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Italy is known for many world-class exports from food to automobiles. Italian lighting company SIMES has also created an international name for itself developing outdoor lighting fittings used in renowned international public facilities from concert halls to parks.
SIMES outdoor lighting solutions can be found around the world installed at high-profile facilities such as the Kilden Concert Hall in Kristiansad, Norway; The London Cable Car; The Blue Planet Building Foundation at Kastrup, Denmark; the New Opera Theater in Florence, Italy; and the pedestrian bridge at Millennium Park in Chicago.
SIMES leverages multiple Autodesk Digital Prototyping tools, including Autodesk Product Design Suite, Autodesk Simulation CFD and Autodesk 3ds Max to design and produce its superior lighting fittings. For its innovative work, SIMES has been recognized as the Autodesk Inventing the Future recipient for June.
Autodesk seeks Inventing the Future candidates each month from its Manufacturing customer base through a brief Q&A interview on a company or individual addressing their business, products and inventive spirit. Here is what Andrea Torre, SIMES sales manager, had to say about SIMES’ business and solutions, future goals and experiences leveraging Autodesk software:
Autodesk: What does your company develop, and why is it important to the world?
SIMES: SIMES is a company dedicated to the design and production of superior outdoor lighting fittings, and we have become one of the most reputable manufacturers of outdoor lighting on the international market. We have invested more than 14 years in research and development, along with new LED technology, and this has enabled us to produce intelligent appliances and sustainable, recyclable, high-performance lighting solutions. Environmental sustainability is an essential guideline for every company, but our commitment extends beyond our products to how we conduct our business day to day.
Autodesk: How has adopting technology helped your business evolve?
SIMES: Thanks to new technology and Autodesk solutions, we are able to supervise every phase of the production cycle, from design to distribution, while keeping quality at its best and optimizing our workflow. Technology plays an essential role in designing the prototype, the 3D modeling process, 3D printing the solution and testing the product to certify its performance.
Technology allows us to reduce time in every phase of this process. Today at SIMES we’re able to make a prototype that is 95 percent complete, notably impacting the total development costs. This makes us much more competitive in the market since we’re able to manufacture certified, quality products in a very short amount of time.
Autodesk: What Autodesk software do you use and why?
SIMES:We’ve chosen Autodesk tools in order to increase and improve efficiency levels in our design process. This has allowed us to reduce time to market and keep products high quality with a 100 percent “Made in Italy” guarantee on projects of all sizes, whether we’re serving national or international markets. We’ve been using Autodesk Product Design Suite and Autodesk Simulation CFD software from the very early stage of concept creation to the final prototype, gaining a real competitive advantage in the process.
Autodesk Simulation CFD plays a big part in the process because it makes it possible to create thermodynamics simulations at the preliminary phase of the design cycle, when previously the task demanded several different steps, followed by changes and adjustments. Thanks to the flexibility of Simulation CFD we can simulate and then study all the features of our prototype prior to it being printed in 3D and subjected to final testing before entering production.
We are also using Autodesk 3ds Max, which allows our specialists to present simulations of their projects in order to achieve better understanding of the project from different stakeholders.
Autodesk: Where do you see your business five years from now? In 10 years?
SIMES:Environmental sustainability is something we really care about at SIMES. We’ve been working on this from the beginning, and we will continue to pursue this in the future. Our commitment to sustainability includes not only our products, but our entire production cycle, as well. For years, SIMES has been working with designers dedicated to pursuing environmentally compatible lighting solutions. Low energy consumption, the limitation of light pollution and manufacturing processes with limited waste and harmful emissions are among the considerable contributions we are making to protect our environment. We also have solar panels installed on top of all of our production facilities. Generating energy to save energy and improving the quality of light and life is what we believe in and hope to continue doing for years to come.
Autodesk: What does being a sales manager mean to you?
SIMES:I can honestly say that we’re a great team and our company environment is quite inspiring. As a sales manager, my biggest duty is to combine everyone’s individual efforts in order to highlight the work every department does daily. We always try to communicate our values and what makes us unique as a company.
Do you think you have what it takes to be recognized by Autodesk for Inventing the Future? If so, send in your submission to inventingthefuture@autodesk.com.
