A nearly two-decade partnership with a German software supplier has helped a Scandinavian tool and injection moulding company thrive in new markets.

Nestled next to the quiet Norwegian coastal town of Levanger, mould maker Induform AS has been producing mould tools for customers across Scandinavia and Europe since 1975. During this time the company has progressed from being a mould maker and injection mould moulder to becoming one of the leading component suppliers to the oil industry. Company owner, Tor Sivertsen, attributed much of this success and the company's ability to diversify down to the ongoing 17-year relationship they have maintained with German CAD/CAD software developer, Schott Systeme GmbH, which is based in Munich.

An upgrade develops into a long relationship

Sivertsen founded the company together with one partner. Starting with just a single contract, the company invested in a small number of conventional milling and turning machines. Although initially manually programmed, Induform has to search for a cost-effective CAD/CAM system that could cater for all of their design and machining requirements due to the increasing complexity of parts. In 1995, the decision was made to purchase Schott Systeme’s Pictures by PC CAD/CAM software. This initial decision resulted in immediate productivity gains. Sivertsen said, “From that moment on, a new world opened up for us."