Lightolier, one of the largest lighting manufacturers for the US building industry has reported a 35% increase in productivity as a result of its use of Autodesk Inventor Series mechanical design software package and Autodesk Streamline online collaboration service.

Lightolier is using the Autodesk solutions to design its lighting products and share intelligent design data across its extended manufacturing team. Autodesk Inventor Series and Autodesk Streamline collaboration service form the cornerstone of the Autodesk manufacturing division's strategy to deliver product lifecycle management (PLM) to the mainstream market and rapidly provide a significant return on investment.

In addition to Autodesk's manufacturing software, Lightolier is using Autodesk's AutoCAD and Autodesk architectural desktop software as a complete solution to help the company deliver innovative lighting products to its customers. Lightolier needed a 3D design solution that could keep pace with a new line of innovative designs the company is planning to introduce next year for its 100th anniversary. The new product line, being co-developed with a sister division, demanded a solution that offered design flexibility and preservation of design intelligence throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Lightolier selected Autodesk Inventor for its ease of use, design flexibility, adaptive technology, and Autodesk's strong presence in the building design industry. In addition, with Autodesk Inventor software's DWG compatibility, Lightolier is able to share design data with internal and external project teams that use other design applications from Autodesk, such as AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop software.

Streamline collaboration service

Headquartered in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lightolier is using the Autodesk Streamline service to collaborate with vendors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide, including Taiwan and China. It exchanges data regarding components they outsource as well as sends and receives requests for proposals (RFPs) to potential suppliers. This makes their processes much more efficient, reducing the time it takes to communicate and accomplish work.

"Lightolier is one example of how companies can select the right mix from Autodesk's family of industry solutions to manage their specific product life cycle processes," says Robert Kross, vice president of the Manufacturing Solutions Division at Autodesk.

Looking to the future, Lightolier plans to deploy the Autodesk i-drop and DWF technology on its website, to give architects and building design customers the ability to not only view, but also drag and drop intelligent lighting geometry directly into their AutoCAD and architectural desktop drawings.

For more information contact Autodesk, 012 664 8115.