Japan, whose manufacturing methodologies South African manufacturers have long sought to emulate, is experiencing increased momentum in adoption and use of model-based design technology.

Manufacturers in the region are adopting Autodesk Inventor Series mechanical design software as their preferred platform for product design, while skilled use of Autodesk software is fast becoming a mandatory part of the curriculum at educational institutions training Japan's future industrial designers and engineers.

Responding not only to the increasing use of 3D modelling software, but also to the prevalence of Autodesk design solutions worldwide, Tokyo University is making form modelling and visualisation using 3D CAD and computer graphics software a prerequisite for students in the school's graphic science curriculum.

Students are learning the principles of graphic science and 3D modelling using Autodesk Inventor Series.

Tokyo University instructors anticipate Autodesk Inventor Series will help students learn and master complex concepts such as analysis assemblies and operation simulations.

South African educational institutions that have incorporated Autodesk Inventor into their curricula include Border Technikon and the University of Stellenbosch. Learners at the institutions join the more than two million students who train using Autodesk technology every year.

In business enterprises Autodesk's design and data management solutions helps users to create, manage and share their design data for streamlined production and greater productivity, with fewer errors.

A leading Japanese prefabricated housing manufacturer, Daiwa House Industry, has selected Autodesk Inventor Series for its ease of modelling, support for large-scale assemblies and for the ability to perform structural and stress analyses.

Because the Autodesk solution allowed Daiwa House to model products in progress, the company has been able to design and build the optimal line.

Daiwa House was also able to develop the production equipment, designing and installing in-house, rather than outsourcing it. The company has completed a large-scale production line, increasing manufacturing capacity by 40% at half the anticipated capital expense.

For more information contact Richard Smedley Williams, Autodesk, 011 805 1555, www.autodesk.co.za