CUST 2015 : a record year with over 150 participants

Leading names in industry offer first-hand accounts of the SPRING Technologies solutions

SPRING Technologies, vendor of solutions that maximize the productivity of NC machine tools, organized the 6th edition of CUST, its user club, on March 11 2015. The number of visitors was up by 50% on last year, setting a new record for the event. Representatives from across the SPRING Technologies ecosystem, including current and potential customers and partners, met to share, exchange and discover new ideas and information as the one-day event unfolded. For France's manufacturing experts CUST is becoming a go-to event on the national calendar.

The program included :

• First-hand accounts by customers, including Richard GROLLEAU, Process Engineering Manager at MECAFI and Jean-Paul LOUIS, Director of Industry at SAFRAN (cf photo), who shared his vision of the work of an NC operator in 2025. His key messages were: the digital process is now for real. Man/machine communication via mobile terminals (Smartphones, tablets, etc.) is a real-time experience. The three vital building bricks are connectivity, augmented reality and Smart Tools. The three pillars are customer satisfaction, cost-effective investment and flexible production capability. Jean-Paul LOUIS summed up with the words, « 2025 may be tomorrow, but the groundwork must be done today. »

• A round table with panel members Franck COPIN, CAM and Digital Process Development Manager at AREVA (Jeumont), Nicolas GAULIN, CAD/CAM Manager at STELIA (Saint Nazaire) and Antony LOYER, CAD/CAM Manager at HALGAND (Saint Brevin les Pins). A broad range of themes was discussed and questions were taken from the floor, all related to the digital manufacturing process, CAM toolpaths, Post-Processors, ISO machining simulation, technical documentation, the selection and preparation of cutting tools and Workshop Monitoring.

Key figures :

• 150 participants, from companies of all sizes from SME to large corporations;

• 4 thematic workshops (machining simulation with NCSIMUL Machine, Cutting Tool Management with NCSIMUL TOOL, Technical Content Publishing with NCSIMUL PUBLISHER and DNC and real-time machine monitoring with NCSIMUL DNC Monitor);
• A global satisfaction rate of 80%.

Gilles Battier, CEO of SPRING Technologies, summed up : « We are proud that our solutions, technology and teams now draw an increasingly broad community from industry across the board. CUST gives us a chance to stay in close contact with our customers. Through their first-hand accounts of the challenges they have to meet day to day to stay competitive, we can hear and better understand their needs. CUST is also an opportunity for us to unveil new product features, with a special focus this year on shortening and streamlining the digital process and boosting CAM deployments. We are delighted to have booths at the Industrie shows in Lyon and Le Bourget and are already looking forward to meeting our customers again in spring 2016. »