SYDNEY, Australia – SEM Fire and Rescue is aiming to halve the time for the assembly of its emergency services vehicles with the assistance of SolidWorks computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software and training and technical support services from Intercad.

Intercad is the leading authorised reseller of SolidWorks 3D CAD/CAM technology in Australia and New Zealand. The company has more than 20 years’ experience in the design, engineering and manufacturing industries in both countries.

Based in Ballarat, in central Victoria, SEM Fire and Rescue designs and manufactures emergency service vehicles, including pumpers, tankers and hazardous materials support vehicles, for the fire and rescue industry. The company also works with police forces around the country to develop bomb response vans, prisoner transport vehicles and mobile office units, as well as working on other projects like roadside assistance vehicles and tankers for Australia’s defence operations.  

Ernie Martino, Design Manager, SEM Fire and Rescue, says using solid modelling for design and manufacture is a trend within the industry and investing in technology from Intercad has helped the company continue to foster innovation, something its customers say sets it apart from the crowd.

“Presenting solid models and moving parts to our customers allows them to visualise the finished product,” says Martino. “When you use 2D it’s simply a bunch of lines, there’s no link between how parts work together, and this is how you get errors.

“Being able to create a virtual model, as you would actually build and assemble a prototype, saves us time and money by reducing downstream manufacturing errors. It also allows for faster customer approval of designs because we can prove the design before we cut even one piece of steel and agree on any variables upfront, not when we are 10 vehicles into the production line.”

By doing more design work upfront SEM Fire and Rescue is aiming to halve the time taken to assemble its vehicles. Martino says that making sure a design is right the first time, and that errors don’t flow through into production, is allowing the company to eliminate processes in the assembly stage, which is ultimately saving customers money.

“For example, we can allow in the design for holes in our sheetmetal parts to be laser cut, which eliminates a set-up and drilling process on the assembly line. The benefits of this are two-fold – we can reduce vehicle production costs and speed up throughput.”

SEM Fire and Rescue is passing these savings onto its customers in the price of the vehicles. The introduction of the software from Intercad has also allowed the company to be more competitive – the savings are being included in quotes and being used to win tenders. 

Martino says SEM Fire and Rescue wouldn’t be realising the full the benefits of the software if the company hadn’t invested in Intercad’s training and technical support services.

“Training is essential to ensure our designers don’t fall into bad habits and that they are using the software to its fullest potential,” says Martino. “Often designers don’t use all the relevant features a software package offers, or work in the most efficient way possible, and if you don’t do training you aren’t going to get the full value out of your investment.

“Using technical support is another way to get the most out of the software and Intercad’s service is fantastic. We have had minor software issues which Intercad was able to fix very quickly so our downtime was minimised, but what really blew us away was the assistance with some of our hardware issues. This is outside Intercad’s usual realm of assistance but they went above and beyond to help us when we needed it.”

While technical support is only a phone call away, being based in a regional area has sometimes been prohibitive for SEM Fire and Rescue to complete training courses. Intercad is addressing this by providing regional training courses in areas more accessible for its rural customers.

“Our training is essential to ensure designers, engineers and manufacturers are working efficiently with SolidWorks,” says Max Piper, CEO, Intercad. “The manufacturing sector has done it tough throughout the global financial crisis, and while sentiment is picking up now, efficiencies learned during tough times, like putting in more grunt work upfront to make sure designs are right the first time, will ensure Australian companies can continue to compete with overseas producers.

“SEM Fire and Rescue’s use of design to reduce processes in the assembly line is a great example of how Australian manufacturers can set themselves apart by working smarter, not harder. SEM has proved the concept when working with Victoria Police on the design of new G4S prisoner transport vehicles,” says Piper.

“The Victoria Police project was delivered on time and ran very smoothly,” says Martino. “The design of the G4S vehicles was a different project to what we usually complete – there were no pumps or hoses as with our usual emergency vehicles, so we had to work closely with the customer to ensure the designs would meet their needs. We were able to get everything signed off without having to go through the usual prototype and process, and the prototype vehicle became production vehicle number one.” 

About Intercad Pty Ltd
Intercad Pty Ltd is the leading distributor of SolidWorks in Australia and New Zealand. Intercad Pty Ltd is an Australian-owned company specialising in Mechanical Computer-Aided Engineering, Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (MCAE/CAD/CAM) solutions. Established in 1989 with offices in each major state capital in Australia and in New Zealand, its core activities include software sales, technical support, training and consulting services. For more information please visit www.intercad.com.au or call Intercad’s head office on 02 9454 4444.