Estanc Expands into The Global Market with SOLIDWORKS Design and PDM Solutions

Estanc is a leading international supplier of static process equipment for high-impact industries, such as petrochemicals, energy, food, carbon capture, mining, nuclear power, hydrogen, marine, and pulp and paper. Founded in 1992 as an Estonian-Finnish company and based in Jüri, Estonia, Estanc has grown into one of the leading manufacturers of process equipment for high-impact industries in the Nordic and Baltic regions by completing increasingly complex, large-scale projects requiring steel structures. These structures can include pressure vessels, heat exchangers, scrubbers, chimneys, non-pressure tanks, liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks, and piping modules.

The company has grown from a small concern into a major supplier to international markets through the efforts of its passionate and process-driven engineers, technical specialists, welders, assemblers, project designers, sales personnel, and leaders, as well as through investments in design and engineering technology, according to CEO Priit Haldma. “When Estanc was established in 1992, we started with simple tanks. Over time, we have gradually moved toward more complex and large-scale projects,” Haldma explains. “Key milestones include expanding our engineering capabilities, investing in modern production technologies, and entering more demanding international markets.

Tackling Large-Scale, Highly Complex Projects

Using SOLIDWORKS Design and PDM solutions, Estanc has expanded internationally by successfully completing larger and more complex projects. “As our projects have scaled in size and complexity, SOLIDWORKS has supported us in designing increasingly complex equipment and managing demanding technical requirements more efficiently,” Kokamägi stresses.

“[SOLIDWORKS] gives us the opportunity to show our clients where we are heading with a project from the very start, allowing them to comment on and adjust the 3D model from the beginning of the process,” Kokamägi adds. “This communication with a client is crucial, because changes and new requirements are common.”

Leveraging Product Design Data with SOLIDWORKS PDM

After Estanc acquired SOLIDWORKS Design software, its business grew dramatically, revealing the need for a PDM system for managing its expanding volume of product design, engineering, documentation, and manufacturing data. The company then implemented the SOLIDWORKS PDM system for data management and has subsequently integrated it with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, enabling Estanc to further leverage its product design data throughout the enterprise.

“We implemented SOLIDWORKS PDM in 2017, and it has become a very valuable tool for managing our engineering data,” notes Thermal Engineer Silvia Sults. “[SOLIDWORKS PDM] helps us manage revisions and collaborate within assemblies. When manufacturing pressure equipment, material traceability is extremely important. SOLIDWORKS PDM creates unique ID numbers that allow us to trace engineered parts from design through production all the way to the final product.

“Over time, we have integrated SOLIDWORKS PDM with our ERP system,” Sults continues. “This allows us to import data directly from the model into ERP, which helps reduce human errors and saves our engineers valuable time. It also ensures that all parties are working with the latest approved drawings.”

Surviving A Cyberattack and Looking Ahead to the 3DEXPERIENCE

An unforeseen benefit of the SOLIDWORKS PDM system at Estanc was the role that it played in helping the company survive a massive cyberattack. “One of the most noticeable impacts of SOLIDWORKS PDM came during a major cyberattack, when all of our servers and even backup servers were encrypted,” Kokamägi points out. “Fortunately, the only server that was not affected was our SOLIDWORKS PDM backup. We are grateful that we were able to continue working through that attack without any significant delays or losing our data, thanks to SOLIDWORKS PDM.

“Our past experience with the cyberattack and future vision of growth has also piqued our interest in trying the 3DEXPERIENCE^® platform in our design process,” Kokamägi says. “We see it improving every year, and it has the potential to support our development, security, and collaboration as well as help us improve our engineering workflows in general.”