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!)

#Autoneum rolls out #CoLabs Design engagement tool across its European business. Day1 of our 2day workshop focused on Ambassador adoption to drive change, Cross functional users, Use cases, Constructive feedback, Business process and waste removal. Thankyou #JeremyAndrews CoLab Co founder & CTO, and #TylerVizek Customer success Manager for taking us through the first session. But a big THANKYOU to the #Autoneum team for embracing change and your engagement in wanting to move our Engineering and Design collaboration to a new level.

When you say "sending a technical data package" do you really just mean sending Sharepoint files via email? And then what? 👉 You wait for each supplier to markup a static CAD file 👉 Manually copy/paste every issue into a spreadsheet 👉 Schedule a meeting with each supplier to review feedback It's no wonder 90% of engineering teams get supplier feedback too late. The more interesting thing is while there's awareness of the problem, it's been a problem engineering teams live with for so long that companies have given up trying to find a solution. PLM doesn't work for this: there's too much sensitive information to grant suppliers a full license and even partial PLM access is overly difficult. Microsoft's PLM (Outlook + PowerPoint + Sharepoint) isn't working: there's too much tedious work for engineering teams. There's been so many failed attempts at solving the problem that teams just live with what they have. But what if the solution was a tool. Not just another app to add to your tech ecosystem, but a tool that worked with your CAD and PLM to: 👉 Deliver files to suppliers in real-time 👉 Let suppliers interact with the most recent CAD version 👉 Communicate with suppliers asycnhronously, in the context of the model 👉 Collect all feedback automatically So, you only schedule a meeting if you need to. #suppliercollaboration

90% of engineering leaders agree: supplier feedback comes in too late during product development. 👉 84% of supplier feedback comes too late during NPD 👉 Another 6% of supplier feedback comes *after* NPI So, supplier feedback comes in late? Does this mean it's a problem worth solving? If we look at the data, this late feedback leads to moderate to significant rework at best and the potential for customer warranty claims and loss of gross margin at worst. Companies track waste in manufacturing at nearly every level of the manufacturing process. Rework is waste in the engineering process. And not just any kind of waste -- one of the most avoidable waste metrics in product development. The fact that 90% of engineering leaders agree that late supplier feedback causes rework means two important things: 1️⃣ Supplier feedback is necessary. This is evidenced by the acknowledgement of the problem. 2️⃣ Supplier feedback is a critical, missing component in the product development cycle today. Read more about the current state, challenges and strategies affecting the supplier-engineering relationship in CoLab's most recent research report. Link to download in comments 👇

We wrapped up the Design Engagement Summit just a couple short weeks ago. Throughout the week, we handed out a series of awards to key CoLab users. The champions who have been instrumental in making CoLab what it is today. Today, we publicly celebrate one such customer champion: Stephen Gibson, Head of Product Development at Autoneum! Stephen has been a true partner for the CoLab team. He gives tough, but helpful feedback, pushes our team and his to break down silos and drives innovation forward both within Autoneum and CoLab. Stephen: We couldn't have selected a better winner for the DES Champion of the Year! 🎉 Let's hear it for Stephen!

Does this sound familiar? 👉 You create a technical data package for your supplier to review. 👉 You send that package via email or a PowerPoint link. 👉 You wait… and wait… and wait for your supplier to review the files 👉 You set up a meeting to review the final quotes. And before you know it, months have passed and you still don't have all the information you need. It doesn’t have to be this way. Speed is still the greatest hurdle for teams trying to bring suppliers into the product development process. Teams who use CoLab set-up dedicated Portals for suppliers to review drawings, 3D models and PMI documentation. So, you get the critical input you need without the hassle of packaging, sending and waiting for feedback. All with direct support from your PLM — rather than just another app for your team to ignore. #suppliercollaboration #engineeringdesignreview

We wrapped up the Design Engagement Summit last week: CoLab's first user conference. Attendees heard some amazing talks, like: 🔷 Scaling innovation and product development in large companies with Stephen Gibson 🔷 Digital evolution in engineering with Dave Russell 🔷 Communicating design intent: Strategies for effective collaboration with local and global suppliers with Eric Burbank 🔷 Fostering a human-centered engineering culture with Joakim Finn 🔷 Defining and realizing MBD success with Evan Kessick, GDTP-S 🔷 Improving design quality during new product development with Prashant Reddy ... among others! But, when we asked attendees what their favorite part was, the same answer came up again and again: 🤝 "Meeting people and companies that struggle with the same issues." 🤝 "Meeting passionate industry pioneers and breaking down barriers to get deep about real problems" 🤝 "I think the networking was the most valuable" 🤝 "Collaboration with others and building relationships" Get passionate, innovative engineering pioneers in a room together and it just works. 🤘 Here's to DES 2025! #des2024 #des2025

"Best conference I've ever attended!" "Can’t wait until next year! And for what the future of CoLab holds." "I feel like I've joined a new family." "I’ve been to quite a few conferences, and this has by far been the best. Great people. Great speakers. Great collaboration." Safe to say we can't wait for DES 2025! 🤘 #designengagementsummit

We kicked off the first ever Design Engagement Summit here in St John’s, NL yesterday evening — With a quick tour of Cape Spear (the Eastern-most point in North America), followed by a welcome reception 🥂 Today, we’ve got educational sessions, hands on training, and demos all day long. Stay tuned for more photos 📸

📣 Announcement time: we're thrilled to shoutout NINE internal promotions at CoLab! Please join us in congratulating: 🎉 Sarah Canning 🎉 Robert P. 🎉 Peter Gosse 🎉 Peter McGaw 🎉 Jacob Pitcher 🎉 Justin McLeod 🎉 Adam Engram 🎉 Tim Griffin 🎉 Tahsin Ahmed Prottoy For their well-deserved promotions! Your dedication and hard work are truly appreciated, and we’re excited to see the continued impact you’ll make in your new roles. One team, one mission!   #promotions #employeeexperience #colab