BRUSH is the largest independent manufacturer of turbo-generators in the world, combining the resources of three major manufacturers of generators for gas turbines and steam turbine drives. The company recently placed a major order with Symetri, a partner of leading 3D design software provider, Autodesk, for a next generation Digital Prototyping solution based on Autodesk Inventor and Vault Professional software. Not only did the deal represent new business for Symetri, BRUSH was also a completely new customer for Autodesk
From the outset, BRUSH knew that its ability to work closely with Symetri would be key in ensuring that it made the most of its investment in Digital Prototyping. A critical part of Symetri?s role was as an Autodesk Authorised Training Centre (AATC) delivering Autodesk certified training courses.
The original contract between BRUSH and Symetri includes 45 Autodesk Inventor licences, 53 Vault Professional licences, as well as comprehensive training, onsite consultancy, systems integration services and on-going support across Brush Electrical Machines (BEM) and Brush Transformers. This UK deployment is part of a major European deployment of Autodesk solutions across all of BRUSH's European offices.
The new Autodesk-based solution is enabling BRUSH's design teams to create single digital prototypes that can be used at every stage of the design and product development process significantly reducing the time and cost needed to bring new products to market. BRUSH is committed to making its design and product development processes as streamlined as possible and it sees implementing Digital Prototyping as a major part of this commitment.
Training and Certification Our training programme began as soon as the implementation of the Autodesk solutions was complete, explains Craig Snell, training manager, Symetri. In total, about 50 users at BRUSH enrolled, many of whom had no prior experience of using Autodesk software solutions.
Our trainers focused on taking these users from the bare essentials to in-depth training on all the products, including a key focus on the use of Autodesk Inventor and Vault Professional, adds Snell. In total, the programme took six months to complete and was typically carried out at a rate of 1-2 days a week for all employees.
Symetri ran the courses at its AATC facility in Leicester. When delegates completed each course and returned to work, they had the benefit of an onsite trainer, acting as a mentor and helping to solve problems to ensure that they started using the software correctly from the start .
For ten of the BRUSH engineers who most regularly use the Autodesk software, the training process culminated in sitting the Autodesk certification exams. The results were excellent with all ten passing at Associate level - and one passing the professional exam.
Delivering Added Value
Overall, the results exceeded BRUSH?s expectations with very positive feedback from the
users.
Delegates spanned the whole spectrum of experience and expertise from those that were new to the profession to others with significant experience, which included employees focusing on a range of disciplines from mechanical to structural to electrical engineering.
Ian Hicks, engineer, BRUSH, who passed Autodesk certification at professional level, said, I was very impressed with everything about the training process, from the standard of the training facilities and course materials to the quality of the trainers themselves, who were knowledgeable, responsive and helpful at all times.
According to Jamie Wilson, BRUSH project manager, for us, optimising our investment in Digital Prototyping is as much about ensuring our staff are highly skilled in the way they use Autodesk solutions as it is about implementing the solutions themselves. We believe that the training process is both helping to improve the productivity of our staff and by validating our capabilities in this area, helping to improve our competitiveness in the marketplace.
In Summary
The training and certification process is bringing a broad range of benefits to BRUSH from both an employee and a management perspective. Staff who have passed the exams are delighted that they have achieved an independent validation of their skills and knowledge along with recognition of their achievements. They are also pleased with the immediate diagnostic feedback they received from the Symetri trainers on areas which they can address in order to improve their Autodesk application skills.
For BRUSH, as a whole, the ability to validate the skills and knowledge of its people, but also to accelerate their professional development and improve their productivity has been a key benefit. Ultimately too, this approach will help BRUSH get the most out of its software investment, strengthen its competitiveness and drive business advantage.
For further details on Autodesk Certifications contact
Andy Hadley