Customer stories

SMS group

SMS group improves engineer productivity with OpenText. OpenText Exceed TurboX helps manufacturer increase productivity and reliability, reduce costs and enable global collaboration

Challenges

  • Required a solution that could be easily accessible worldwide
  • Need for a system that can seamlessly run graphically demanding server-based applications

Results

  • Increased productivity for engineers with global user access to data

  • Improved performance of graphically demanding applications

  • Reduced costs by eliminating expensive, dedicated workstations

Story

SMS engineers perform numerous complex calculations and simulations when designing and constructing a solution for clients. The group was using expensive and noisy personal workstations, and desperately needed a more efficient, flexible and collaborative way to work.

After evaluating a number of solutions, we chose OpenText Exceed TurboX, which is very reliable and provides us the remote data center access we need, from anywhere in the world.

Dr.-Ing. Christian Imiela
Manager Calculations and Structure Analyses, SMS group

Dr.-Ing. Christian Imiela, manager of Calculations and Structure Analyses at SMS group, expanded on the challenges and why they ultimately turned to OpenText™ Exceed™ TurboX. “In order to prepare finite element calculations, our engineers use MSC Marc and Mentat software, which requires enormous graphical and computational power. More than a decade ago, we decided to move away from personal workstations to a Unix based data center. This meant we needed a powerful remote access solution for our staff to gain access around the globe. After evaluating a number of solutions, we chose OpenText Exceed TurboX, which is very reliable and provides us the remote data center access we need, from anywhere in the world.”

No longer tethered to a fixed workstation, engineers can now suspend a session on their laptop and resume it later when visiting other offices or customer sites. Regardless of the location they find themselves in, SMS engineers can log in to the data center to seamlessly display and work on models.

Dr.-Ing. Markus Finck, manager of Calculations and Structure Analyses at SMS group, explained further: “Working with my colleagues in Mönchengladbach and Düsseldorf, we share one data center. For us, the users, the OpenText Exceed TurboX solution is very easy to use. We simply access a hyperlink and we’re presented with a web user interface. The performance is excellent and works as seamlessly as if I had my own Unix workstation under my desk. The solution provides the flexibility to move to another location, plug in my laptop and show my computational results to colleagues or customers.”

When producing and working on finite element models, reliable performance is imperative for OpenGL 3D to enable interactivity, such as the moving and rotating of models. Exceed TurboX employs ThinX Protocol-technology, which uses several compression engines and a local graphics card on the server to ensure a fast and reliable connection—even over low bandwidth.

People manufacturing.

OpenText Exceed TurboX provides us with a cost saving and reliable solution—it simply works.

Dr.-Ing. Christian Imiela
Manager Calculations and Structure Analyses, SMS group

“Using OpenText Exceed TurboX, we can share results with our customers in real-time and any changes that are made or work-in-progress can be suspended for later resumption. This means that work is never lost,” added Finck.

Administration is just as straightforward. There is no maintenance once deployed and the costs that were formerly associated with local, dedicated Unix workstations have been eliminated.

“As an administrator, once set up, OpenText Exceed TurboX just works. We have been using the solution for more than a decade now and my colleagues are very happy with the performance and especially the suspend and resume feature. Exceed TurboX provides us with a cost saving and reliable solution—it simply works,” stated Imiela.

About SMS group

SMS group is your leading partner in the world of metals. As a family-owned business headquartered in Germany, quality and innovation are in our DNA. Fast and flexible, we develop individual and modular solutions—whether it’s the design of a new plant, Modernization, Digitalization, or Life Cycle Services. In close Collaboration with you, we help you ensure your success. Let’s add value along the entire value chain, together.