CoLab Software

We’ve entered a new era of engineering… but the collaboration tools for mechanical teams haven’t caught up yet. Until now, that is. Tired of fighting with unspecialized software? And trying to run sophisticated engineering programs that still rely on email and Excel? So were we. 😑 That’s why CoLab decided to do something about it. Watch this video to hear our CEO and co-founder, Adam Keating, explain what’s holding engineering teams back today—and how CoLab solves the problem. To learn even more about CoLab, visit colabsoftware.com *** (And a very grateful shoutout to the fine folks at m5 Marketing Communications who partnered with us to create this video!)

IYKYK... #engineeringdesignreview

Today, we're celebrating a customer champion who has been instrumental in making CoLab what it is today: Kevin Walters at Mainspring Energy! Kevin and the Mainspring team came to CoLab with a big challenge: "Double product development speed or it's not worth it." Kevin envisioned a world with better internal collaboration on designs, of course. But, he also wanted to include external suppliers and contractors in early product development. Enter CoLab Portals. The Mainspring team's input was a major driver in creating a secure space for external collaboration on designs. And with Kevin's help, external partner collaboration is now a key use case for CoLab. The Mainspring team is constantly pushing the boundaries on what's possible in product development and their feedback has helped make CoLab and Portals what they are today. We couldn't have selected a better winner for the Partner Collaboration Award! 🎉 Let's hear it for Kevin!

🎉 We've got some fresh faces at CoLab 🎉 Please help us give a warm welcome to: 💙 Mwema Powanga, Technical Customer Support Specialist 💙 Justin Gamez, co-op Software Developer 💙 Dan Beaudoin, Technical Customer Support Specialist We are so excited to have you all! Interested in CoLab as your next career destination? We have openings! Check out our Careers page to learn more. #careerdevelopment

Engineering teams want more feedback from more suppliers. In a recent survey, engineering leaders reveals a significant gap in supplier input during NPD. 👉 Specifically, between the number of suppliers that give design input to engineering teams and the number of suppliers engineering teams want to hear from. Currently, only 32% of suppliers provide design feedback. But, on average, engineering leaders would like to receive feedback from 78% of their suppliers. Perhaps most revealing is that 60% of engineering leaders surveyed would like design input from 80-99% of their supplier base but are only getting input from 20% or less. #suppliercollaboration

During the week of the Design Engagement Summit, a few key CoLab users received a series of awards. These champions have been instrumental in making CoLab what it is today. Today, we publicly celebrate one such customer champion: Brian Stauffer at Johnson Controls! Brian spearheaded VA/VE as a use case for CoLab. He saw the potential for virtual VA/VE events well before the greater engineering community. To make the shift from in-person events to virtual VA/VE, Brian knew the Johnson Controls team needed more than just a communication tool. They also needed a way to make design data easily accessible to everyone involved, especially those with no access to PLM and/or limited experience with CAD in general. While the Johnson Controls team was already using CoLab for internal design review, it was Brian who recognized the potential for CoLab to solve this problem for VA/VE events. The rest, as they say, is history. Johnson Controls uses CoLab for VA/VE events almost exclusively and across their global locations. We couldn't have selected a better winner for the VA/VE Award! 🎉 Let's hear it for Brian!

Let me guess: the way you complete a design review checklist is something like this: 👉 Open up spreadsheet checklist 👉 Open up design review PowerPoint, or if you're really fancy, a free CAD viewer 👉 Back to spreadsheet to check item 1 👉 Back to PowerPoint to pass/fail item 1 👉 Back to spreadsheet for item 2 ... You get the picture. The problem is: engineering teams live with this. Because the problem doesn't feel important enough to solve. But, then when we dive into the data we see some troubling trends: ❌ 43% of all design feedback is lost and never documented ❌ Engineers spend nearly a quarter of their time on non-value add work ❌ 90% of companies delay product launches due to late stage design changes These stats all point to a simple correlation: the way teams are conducting design reviews isn't working. And this right here -- attaching a checklist in the context of the model -- is just the beginning of how teams can transform their design review process. And then launch better products faster. #engineeringdesignreview

👀 Design Engagement Summit sessions coming soon! 👀 #des2024

During the week of the Design Engagement Summit, a few key CoLab users received a series of awards. These champions have been instrumental in making CoLab what it is today. Today, we publicly celebrate one such customer champion: Stephen Holley from Aker Solutions! Design review is the core of CoLab's product. And Stephen gave the guidance and feedback that drives innovation in how CoLab shapes design reviews. Stephen pushes us to keep making CoLab better, while keeping design review at the base of every product decision. He's also been a driver inside Aker for innovation and excellence in design review -- always encouraging his team to hone its tools and processes to pull risk forward in product development. Stephen: We couldn't have selected a better winner for the Design Review Excellence Award! 🎉 Let's hear it for Stephen!

"I don't want to mess up the model!" First-time CoLab users often fear manipulating the model too much. Because in other tools, doing something like isolating assemblies, exploding the model or moving parts around meant the original CAD file would be affected. Not so in CoLab. As a lightweight CAD viewer, CoLab lets you manipulate the model however you need to give the right feedback to the right people at the right time . The original file is never affected and you can't "mess up" the model. Just design review the way it should be. #engineeringdesignreview