Teamcenter • NX Kesslers International

PLM delivers significant competitive advantage and the winning way

Industry and NX enable Consumer products Kesslers International to differentiate services and win business while making Business challenges significant time, cost and Ensure finished product delivery in 3 to 8 weeks quality improvements Cut product development time Strategic PLM Enable customers to make Kesslers International Ltd. is Europe’s design decisions late in the leading manufacturer of permanent point- process of-purchase display and merchandising units. Located in Stratford, London, on the edge of the London 2012 Olympic site, the Keys to success company’s state-of-the-art complex – Improving customer service including 110,000-square-foot corporate and reducing cost base by headquarters and manufacturing plant – leveraging new people, plant houses design and manufacturing facilities and software investments that are run 24 hours a day by a highly group director at Kesslers International, Implementing operational skilled team of approximately 250 profes- says, “We are a multi-material and hi-tech business model that takes sionals. As part of its new fully integrated manufacturer. We process wood; we advantage of PLM technology design, engineering and manufacturing approach, Kesslers International has intro- process metal; we process plastic. We are a Receiving training and men- duced the latest technologies into these project-based design and make-to-order toring in new technology facilities, including large machines for business.” Typically, customer orders range laser cutting steel and plastics, fast metal in size from 50 to 5000 units, with very little repeat manufacturing. Just as impor- Results presses, injection molding, wood process- ing, silk screening, new 3D CAD systems tantly, the company’s clients do not decide Design changes per mold and computer-controlled machinery. These exactly what features they need or how from 2.2 to 0.7 major investments are especially impor- many units they require until late in the Sample parts delivered 30 tant for enabling the company to increase buying process.“ Kessler explains, “A client minutes after design its export activities. may take awhile to conclude negotiations with the store group where it is going to Substantial re-keying and place the display. Once this is decided related errors eliminated The nature of the company’s business and its unique customer requirements play a though, things move fast. We may only key role in defining Kesslers International’s have between three and eight weeks to technology needs. George Kessler CBE, design, make and deliver the finished

www..com/plm Results (continued) article, so it is essential that we get devel- “We also were investing heavily in CNC Substantially improved opment times down to a minimum and get machine tools and wanted to make sure results in terms of time, the design freeze time as late as possible.” our operating model took advantage of all cost and quality the technologies that were available at the To meet such demanding challenges time. Teamcenter® software provided vital Repeat business; new and optimize its operations, Kesslers functionality so we could make the transi- customers International decided the most advanta- tion from I-deas to the NX system, so we geous strategy would be to leverage decided to take the opportunity to inte- product lifecycle management (PLM) grate our MRP system with our CAD system technology from Siemens PLM Software. at the same time – in effect, to share one database.” Critical investments A private company with £20 million annual Integrated design and manufacturing revenue and customers such as Revlon, Paul Copping, technical manager at Christian Dior, the U.K. Post Office, Bosch Kesslers International, continues the story Home Appliances and Sony Electronics of the company’s evolution: “Over the past Inc., Kesslers International recently won three years, we’ve made fundamental the award for being the Best Employer of changes in the way we run the business. Apprentices in Greater London – 2009. The top level is what we do for our cus- Over the last five years, the company also tomer. The next level down is an inte- has won three Manufacturing Excellence grated design and manufacturing model awards. “We invest heavily in people; we using Teamcenter and NX.” invest heavily in plant; we invest heavily in software – all to improve our customer He describes the impact of this approach: service and reduce our cost base,” says “We’ve gone over to a more project-based Kessler. “We recently bought a Trumpf environment where my project managers punch press solution for nearly £500,000. actually control the design cycle and the The additional run speed, flexibility and design phases. Once an order is placed, “Everything is designed in weekend lights-out running enables us to project management kicks into action. The NX and there is one model – manufacture more cheaply than any of our delivery date, which can be as little as five and only one model.” competitors. Our customers benefit by weeks or as much as eight weeks, is set in receiving lower prices and fast turnaround; stone and the specification is partially con- Paul Copping we benefit by earning higher profits.” firmed. Forty percent of our work comes in Technical Manager at the concept stage through design agen- Kesslers International Changes cut in half using 3D cies. For the rest, we typically produce “We started on this track over 20 years ago three or four concept visuals before we with Anvil 5000, a good 2D system with move to further discussion or even proto- some 3D, and importantly for us, with a typing. Then, we develop the detailed strong machining capability,” says Kessler. design. Everything is designed in NX and “We decided to move over completely to there is one model – and only one model.” 3D with then SDRC‘s I-deas™ software (now part of Siemens’ NX™ software) ten The approach is key. Copping explains, years ago and received massive advan- “Our engineers understand about design- tages. At the time, we had numerous ing for manufacturing – so we don’t have projects that required 10 or more injection the additional delays, additional redesign moldings. Prior to adopting 3D, we had an or additional costs that people who sub- average of 2.2 design changes per mold. contract manufacturing suffer. We can A year later, we’d reduced that to 0.7 have a sample part within 30 minutes of changes per tool. That saved enormously designing it and if the customer decides to on lead times and costs and proved the change it, we can respond immediately. value of designing in 3D. That’s another competitive advantage for us.” is scrap or whether it could be re-used “We are using the where the scratch was not visible.” Equally Teamcenter project important according to David Pearson, planning modules and the company’s operations director, “The workflow modules, which Teamcenter web interface will let you the team loves, because mark up and measure drawings they take all the heartache on screen.” out of addressing complex business requirements.” One company’s pain is another’s profit George Kessler CBE The PLM systems – from Teamcenter Group Director software, which serves as a global portal, Kesslers International to NX software, which functions as a design front-end – are now in place. All are tuned to enable a rapid response to the company’s customers. “The projects we undertake have to be very front-end oriented,” says Kessler. “We need certain rules and protocols so that when we build

