Metso Mining & Construction Technology Focuses on Autodesk Inventor to Deliver Design Innovation

Metso, a global technology and services provider, is using software from Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) to streamline its operational processes and drive design efficiencies across its businesses.

Metso Paper, a long-term user of Autodesk design and engineering software, has entered into a global license agreement with Autodesk, making the software available to Metso users throughout the organization. The agreement incorporates a broad spectrum of Autodesk products, including Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Navisworks, AutoCAD Mechanical and AutoCAD Electrical software.

Key benefits of the global license for Metso include enhanced flexibility and reduced cost of ownership. Metso sites can now request additional software licenses at peak times, as well as get instant access to these solutions when they are required. Metso sites only pay for what they use -- an efficient way to keep design costs under tight control.

The agreement also streamlines the process of acquiring new businesses. When Metso Paper recently bought a site in India, the new operating procedure was easily integrated into the global license pool.

Metso currently has more than 3,000 Autodesk software users, logging 180,000 usage hours per month. The company has clocked more than four million CAD hours using Autodesk software to date.

Focusing on Autodesk Inventor

The Metso Mining and Construction Technology Segment (MCT), also known as Metso Minerals, has also decided to focus on Autodesk Inventor 3D mechanical design and engineering software. The decision is in line with Metso Global Information Management’s strategy to globalize, harmonize and standardize its applications and processes to more efficiently support its business.

The division is already using Inventor to deliver greater cost efficiencies and reduce time to market across the design lifecycle. Metso Minerals currently uses Inventor software for product development, conceptual design and manufacturing, and anticipates usage will increase for more detailed design work.

“For us, one of the key benefits of Inventor is the popularity of the system. It is easy to recruit engineers familiar with and proficient in the software, which helps drive productivity and further accelerates our design processes,” said Johan Mikkela, global IM manager, engineering applications, Metso Minerals. “Most of our users reach good proficiency on Inventor within a few weeks.”

By collaborating with Metso Paper, Metso Minerals can tap into the global license pool, driving further efficiencies in its usage of Inventor. The company describes the cost of ownership of the software as “very competitive.”

In the future, Metso Minerals plans to further extend the benefits of Inventor within the company, working closely with internal engineering teams and local partner organizations to explore and extend best practice usage.

Mikkela continued, “Over the past year, Inventor capabilities have increased significantly. This gives us even greater confidence that Inventor will be able to scale to accommodate our future business needs.”