Review Services
Business Development
Real change starts with a deep understanding of your current workflows.
Our review services provide a professional audit of your processes, people, and technology to uncover business-changing opportunities and deliver a roadmap for long-term success.
Business Development Services
CAD Management Services
Team Skills Audit
A skills audit ensures your engineers are fully leveraging the software through personalised assessments tailored to your company's specific needs. It is the ideal way to identify knowledge gaps and advance your team’s technical proficiency to maximise productivity.
During the session we will cover:
- Do your SOLIDWORKS users have the correct skills?
- Are users creating models that can easily be modified by others?
- Produce a personal training plan specific to individual needs.
- Encourage a common way of working across your team.
CAD Data Health Check
A CAD Data Health Check protects your business assets by identifying critical issues like missing files, lost references, or duplicates. Resolving these symptoms early prevents system failure and avoids the significant financial impact of corrupted or disorganised data.
Our bespoke health check tool can be set up remotely and run over a period of time to fully establish the state of your CAD data’s health.
Once we have downloaded and reviewed the results we will provide you with a written report outlining our assessment of it health and our recommendations going forward.
Systems & Settings Health Check
This service eliminates performance bottlenecks by auditing your hardware and SOLIDWORKS configuration. We provide immediate fixes for stability issues and crashes, ensuring your setup is optimised for maximum speed and a faster time-to-market.
During the session we will cover:
- Graphics card optimisation.
- Review of hardware spec.
- Basic workflow advice.
- Review SOLIDWORKS options for performance.
- Assess suitability of systems for specific tasks like simulation or rendering.
Design Process Review
This interview-style session evaluates your design process from A to Z to ensure your engineers are working as efficiently as possible. By understanding your specific objectives, we advise on best practices and workflows that can drastically reduce your overall time to market.
During the session we will cover:
- A detailed report on efficiency of the design team and a potential route to improvement will be provided.
- Do your users have awareness of the features and processes required to get the job done in the best way?
- Challenge the way SOLIDWORKS is being used within your company ensuring you get the most out of the software.
- Tips and advice allowing you to speed up the design process.
- Reduce time spent on manual tasks where automation is possible.
Strategic Value Assessment
Conducted in conjunction with our Business Transformation team, the Strategic Value Assessment unearths bottlenecks that delay production and reduce margins. We work with Executive Management to align your design processes with broader business goals, maximising your profitability and success.
During the session we will cover:
- Optimise design time to give you more time to innovate.
- Can any manual process be automated?
- Are tasks being duplicated?
- Are all departments pulling towards CBI in the same direction?
- Maximise your profitability.
- Ensure a return on your software investment.
This process has identified over £250k in annual inefficiencies for some medium-sized customers. By understanding the true cost of hidden problems, you can ensure a maximum return on your software investment.
Manufacturing Services
Manufacturing Process Review
Tap into the knowledge of our experienced applications engineers to improve your CAM deployment and CNC integration.
Through open-discussion onsite meetings, we help you understand how to achieve your future plans while solving immediate manufacturing issues.
We conduct interview-style sessions to understand exactly what your manufacturing solution needs to achieve. This allows us to provide verbal advice on-site followed by a comprehensive written recommendations report.
Whether you are refining an existing shop floor process or looking for better ways to automate, our experts help bridge the gap between design and production. This ensures your CAM setup is a driver of efficiency rather than a bottleneck.
PDM Services
SOLIDWORKS PDM Continuous Improvement Program
This program ensures your PDM vault evolves with your business by integrating the latest software enhancements.
We review your existing configuration and use cases to implement best practices that prevent your implementation from stagnating.
We start with a high-level overview of the newest PDM features, assessing how they can best be integrated into your specific vault. Our team then implements and validates agreed changes to streamline your design efficiency.
This service is vital for teams that don't have the time to investigate new PDM releases themselves. We handle the technical walkthroughs and administrative training to ensure your team is always using the best tools available.
PDM Continuous Improvement Program Plus
For customers with complex or bespoke PDM implementations, this "Plus" version adds a layer of safety through sandbox testing. We copy your production vault into a separate environment to validate changes and custom add-ins before they go live.
