Caso de éxito

Zen and the art of efficiency during the pandemic: the Auto Design case

Ryszard Olszewski is VP and co-founder of Auto Design. The company conceives 3D construction projects, creates technical documentation for parts and components of vehicles such as Audi, and acts as a design consulting firm in mechanical engineering in the automotive industry across the world. The company is currently working on interior design projects for BMW’s G60 and G68 cars as well as Daimler and the new Opel Astra for PSA group. “I am relieved the epidemic has not delayed our projects; we were fortunate to be able to avoid interruptions” he concedes.

Mr. Olszewski has some advice and learnings to share with his peers about navigating the abrupt homeworking transition seamlessly.

Firstly, despite having 30 “power user” engineers working in CAD software, such as Dassault System Catia or Siemens NX, he did not worry too much about output quality or productivity during this period. Instead, he focused on creating the right working conditions, believing that the quality and productivity would then continue to flow.

Asked what his thoughts are on the business impact the pandemic is having on the economy and whether he can sleep at night, his touching confidence surprises, despite admitting “The epidemic did affect the economy” adding: “Problems arose in companies that did not implement restrictions, where employers did not react properly to implement safety measures. I would not like to work in such conditions.”

“For my business, the pandemic episode has been a “neutral situation”. Our company deals with design, not sales. The key to dealing with this pandemic for us was remote work. I am proud to say there was not a single person in quarantine at our company. We decided to switch to remote work mode within 5 minutes and before the schools were even closed. For me it was the best decision. We have gone through the pandemic and been able to resource all out projects. Our company works the same as it did before. So far, it does not feel as dramatic as it is portrayed in the media.”

Attesting to deeply caring about his employees’ health and wellbeing, he concedes “The cost of 3Dconnexion’s devices is not outrageous or prohibitive, so I was not afraid our employees would deteriorate them at home or lose them. I must add that almost 90% of our NX users use 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse and about half of CATIA users. CadMouse is used by everyone. Feedback from project managers confirmed that the quality of work performed in the home office has not decreased in the slightest”.

Investing to keep the momentum from a competitiveness standpoint is paramount to Auto Design. “My partner, Ireneusz Skornóg, is involved in work on an innovative electric drive project, which is financially supported by the National Center for Research and Development. In the coming years, the market of new designs for the automotive industry looks promising due to strong competition and the need to introduce new vehicle models. New trends and the need to make electric cars by probably all leading companies in the world also enrich the range of newly designed cars. »

In fact, he adds he initially purchased 3Dconnexion’s device because “they increase efficiency and speed of project designing, add higher comfort for engineers, which is a beneficial effect on health (including relieving strain on eyesight). General work ergonomics is something I particularly care about”.

Having first heard of 3Dconnexion “About 25 years ago, during my internship in Munich, Germany”, Ryszard Olszewski now is convinced that “The quality of my engineers’ work is highly rated by our clients, which is clearly influenced by use of design support products such as SpaceMouse. Certainly, equipping each worker with CadMouse and SpaceMouse raises employee confidence in the company due to the belief in the company’s care for his health, comfort at work and access to current trends used in CAD.”