Focal, manufacturer of high-fidelity audiophile speakers and loudspeakers, has chosen its SOLIDWORKS 3D applications to control the entire product development chain from design to manufacture of all of its speaker and cabinet components.
The company acquired cutting-edge technological means to achieve this, in addition to its production tools, in 2001 it chose the 3D solution from Dassault Systèmes, SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium for the Design Office and the Methods Office.
Being able to control the entire product development chain from design to manufacture of all of its speaker and cabinet components is one of Focal’s strengths. The company acquired cutting-edge technological means to achieve this, in addition to its production tools, in 2001 it chose the 3D solution from Dassault Systèmes, SOLIDWORKS® Professional and SOLIDWORKS® Simulation Premium for the Design Office and the Engineering Office. Methods.
After an in-depth market study, the marketing department establishes specifications that take into account both the existing (the range of products), the innovations expected by customers, the positioning and the objectives of Focal. This document is then sent to designers who unleash their creativity to imagine THE right product, with SOLIDWORKS as a collaborative work platform.
“Design gives us the outer shell and shape. It is up to us to guarantee the industrialization of what is still only a concept, thanks to SOLIDWORKS ”, explains Gérald Dubocage, Head of Development, Design and Design at Focal. “We have a lot of constraints, particularly in terms of interior volume for acoustics in order to optimize sound quality, a symbol of our brand image, so all departments must be able to work on the same assembly. That we can exchange, modify, improve and validate our design, from upstream to downstream, throughout our industrial digital chain ”
A process that guarantees not only feasibility, but also the reuse of existing components, if possible, therefore good cost management; taking into account everyone’s requirements very early in the design process, thanks to a global and not fragmented vision of the assembly, therefore better management of development time; total security in terms of inter-service and inter-site exchanges (with partners); information available to all, design, marketing, BE, BM, etc., therefore ease of exchange and efficient collaborative organization.
“Everything starts and everything comes back to the 3D solution from Dassault Systèmes,” adds Gérald Dubocage. “It is, in fact, a bridge between all the departments of Focal. It is always difficult to give a percentage in terms of saving time or productivity, but I would say that today, with the complexity of products, it would be impossible for us, with a constant resource, to continue to innovate and to put on the market as many new speakers or speakers if we did not have SOLIDWORKS. ”
“We also use SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium to test the fatigue strength of some of our parts, which allows us to save more time on our designs, without having to rely on physical prototypes for these tests. We know that we have an interesting line of progression when it comes to the use of simulation. So much the better, we still have things to discover with SOLIDWORKS ”, continues Gérald Dubocage.
“Being able to design all our parts in 3D and in a configurable way is a guarantee of success for Focal. An important asset for our corporate culture which stems from its 100% French manufacturing label which is exported so well all over the world. A quality label ”.
Focal was created in 1979 thanks to the passion of its founder Jacques Malhul, who created a range of loudspeakers under the Focal brand, and another of acoustic speakers under that of JMlab. From the house to the studio, including the car and even in the street, Focal products meet all tastes. Today, after its merger with NAIM in 2011, FOCAL & NAIM has 200 employees for a turnover of 42 million euros, 75% of which is exported. It is also: a French company recognized worldwide which manufactures 100% French with an industrial strategy based on the mastery of its entire product life cycle, from design to manufacturing). A great success! http://www.focal.com