This approach mitigates the risk of downtime or data errors when making significant configuration changes. We use agreed test protocols to ensure that all custom functionalities perform as expected
Once validation is complete, updates are safely transferred into your live production environment. This is the ideal way to manage sophisticated workflows and custom programming without interrupting your daily operations.
Health Check - PDM Systems Validation
This technical audit reviews your PDM installation to ensure it is secure, stable, and prepared for future upgrades. We document your current configuration and disaster recovery capabilities to advise on any inconsistencies that could affect system performance.
The check focuses on critical infrastructure, including SQL installation, networking, and server health. You receive a summary report that serves as a vital document for your IT and engineering management.
By identifying errors in vault consistency or client health early, we reduce the risk of future system failures. This ensures your "single source of truth" for design data remains reliable and high-performing.
'ASSIST'
The ASSIST service provides flexible, on-demand support for customers who have already deployed PDM but need extra help with configuration or usage. Whether remote or onsite, we offer expert guidance to help you refine your vault as your needs change.
Typical scope includes 1:1 or group training, minor system configuration changes, and system validation. It is a perfect solution for teams needing "go-live" support or help with manual legacy data migration.
This service acts as an extension of your own team, providing technical muscle when you need it most. It ensures that any small issues or requested enhancements are handled by PDM specialists quickly and effectively.
PDM Pro Administration Workshop
This tailored workshop provides PDM Professional administration training within the context of your own company's vault. It is designed specifically for new administrators or those looking to master the specific customisations and add-ins unique to your environment.
We create a dedicated development/training vault where your team can practice making system enhancements safely. The training focuses on the topics most relevant to your short-term and long-term development plans.
Our experts mentor your administrators through the process of highlighting regular maintenance tasks and setting up backups. This ensures your internal team has the confidence and skills to support your PDM environment independently.
PDM Performance Review
The PDM Performance Review identifies the gap between your current data management state and your future goals. We combine a stakeholder review with a technical health check to create a project plan that aligns your infrastructure with your business objectives.
We analyse your existing workflows and technical setup to pinpoint inconsistencies that slow down your team. This allows us to propose solutions ranging from out-of-the-box functionality to bespoke add-ins.
The result is a comprehensive solution proposal and project plan. We help you visualise a clear path forward, ensuring your PDM system supports (rather than hinders) your engineering growth.
Archive Replication
This service is designed for companies with multiple design locations that need to share PDM vault data efficiently. We set up archive replication to synchronise files between remote servers, ensuring everyone is working with the correct version regardless of geographic location.
We handle the software installation on remote servers and configure scheduled or "on-demand" replication to suit your network usage. This significantly improves the user experience for designers who previously had to copy files across a slow WAN.
Our specialists also provide administrator training on managing and configuring these replication tasks. This ensures your multi-site collaboration is seamless, reliable, and easy to maintain.
Web2.0 Installation
The Web2.0 service makes your PDM Professional vault accessible through a web browser, allowing internal users to view data on mobile devices or non-Windows machines. We handle the installation and configuration of the system within your company's firewall for secure access.
This setup is particularly beneficial for staff who only need occasional access or use devices like tablets and MacOS computers. It extends the reach of your PDM data without requiring a full desktop client installation on every device.
We configure the Internet Information Services (IIS) and set up access to one or more vaults. This provides a lightweight, flexible way for your team to stay connected to your design data from anywhere in the building.
Server Relocation / Disaster Recovery
We assist with the migration of your PDM infrastructure to new hardware, whether you are replacing obsolete servers or moving to a cloud environment. This service ensures a smooth transition with minimal downtime and correct re-pointing of all client "Vault Views."
Our team supports transitions to on-premise hardware, data centres, or cloud-hosted solutions like our own CloudSure. We ensure that all database and archive backups are properly restored and verified.
In "Disaster Recovery" scenarios, we provide the technical expertise needed to rebuild your system following a hardware failure or cyber-attack. This service is critical for getting your engineering department back online as fast as possible.
