Italy's Zucchetti, think3 Introduces PLM Project for PDM

MILAN, Italy, Mar 18, 2009 - The Zucchetti Group S.p.A. is a leading manufacturer serving the high-end market for bathroom fixtures. In 2000, as part of its strategic growth plans, Zucchetti started collaboration with think3, a multinational software company operating in the CAD and PLM sector for over 30 years. The search for more highly developed shapes and forms led Zucchetti to adopt think3’s ThinkDesign, a CAD solution used initially to develop the innovative Isy collection designed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez. Recently the two companies have consolidated their partnership with the introduction of a new PLM project designed to improve product data management and the sharing of documents between various departments.

The Group, based in Italy’s Piedmont region, has been a family business for 80 years and today is managed by the third generation of the Zucchetti family. Over the years the company has consolidated its leading position in the high-end, luxury market and now has a rich, complete and varied range of bathroom fittings where top quality design is the keyword.

“Working on Isy we realized that in order to innovate in the true sense of the word we needed a tool which permitted a greater degree of creative freedom,” says Davide Scoccini, Technical Manager at Zucchetti. “After analysis of the various solutions offered by the market we opted for ThinkDesign because it is more oriented towards designer objects and is less rigid than the other products examined. With ThinkDesign we have been able to translate the ideas we want to communicate into the CAD environment and thus make them reality.”

Winning features of ThinkDesign include powerful functions for modifying solids and surfaces. ThinkDesign is easy to use, easy to learn and can handle complex design tasks. Global Shape Modeling (GSM³) is still the only tool which enables rapid, accurate changes with a high degree of precision to any type of shape, native or imported, in any stage of the design process. GSM³ accelerates interaction without limiting creativity and without the need to rebuild models.

Recently Zucchetti renewed its trust in think3 by entrusting the multinational software house with the implementation of their new TD PLM solution. TD PLM will be used to manage technical documentation, part codes and technical data. The need for this type of solution was discovered by the R&D department. New modular products brought with them a greater need for sharing data and designs between more people and for accessing the latest versions of documents.

“The project,” says Scoccini, “will be expanded in a series of steps. In the first step it is vital that we recover our historic data and enter the data archive on the system in order to have all the information available at the touch of a button. Implementing a PLM system will allow us to optimize store management, improve our in-house processes, and enhance teamwork through optimized process management and greater sharing of data between all the departments involved. It also facilitates the quality control process which is very complex at Zucchetti.”

Inserting data on the PLM system will speed up access and re-use of information thereby facilitating the harmonization and standardization of components. Dialog between the PLM and the existing ERP will make parts lists directly available in the management system without the need to copy data over manually. Given that a water tap has 50 to 60 parts it is not difficult to imagine that dispensing with manual copying will save time and reduce errors. In the coming two years further additions across company departments are planned.

About think3, Inc.

Think3 has been operating in the ICT sector for 30 years and provides the only technology that links three separate design areas: the concept, its development and the finished product. In this way, think3 enables thousands of company customers to innovate, to compete and to rise to the challenges of global markets, thanks to the integration of processes, which helps to accelerate time to market and to reduce costs. Think3 boasts a consolidated presence across Europe, the US and Asia. The company has also secured a strong presence in China following joint venture deal sealed with Beijing Extech Science & Technology Co. Ltd to create EXTECH, a brand new company based in Beijing, with offices across the country. In the rest of the world, think3 is present throughout its network of selected VARs (Value Added Resellers). All this means that think3 can count among its customers some of the most significant enterprises in the industrial market.

For more information, visit http://www.think3.com.

About Zucchetti Group

Zucchetti Group is a leading Italian maker of bathroom taps and fittings. The Group employs 400 people, produces 6 million articles a year and exports to 100 countries world-wide. The company Zucchetti Rubinetteria was founded in the town of Valduggia in 1929 by Alfredo Zucchetti and initially specialized in brass taps and valves. In 1939 the company moved its production facility to Gozzano. The changeover to the production of bathroom taps and fittings started in 1946. The Zucchetti product range covers everything from traditional chromed taps right through to single-lever mixer taps with electronic and thermostatic control. Ranges include coordinated bathroom fittings which have become a byword for quality. Today, the Zucchetti Group has four major production sites in Italy. Zucchetti Rubinetteria Spa has a production facility at Gozzano and a logistics centre at Borgomanero, both in the province of Novara. Omez Spa based in Gattico (NO) specializes in plastic molding. Zucchetti Mario Spa, with headquarters in Antegnate (BG) specializes in the hot forming of brass. Kos Spa has a production facility specializing in the production of bath tubs and designer shower cubicles and is based Pordenone. The Group has sales branches in China (Shanghai), USA (Los Angeles) and Poland (Poznam).

For more information, visit http://www.zucchettidesign.it 

About Isy

Isy is more than a just a tap. It is an innovative system for controlling water where only the bare essentials are in view. The Isy collection is a project which has revolutionized traditional design canons and incorporates an innovative rethink of traditional, single-lever mixer technology. Isy is a triumph of functionalism and flexibility. It is a modular system which blends in discreetly with its surroundings thanks to the retracting mechanism - a patented Zucchetti design. Other features include interchangeable outlets and levers. The Isy system consists of five different tap lines, a collection of bathroom accessories and a shower range – a complete product range for all your design needs.

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See Also

think3 website

Additional News

Dec 17 - Mindpower to Sell ThinkDesign in Tamilnadu, India
Nov 17 - think3 Announces Jurors for 'PDP Award, Andrea Pininfarina'
Oct 14 - Ocean Rodeo Designs Kite Control System with ThinkDesign
Oct 13 - Germany's EniT to Sell think3 PLM Suite in India
Sep 29 - Italy's MAUS Selects thinkPLM
Sep 9 - think3 Releases TD PLM 2009.2
Sep 3 - Massachusetts Institute, India's Stylus Selects ThinkDesign
Jul 30 - think3 to Sell, Support 3Dconnexion Mice
Jul 27 - think3 Used in Yacht Design Class in Italy
Jul 22 - think3 Introduces ThinkDesign 2009.1
Jul 14 - Korg Italy Extends Use of think3 PLM
Jun 23 - think3, DME Launch 'Pininfarina' Design Contest
May 19 - Sys PO Ingenierie to Sell think3 products in France
May 12 - think3 Redesigns Website
Apr 15 - think3 Unveils TD-PLM Online System
Mar 18 - Italy's Zucchetti, think3 Introduces PLM Project for PDM
Feb 27 - thinkUSA to Sell think3 Products in North America
Feb 3 - think3 Releases MoldDesign
Jan 27 - Think3 Appoints Silvano Joly as VP Marketing
Nov 20 - Italy's Savio Macchine Tessili Adopts ThinkDesign
Nov 11 - Italy's CAM Selects think3 ThinkDesign
Nov 11 - Russia's Axoft to Sell think3 Products
Oct 20 - think3 Supports SATIN Multisensory Modeling Project Fund
Sep 3 - Canada's Tycos Expands Use of think3 Products
Aug 8 - think3 Joins India's Intel Business Exchange Program
Aug 1 - SENER Selects think3 ThinkDesign, thinkteam
Jul 9 - UK's Think PLM to Sell think3 Products

Source: Material used in press releases is often supplied by external sources and used as is.