ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH is now benefiting from more variability in production combined with accelerated tool design. To make this possible, Lino integrated a combination of a unified CAD system for tooling and machinery manufacturing and the Tacton Design Automation configuration software to power up this Heilbronn, Germany-based thermoforming pioneer.
In the packaging industry, ILLIG Maschinenbau has a sterling reputation. This leading provider of high-performance plant equipment and tools for thermoforming plastics produces around 250 production lines at its main operation. The development of complex tools and molds for the machines plays a critical role. In terms of IT resources, the technical designers previously used two CAD applications – Solidworks® and Pro/Engineer® (Pro/E). Both solutions were connected to the SAP ERP via interfaces, but only the somewhat outmoded Pro/E was equipped with a fully-fledged configuration solution. The concurrent use of two design applications posed a significant obstacle to the development and configuration processes.
Therefore, ILLIG decided to comb the market for vendors capable of combining all areas on the basis of the more modern Solidworks: 3D CAD engineering including CAM integration and rule-based variant configuration with connection to the SAP ERP. For the managers overseeing this effort, avoiding dependence on a vendor was a key priority. ILLIG wanted to be able to set up the system and maintain the rule set on its own. After a satisfyingly brief search, they came across Tacton Design Automation for variant management and Lino GmbH as the consultant and partner.
Today, ILLIG’s developers and designers enjoy a unified software solution that cuts design times considerably. Additionally, the intuitive user interface of the Tacton configurator requires no programming knowledge to use – further enhancing their independence. But now, after a successful rollout, further plans are in the works: in the medium term, ILLIG wants to use Tacton Sales Automation, Tacton’s web solution, to enable customers to generate configurations on their own. Tool and machine design as well as price calculation and quotation generation can then be carried out automatically and online.
Learn more about the ILLIG project in the detailed case study.