Peter Meyer & Co. AG

Customers of avintos AG can simply configure ball valves from Peter Meyer on the screen thanks to customX.

web configuration of ball valves

There is an almost infinite variety of ball valves for chemical and pharmaceutical plants. Peter Meyer & Co. AG in Schaffhausen has replaced the extensive analogue catalogue that was previously used with a digital configuration solution based on customX. Because the company works closely together with the sales company avintos AG, the processes in both companies and especially on the customer side have been simplified quite considerably.

Targets

The previously used analogue catalogue was to be abolished and replaced by digital tools that enable the direct digital use of 3D data in addition to configuration. The new system was to be integrated into the website both technically and visually. A close connection to Autodesk products was explicitly desired.

Implementation

customX was chosen as the most powerful of the tested software applications. The products were systematically recorded via the set of rules, the configuration options were then published on the web and an interface to the ERP system was implemented.

Conclusion

customX has proven to be an indispensable tool for digitisation. It is easy to learn how to operate the system and create the set of rules, so these can easily be maintained within the company itself. Further ideas have already been developed in cooperation with customX.

Watertight ! - In all variations

Peter Meyer & Co. AG from Schaffhausen can look back on a long history: founded in 1946, the company initially produced model steam engines and then specialised in the manufacture of spinning rings for the textile industry. The machining of austenitic steels led to the company's entry into valve manufacturing for the chemical and food industries, and in 1960 the company launched Europe's first ball valve. The ball valve has been continuously developed and today meets the highest requirements of international customers: even at extreme pressures and temperatures, the valves open and close reliably. The European sales partner is avintos AG, and together they manage to react promptly to customer requests.

Countless variants

Ball valves are available in countless variants: they are flange-mounted on one or both sides or welded into the pipeline; they are made of stainless steel, titanium or other high-quality materials; they differ in size and pipeline diameter; they can be operated manually or automatically and have numerous special features. In the past, customers - plant manufacturers for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, but also chemical and pharmaceutical companies themselves - used to order the ball valves on the basis of the catalogue or have special designs developed.

Configurator instead of catalogue

Increasing digitalisation enables leaner processes and better services throughout the entire procurement process. Peter Meyer & Co. AG wanted to make the most of these benefits and enable customers to also obtain the 3D data of the ball valves digitally and use this data for plant planning. All this was to be done with the help of a digital construction kit. If possible, this electronic configurator should come from the Autodesk world and be integrated into the avintos AG website.

customX convinces

Franz Meyer was introduced to customX via the MuM office in Suhr. The software proved to be the most powerful of all the configurators he had been shown. customX makes it possible to create a set of rules with the help of which products with many variants can be generated. The defined dependencies ensure that customers only "build" products that can also be manufactured. The software works closely with Autodesk Inventor.

Individualization made by customX

The cooperation was excellent.

Franz Meyer

Junior Manager, Peter Meyer & Co. AG

More than CAD

Franz Meyer made high demands on the software: He did not just want digital configuration; the configurator should also seamlessly integrate into the avintos website, both visually and technically. The ball valves ordered by the customer were to be automatically created as new products via an interface to the ERP system.

Logical structure for the end user

In Frank Meyer’s opinion, CI and visual appearance are important, referring with a wink to the "hourglass" that looks like the avintos logo in the configurator. For the user, operating the configurator is intuitive: after basic specifications such as dimensions, material and connections, the necessary special equipment, such as heating jacket, surface roughness, relief or T-bore, can be selected, then the desired automation and finally the accessories, e.g., spindle extension, control valve or limit switch box. The system provides many aids: For example, if you enter the maximum temperature and pressure of the media flowing through, the system itself selects the material qualities that come into question and displays them in the order of their suitability.

webshop with configuration

Help for correct entries

If invalid data is entered or if the input results in a configuration that cannot be produced, an error message in plain text indicates correction options. With each selection, the configurator also calculates and displays the price and estimated delivery time; the configured ball valve is shown as a 3D visualisation. The user can interrupt the configuration at any time and request a quotation, trigger an order or download a 3D PDF file, a STEP file, the list of technical data or a dimensional drawing at the touch of a button.

Man and machine, cleverly combined

When the customer orders, the system automatically sends the parts lists and drawing to production planning; the new ball valve is given an article number and stored in the ERP at avintos. "We don't start production directly, but check the order again," says Franz Meyer. "Logically correct entries are not always what the customer wants." If, for example, a regular customer specifies a dimension or a material that has never been ordered before, we check back with the customer and thus ensure that they receive the right fitting.

New ideas, new customers

The go-live of the configurator is by no means the end of the story. Franz Meyer and his team still have many ideas as to how to improve the digital assembly of the ball valves - for example, by adding an extensive media database. With a mouse click, the user can select what flows through the pipe that is to be shut off, and the system will only display the appropriate materials.

The management of Peter Meyer & Co. AG not only wants to offer a contemporary tool with the configurator, but also to win new customers, especially abroad. customX has proven to be an indispensable tool in the digitalisation process. Logical thinking and knowledge of one's own product range are required, but then creating the rules is not witchcraft, says Franz Meyer. "The cooperation was excellent. Particularly impressive: when we contributed an idea that could also be interesting for other users, it was incorporated directly into the software."

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