TopSolid in Industry 4.0 mode

By OEM Update Editorial August 2, 2021 2:24 pm IST

Sharing insights about TopSolid Industry 4.0 mode, Richard Lamure and Patrice Tibéri candidly stated that purpose of acquisition is responding to the needs of industry 4.0.

TopSolid, an editor of software specialisation of the CFAO and ERP for the industry was created 37 years ago. The enterprise has become global leaders with 1,00,000 licenses, 300 collaborators and 47 million euros turnover. So, please share more details about success?

Lamure remarked, it’s a broad question. I will say that there are four main axes to the success. The first axis is our staff, their motivation, who are always fit and want to surpass themselves. The second thing is of course the innovation. Since you said that we are in this profession/ business for 37 years; we are innovating each and every year producing new versions of new products. The third point is our proximity to our customers. Proximity in France is visible since we have agencies in the main regions. The 6 subsidiaries abroad are also in close proximity, allowing us to address customers on a daily basis and in close proximity. And finally, our industrial perimeter is extremely large since we address not only the mechanical industries but also that of wood; the people who work for aeronautics, in the metal work as well as other areas like boiler making, sheet metal, etc.

Patrice Tiberi, please expand upon TopSolid is the integrated solution that integrates the CFAO and ERP? Are pieces on table done by your software?

Exactly, in fact for 35 years we are working on fully integrated solutions. The CAO is a feature set of the drawing, 3D designs and the calculation of structure. We also have a huge number of solutions in the CFAO: axis machinery, wire machining and other solutions. The ERP obviously orchestrates them together for the mechanic industries. Yes, in particular this piece which is a spinning wheel has been done with an algorithm that we integrated in the TopSolid’ Cam version, which is a novelty of the year 2021.

Lamure replied, the future of the industry is the 4th industrial revolution, how do you support your clients in this total transformation?

We support our clients with a unique solution on the market. A fully integrated solution to automate and integrate the industrial production by implementing a digital chain that smoothly starts with design, continues with the manufacturing, production and system using the TopSolid’ Cam management of the data in the enterprise with PDM management. This is the first and final unique solution. We offer different business modules which allow us to support each client in his type of industry, on a daily basis.

And, Tiberi, your knowledge to do as you said earlier, it is the CFAO and the ERP, an essential base for the industry 4.0, still not sufficient. So how will you bring the other tools so that your customers can actually enter in the industry 4.0?

You are quite right. The CAO, FAO, ERP are the bases, even the pillars for us. But around these software fundamentals, we wish to extend our solutions to respond more to industry 4.0. I think that in some time, we will communicate on MAP – all the solutions that meet the needs of the mechanics, the mechanical industries, within the framework of industry 4.0 and at home MAP is called. We call it ‘Integrated Digital Factory’ that helps in communicating all solutions which allow us to solve all the problem of mechanical companies.

Tiberi, you have acquired Progilab a while ago; implies you just made a new acquisition?

Progilab firstly, is very important. Since it’s an acquisition of external growth funds, to respond to the needs of industry 4.0 and it is a company that brings us two products in the catalogue. The first product is ‘TopSolid’ Part Costing’ that allows us to do the costing of mechanical parts and the second product is called ‘TopSolid Inspection’ that allows us to monitor the quality of mechanical parts. These two products are perfectly adapted in our integrated solution as they complement our current solutions and besides, they are not the only acquisitions since last year.

We have also acquired a company who is a former reseller of the TopSolid network, a Swiss company Cadam and today it has become ‘TopSolid MSM’ and it also commercialises a product which complements our range within the framework of industry 4.0. This product is the ‘TopSolid Shop’Floor’. It is a product which allows to manage the workshop in the broad sense. The machines, the tools, the stock of tools, the connections with the measurement terminals, are a complete tool for the workshop…