Collaboration Tool Enables Manufacturer to Increase Project Management Efficiency
Arlington, MA—An electromechanical design engineering firm and a manufacturer of complex injection molds are among the companies currently using Glance™, a web demonstration technology from Glance Networks, as a collaboration tool for design reviews and increased project management efficiency. The screen sharing service enables companies to instantly show their live PC screen to anyone with an Internet connection. Up to 15 guests can connect instantly from nearly any PC, Mac, or Linux computer, without downloading software.
One of the companies reporting success with Glance is EEC Inc. (Plainville, Massachusetts), a full-service design engineering and product development firm that currently serves the electronics, medical, pharmaceutical, industrial, and consumer products industries. The company’s services span the spectrum of engineering disciplines, and include concept development and modeling, industrial design, embedded hardware and software development, and printed circuit board design and development. Also offered are system level enclosure, sub-assembly, individual part design, and thermal and structural analyses.
The company is said to be highly skilled in designing parts that are to be fabricated either from formed sheet metal or by machining, Aluminum die casting products, extrusion, and Custom Plastic Injection Molding processes. Typically, designs are created as 3D solid CAD models, utilizing Pro E, Solidworks, or Mechanical Desktop CAD programs. Full file conversion, electronic transfer, and 2D documentation capabilities are also provided.
According to Herb McEvoy, president, EEC values the utility and convenience of a simple, reliable screen sharing tool that brings its strategic partners and clients, located all over North America, together for design reviews. Using Glance, the company collaborates with up to 15 people at one time, quickly agreeing on design intent and avoiding opportunity for errors.
“In the past, we sent e-mails out to clients with simplified CAD viewers,” says McEvoy. “We would follow up with a phone call and try to guess what the customer was looking at. We spent a lot of time describing landmarks to make sure we were on the same page. We looked at other services, but everyone had to own the software, and even after the software was installed, it was not user-friendly. Glance is fast and simple, allowing me to quickly answer a question by reviewing a file over the Internet.
“Glance is simple, as there is no software to install for the client,” continues McEvoy. “Our clients and partners only need to know how to ‘log on’ to instantly view the same model at the same time. Before Glance, individuals had varying expectations of the design intent, but when a Glance session is over, everyone is on ‘the same page.’”
Another satisfied user is Concours Mold, Inc. (Windsor, Ontario, Canada), a manufacturer of complex injection molds that has been able to increase its project management efficiency with the help of Glance. The screen sharing service enables the plasticmold maker to review project details in real time with customers in various locations, providing the opportunity for simple changes and modifications at the most cost-effective stages.
“We use Glance to conduct review meetings for projects in real-time,” commented Mario Donaldson, data and systems administrator, Concours Mold, Inc. “Glance allows us to show a customer, anywhere in the world, our progress, and they can easily review the product and have changes made quickly on the fly without ever having to leave their office. Glance ensures the customer is extremely satisfied with the end product, meeting all their specialized requirements.”
Glance allows users to demonstrate software, give presentations, qualify sales prospects, go over spreadsheets, provide technical assistance or training, show designs, and review documents. Every mouse movement and screen update is seen instantly.
“Being able to review a project first-hand at each stage of the design process allows Concours Mold to deliver the best possible product to their customers,” commented Rich Baker, chief executive officer at Glance Networks. “For small-to-medium sized businesses like Concours Mold, Glance provides the most cost-effective collaboration tool for keeping projects on schedule and on budget.”
In September, Glance released version 2.0 of the screen sharing service, an enhanced package that provides faster screen update speeds, 24-bit color, and easy customer website integration. The same month, Glance 2.0 was selected as a finalist in the technology category for the 10th Annual MITX Awards. Produced by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange, the MITX Awards recognize excellence in the creation of interactive technologies designed, produced, or developed in New England.