Christina Aguilera – By Night is one of 3 displays on the screen, we build everything right created by Kesslers International to have been down to the fastenings. This is because nominated for a 2010 European POPAI Award. everything migrates through Teamcenter. If you miss one screw, it won’t be in the product. So we have lots of checks and There are other advantages. Copping validation upfront.” notes, “For injection-molded parts, we include draft angles, injection points and Kessler notes, “Our CAD/MRP integration so on. Then we give the toolmakers the has worked very well. It has removed a real-world model electronically with full huge amount of re-keying and eliminated supporting information, including the a massive risk of error. We‘ve reinvested runner balancing and machine to be used. the time saved into product and concept The tools are high-speed machined in development. In turn, this gives our aluminium directly from the NX model. customers more opportunity to change This method has saved money, improved the designs later (in the process). Up to quality and reduced errors. One recent two years ago, if the finished product was Revlon design required 50 different injec- 90 percent of what they wanted, they tion molding tools, so you can imagine would have gone for it. But today, it needs the benefits.” to be 99 percent. That‘s a huge pain for other companies, but for us it’s a commer- Complex business requirements cial advantage.” made easy “We are using the Teamcenter project Driving design via configurator planning modules and workflow modules, “We were considering buying a separate which the team loves, because they take configurator package until Siemens PLM all the heartache out of addressing Software pointed out how we could get complex business requirements,” says the same superb functionality with Copping. “The shop floor can also interro- Teamcenter and NX,” says Kessler. “Using gate Teamcenter. They can see how the this for the ITL merchandising unit is a job goes together and they can see where good example of why this matters. The a component is used. That has given us Teamcenter configurator allows us to some surprising savings. For example, say specify the width of the shelves. Then, it they have a scratched injection molding. will add the side panels and work out the They can decide immediately whether it header and back panel parametrically. It Solutions/Services also will know how many fasteners, back “Mentoring is very much about getting Teamcenter straps and other features are needed. In under the skin of the company and how it www.siemens.com/teamcenter effect, Teamcenter is driving the design operates,” says Copping. “They had to while leaving the designer to concentrate understand all of our processes and dis- NX on the more important design issues. cover what parts of the new NX we didn’t www.siemens.com/nx This gives us some real commercial understand to make a difference to our NX training/mentoring advantages.” operations. Majenta has done an excellent (Majenta PLM) job in creating our Teamcenter and NX Mentoring matters configurator coursework.” Kesslers International recently upgraded Customer’s primary business its NX software to the latest version. “This Proof of success – the customer Kesslers International went well,” says Copping. “We did a lot of experience designs and manufactures testing and a lot of training in all aspects With Teamcenter and NX, business is very point-of-purchase display of NX, particularly using the system’s sheet good. Kessler sums up the advantages of and merchandising units. metal capabilities, which are years ahead the PLM software combination: “We know www.kesslers.com of earlier versions of the software. NX is it works because we measure success very accommodating of all the new through order increases and complaint specialized tools that we’ve purchased.” reductions. We have a very, very low level Customer location of complaints. We have a good level of Stratford, London NX training was provided by Majenta PLM, customer satisfaction and our customers United Kingdom a company that also runs a six-month keep coming back. And we have important mentoring program for Kesslers new customers. That is the best proof we International‘s technical department. can have.” “It is essential that we get development times down to a minimum and get the freeze time as late as possible. NX and Teamcenter are vital to making it all happen, so we win the business and our competitors don’t.” George Kessler CBE Group Director Kesslers International

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