In the garage, drivers use the automotive navigation system to plan the shortest route; on the highway, they turn up or down the automobile A/C through the human-computer interaction system; in the service area, the driver can charge the vehicle in a short time... Nowadays, the faster integration of automobiles and technologies in fields such as energy, materials, and information and communication is changing how people travel.
ZONSON SMART AUTO CORPORATION (ZONSON for short) is a subsidiary of the ZTE Corporation. Their businesses range from the design, manufacture, and sales of new energy buses to the development, installation, and operation of autonomous driving systems and the Internet of Vehicles.
Figure 1. A collection of new energy buses produced by ZONSON
Enhanced R&D Capabilities to Cope with Fierce Competitions
With the rapid popularization of new energy vehicles come serious challenges for relative latecomers like ZONSON: the higher demands on auto safety require innovations in core technologies, while multinational carmakers are dominating with their accumulated technical advantages and sophisticated supply chain.
To prevail, ZONSON invests heavily in building a closed-loop value chain, integrating resources, and raising R&D standards. Meanwhile, they proactively collaborate with renowned software suppliers and introduce cutting-edge CAD software and management systems so that the whole “design–procurement–manufacture–sales” process is digitalized and more efficient. “By now, we are capable of developing new energy vehicles independently. From conceptual design, modeling, CAE analysis to engineering design, as well as the four typical techniques (parts blanking, welding, coating, and integrated assembly), we are in the lead,” director Sun of the ZONSON R&D center said confidently.
The Superb CAD Solution Supplier that Caters to Custom Needs
Based on the advanced technologies of ZTE, such as 5G, C-V2X, and new energy charging, the ZONSON products have been well received by the market. Ambitious to build on that success, ZONSON makes bigger investments in developing more popular models.
Figure 2. The GTZ6107BEVB1 model produced by ZONSON
Therefore, ZONSON attaches significance to the tools, especially CAD and CAE software they adopt. “The CAD program is employed as an important tool in departments like product development, process, marketing, and technical support.” According to director Sun, they require that the CAD software must be compatible, practical, and easy-to-use. Besides, its APIs should be powerful enough for the design data to be integrated into the PDM system. Moreover, to ensure the bidirectional data exchange, it requires that the data of DWG drawings generated with the CAD software should conform with the data specifications in the PDM system.
“Since there are lots of special needs in our design process, we have higher requirements for the extensibility of the CAD software and the timely development service from the supplier.” Director Sun pointed out that such “unconventional requests”were not responded by the former supplier for a long time. “In contrast, ZWSOFT paid attention to and met our needs very quickly. With its strong R&D capabilities, it is undoubtedly the CAD solution supplier of choice.”
Improved Design Efficiency and Standardized Data Management
As expected, the ZWSOFT solutions help ZONSON achieve their goals: a series of intelligent design tools in ZWCAD Mechanical have simplified the design workflow, improving the design efficiency; thanks to the development service provided by ZWSOFT, their R&D department has established standard drawing templates, such as frames and title blocks, and a general parts library that is in line with their own standards, facilitating the management of drawings.
“Even since the pilot trial in 2017, we have been popularizing ZWCAD in more and more departments,” director Sun added, “Now, ZWCAD is essential to quickly modifying the 2D drawings exported from 3D CAD software and generating engineering drawings. More importantly, since BOMs can be automatically generated in ZWCAD Mechanical which has been seamlessly integrated with the PDM system, the integrity and accuracy of data is guaranteed and the ‘design–procurement–manufacture’ process more efficient.”
Figure 3. Intelligent public transportation solutions delivered by ZONSON
On the way to intelligent manufacturing, ZONSON will keep incorporating ICT and contributing to intelligent transportation nationwide. Director Sun concluded, “The realization of intelligent manufacturing needs the participation of more software suppliers like ZWSOFT who is equipped with proprietary core CAD/CAM/CAE technologies. Their support is valuable for enterprises with diverse needs to enhance the capabilities of designing and innovating.”
(All image courtesy of ZONSON)
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