Disaster Recovery Simulation
This service helps your IT and PDM administrators prepare for a total system failure by simulating a real disaster recovery scenario. We work with you to create a checklist and then execute a rebuild on a separate server to ensure your backups are truly reliable.
It is often too late to find out your backups are incomplete once a disaster has already struck. This simulation proves that your recovery procedures work, giving you and your management peace of mind.
By practicing the recovery steps in a controlled environment, your team gains the experience needed to act quickly during an actual emergency. This proactive training is the best way to protect your business against data loss.
SQL Maintenance
Your PDM system relies on a healthy SQL database; this service ensures it is configured correctly for performance and safety. We set up automated maintenance plans to handle backups, index optimisation, and log file management.
Without proper maintenance, SQL databases can become sluggish or even corrupt over time. We implement the "best-practice" settings required to keep your data management system running at peak performance.
We also train your administrators on how to monitor these automated tasks. This ensures that your most critical data remains backed up and the database is consistently optimised for speed.
Database Migration
When it’s time to move your PDM database to a new version of SQL or a different server, our specialists ensure the data transfer is seamless. We handle the technical complexities of the migration to prevent data loss and ensure your PDM vault remains operational.
Moving a relational database requires expert knowledge to maintain the links between your CAD files and their metadata. We manage the entire process, from initial backups to final verification on the new server.
This service minimises the downtime associated with server upgrades. By outsourcing the migration to our experienced engineers, you ensure a risk-free transition to more modern, faster hardware.
PDM Standard to Professional Upgrade
As businesses grow, many move from PDM Standard to PDM Professional to unlock advanced automation and replication features. We manage this upgrade process, ensuring all your existing data, history, and workflows are migrated correctly to the more powerful platform.
PDM Professional offers significantly more capability, including multi-site replication and advanced API support. Our team helps you plan the transition so you can take advantage of these features without losing any of your current work.
We provide the necessary training and configuration support to get your team up to speed on the new features. This ensures you get an immediate return on your investment in the higher-tier software.
Customisation & Programming
Our customisation services tailor SOLIDWORKS and PDM to your exact business needs through bespoke add-ins and API development. We automate repetitive tasks and create unique tools that save time and eliminate the risk of human error in your design process.
Whether you need a custom tool to generate specific reports or a deep integration with your ERP system, our programmers have the expertise to build it. We turn complex requirements into simple, automated "turnkey" solutions.
By automating your unique engineering workflows, we help you focus on innovation rather than administration. This service is designed for companies looking to push the boundaries of what their software can achieve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Support fixes a specific problem with a button or a file. A Business Review looks at the entire process. We analyse why you are pressing those buttons in the first place and determine if there is a faster, more integrated way to achieve your end goal.
A standard Technical Review typically takes one day on-site (or via remote sessions) for the initial audit. We then spend time off-site analysing the data and preparing your final report, so the impact on your team’s daily work is minimal.
The report is a "State of the Union" for your engineering department. It identifies specific bottlenecks, rates your team's current skill levels, highlights risks in your data management, and provides a clear, prioritised list of improvements to tackle first.
Yes. Our reviews are often used as the foundation for a Business Case. By quantifying the time lost to current manual processes, we provide the data your leadership needs to understand the ROI of moving to new solutions like PDM, DriveWorks, or Cloud Services.
Not at all. Small businesses often benefit the most from these reviews, as they typically have less "slack" in their systems.
Streamlining a workflow for a team of three can have a massive impact on their ability to take on more projects.
We review skills and roles. We help identify if you have the right people doing the right tasks and if there are specific skill gaps (e.g., in Simulation or Data Management) that are preventing you from reaching your business goals.
We recommend a strategic review every 12–18 months. As your company grows, your products change, and new software features are released, your "optimal" workflow will naturally shift. Regular reviews keep you at the forefront of efficiency.
Yes. Strategic reviews are often the first thing customers use their credits for. It allows us to set the baseline for the rest of your program, ensuring the training and maintenance we provide later are perfectly aligned with your business goals.