Saturday, September 09, 2006

Costing software covers parts, process, assembly

A cost designer tool for parts, process and assembly helps produce reliable estimates of manufacturing, providing design and producibility guidance to achieve the most affordable designs possible.
Galorath, the leading provider of advanced modeling tools for project estimation, planning and project control, has announced the release of SEER-DFM Version 5.2, a cost designer tool for parts, process and assembly. It allows design engineers to produce reliable estimates of manufacturing, providing design and producibility guidance to achieve the most efficient and affordable designs possible. Version 5.2 includes new capabilities for estimating and analysing manufacturing costs for state-of-practice and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes.

Two of the new manufacturing processes contained in 5.2 were developed in partnership with Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector: a detailed harness assembly model that provides detailed input variables addressing all cable and harness manufacturing scenarios; and a tube fabrication, welding and processing model providing detailed estimation and analysis for singular tubes, complex multi-tube assemblies and manifolds.

'The new processes included in SEER-DFM 5.2 demonstrate Galorath's ability to effectively partner key customers to deliver an industry-based, robust and useful cost estimating system that meets the user's needs,' said Carl Dalton, managing director of Galorath International.

'By extending SEER-DFM's capabilities into new process areas and capabilities such as non-destructive testing, part marking and packaging, SEER increases the ability to accurately forecast a product's ultimate cost and offers users greater insight into producibility implications based upon their design criteria and decisions.' Other enhancements to the SEER-DFM modules include the following.

* Tooling cost estimates can be defined in greater detail, including estimates for tool design and fabrication.

* The inspection and rework models now include non-destructive testing (NDT) and the option to enter a company's own inspection and rework percentages.

* Modules for part marking and packaging enable a complete picture of end-to-end processes to be included in cost estimates.

* Labour rate inputs have been improved to include greater visibility into overheads and integrate with the SEER-Ratemaker model.

Version 5.2 also provides an improved automation interface to facilitate integration with other engineering and analysis tools, including FIPER from Engineous Software and SolidWorks from SolidWorks Corporation.

* About Galorath - for more than 25 years, engineers, project managers and cost estimators throughout the world have turned to Galorath for the industry's most comprehensive set of decision-support and process management tools.

Combined with extensive consulting and support services, Galorath's SEER estimation and analysis tools derive cost, schedule and staffing estimates by assessing the interaction and impact of product, organisational and operational variables.

This parametric methodology, coupled with the industry's most comprehensive knowledge bases, creates a rapid and powerful view of the critical factors driving program decisions and success from early concepts through upgrade and maintenance phases.

Galorath Incorporated is headquartered in El Segundo, California, USA.

The international headquarters, Galorath International, is located in Farnham, Surrey, UK.