure that regardless of the scale of the project we would still maintain a high level of service, quality, and quick turnaround times. We put Autodesk Vault through its paces across the entire South African Region with projects in the mining sector, complex bridges and water retaining structures that will provide clean water to the community. The dynamics between Customer, Project Technician and Engineer naturally pushed Autodesk Vault to the limit.
What Autodesk Solutions are currently used by your company?
- AutoCAD
- Inventor
- NavisWorks
- ReCAP
- Autodesk Vault Professional
What challenges were identified within your workflow?
- Standardisation
- Version Control
- Accessing projects across the group
- Errors and incomplete documentation
What shortfalls did you identify within your process/workflow that led you to requiring customisation within your Autodesk software?
Each region was operating within their own “standards”. For example, each region had different naming conventions when identifying procedures, this would then confuse people in the downstream process which would in turn waste time as misunderstandings occurred and continuous clarification was needed.
Did you opt to have Micrographics perform a Business Process Analysis (BPA) Prior to determining your needs?
The technical team at Micrographics has consulted with us on specific challenges that we are facing within our business on multiple occasions. Micrographics is called upon for both Autodesk Vault Professional related problems as well as overall best practices for drawing and 3D modelling. A full BPA has not yet been conducted but is most certainly on the cards for the near future.
What were the goals that you were aiming to achieve when partnering with Micrographics?
Our end goal was to standardise workflows, reduce the time required to complete time sensitive projects and to reduce the possibility of error.
Describe the priority business outcomes and process improvement desired.
We wished to streamline data entry and create uniformity within folder structures, and to maximise efficiencies when working on projects.
What available solutions were identified as possibilities to achieve your desired outcomes?
Autodesk Vault Professional, which we then customised through Micrographics. The Autodesk Vault Data Standard was customised by enabling drop down selection menus for minimal entry, increasing efficiency and reducing error from the team’s side. This automation alongside several other improvements on our Project Management, Engineering and Design workflows helped improve turnaround times and quality overall.
Micrographics with its exceptionally unique skillset can perform custom app development. What has been done for Form-Scaff in this regard?
MGFX, has built an app that bolts onto the Autodesk Vault Professional Software which automates tasks and improves the overall User Experience. Form-Scaff are currently on phase 4 of this ongoing development project. MGFX was able to customise the data standard within the Autodesk Vault software through several phased projects. The workflow and data that is available was standardised throughout the entire company on each completed phase. This assists in driving down the time taken to complete projects and takes the project from Tender to Construction with ease in a reduced time frame. We were also able to automate the issuing of transmittals and reports.
Did Micrographics fulfil your skills development requirements to ensure maximum results could be achieved from the new workflow?
Yes, Autodesk Vault is now a cohesive and easy to use system that gives the team access to expand on their knowledge and see what experienced engineers have designed in the past.
On a monthly basis, we host free, live, and interactive webinars. These are hosted by our highly experienced Application Engineers and cover a range of industry related topics. Do you monitor these topics and allow your designers to attend as an added benefit for skills development?
Yes, absolutely, when relevant to their day-to-day work and growth initiatives, we encourage our team to make use of these informative sessions.
What outcomes did you achieve and were they in line with your planned results?
Our primary objective was to improve the efficiency and quality of service that we deliver to our customers. Autodesk Vault has helped us achieve this in several different ways. We now have a knowledge database from all our branches across Africa. The team use this data to access historical designs, improve on them or use them as reference and in turn deliver a superior solution to our customers at a fraction of the time whilst maintaining full version history on all the files in the system.
Closing Thoughts
“Micrographics helped us realize the true potential of Autodesk Vault by helping customize the platform to our specific needs. The improvements on the system have made it easier for our team to work together on projects by improving workflows and automating basic tasks. Autodesk Vault also acts as a source of knowledge which gives our teams insight into similar projects and the many ways a project can be designed. MGFX always goes the extra mile to deliver on our requirements and we really appreciate the technical first approach they have had since day one.”
~ S. Boskovic
