Since being purchased by Saf-T-Hammer Corp. (Phoenix, AZ), business has been brisk at Springfield, MA-based Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the world’s leading producers of quality handguns, law enforcement and security products, and firearm safety training.
Law enforcement personnel, military personnel, target shooters, hunters, collectors and firearms enthusiasts throughout the world have used the company’s products with confidence for 150 years. Backed by a highly experienced engineering staff, its Specialty Services division offers high quality custom manufacturing and finishing capabilities to many industrial clients. Smith & Wesson Corp. also manufactures handcuffs, and markets Smith & Wesson branded bicycles, apparel, and other products.
Talk to Al Settembro, Smith & Wesson’s network administration manager for the engineering department that designs revolvers and semi-automatic hand guns. He oversees and supports multiple CAD system software products including SolidWorks, Unigraphics, CADkey, and AutoCAD. “With so many CAD systems in use here, we needed an effective engineering product management (EDM) system (MatrixOne) to manage the data. We selected MYRIAD software as the document management viewer because of its unique ability to allow anyone who needs to see a drawing – engineers, shop floor operators, gauge lab technicians, vendors – to easily be able to do so. MYRIAD handles the task flawlessly regardless of the CAD system from which the drawing was generated. It is, indeed, a universal viewer. We would be lost without it.”
Smith & Wesson implemented its EDM system nearly seven years ago. Settembro says that the installation has enhanced communication across the board as a result of MYRIAD’s performance. “We are very dependent upon engineering drawings,” adds Settembro. “While software vendors would like all manufacturers like Smith & Wesson to migrate to the 3D world, it’s requires the ability to support both 2D and 3D systems. In our industry, it’s very difficult and time consuming to design critical elements such as cutters, gauges, and fixtures in 2D. That process might take up to one week using a 2D tool. We can’t afford that kind of time given our production schedules. So we are heavily dependent on 3D design tools and 2D prints. That’s why products like MYRIAD are so important to our rate of success. And, since MYRIAD supports 3D and 2D, when we decided to move to 3D all was in place.”
MYRIAD from Informative Graphics Corporation (Phoenix, AZ) offers “MatrixOne integration” for Settembro and his team. The technology allows Smith & Wesson users to open multiple prints and check them back into MatrixOne without problems.
Settembro says that he evaluated other viewers before selecting MYRIAD. “I looked at Cimmetry ,” notes Settembro. “It didn’t have the full functionality as MYRIAD and it was very expensive. MYRIAD is powerful, yet easy to install and use. It’s just what we need and we are very satisfied with the product. Informative Graphics’ support is excellent and very responsive. The company is very reactive when a new CAD release is installed here. We receive an updated version of MYRIAD very quickly after CAD updates are launched. The real beauty of the software is that I only had to purchase one viewer to open files from multiple CAD systems. That, in and of itself, saved me time and installation hassles.”
