GC-heat manufactures customized heating elements for industries such as packaging, chemicals, medical technology and mechanical engineering. The wide variety of geometric, mechanical and electronic properties ranges from special components weighing just a few grams to individual units of more than 750 kilograms. This posed a challenge for sales, which previously depended heavily on personal expertise. Requirements were worked out manually, and calculations carried out with in-house solutions. The process was very time-consuming – especially as product complexity increased.

With Software Made by Lino®, the 3D configuration solution Tacton CPQ and Tacton Design Automation, these processes were comprehensively digitalized. Fully integrated into the existing Solidworks® CAD system, the solutions enable rule-based, automated product configuration. Innovations or last-minute changes in customer requirements can now be implemented directly in the ruleset. Sales teams are able to generate quotations, technical documentation and manufacturing information at the push of a button – precise, consistent and in a fraction of the time.

From expert knowledge to ruleset

A key project goal was to structure person-dependent expertise and transfer it into an easily maintainable ruleset. Together with Lino GmbH, GC-heat adopted an iterative approach: configuring individual product groups step by step while expanding the ruleset continuously. Thanks to concise but systematic training from Lino, the company soon managed system maintenance independently. Today, around 70 percent of all new developments are already fully automated in product design and creation.

GC-heat is convinced by the outcome: largely automated product design, dramatically accelerated sales processes, fewer queries and eliminated system breaks. Production also benefits from even higher data quality, as feedback from the shop floor flows directly into the ruleset. With Lino and Tacton CPQ, GC-heat has achieved not only efficient sales processes but also seamless digitalization from customer inquiry to manufacturing.