Brelko Conveyor Products: Driving Global Innovation with Digital Design Excellence and Autodesk Technology

Introduction

Central to this success is the company’s dedication to harnessing advanced technology to maintain a competitive edge.

“Brelko is proudly South African, and everything we do, from manufacturing to our global exports, reflects our roots. Our ability to evolve with digital tools like Autodesk Inventor has been key to our success,” says Riaan Rynders, Technical and CADD Manager at Brelko.

While Brelko’s conveyor belt cleaning and spillage control systems are at the core of mining and bulk material handling, their journey into advanced digital design and prototyping has set them apart. This story explores the intersection of cutting-edge technology and manufacturing excellence, demonstrating how Brelko, alongside Baker Baynes, embraced digital transformation to scale their operations, optimise productivity, and achieve new milestones in efficiency and innovation.

When Brelko Conveyor Products was founded on the 2nd of October in 1987, it was a modest operation, focusing on meeting the needs of local industries in South Africa. The company specialised in conveyor belt cleaning and material handling systems, quickly earning a reputation for its robust products. Over time, Brelko expanded its reach across the African continent, eventually penetrating international markets, where they established master distributors in regions as far-flung as North and South America, Europe, and Australia.

Today, Brelko stands as a testament to what can be achieved with perseverance, dedication, and a commitment to innovation. As a 100% South African-owned company, they have become a symbol of local manufacturing success in a global arena. Their Booysens Johannesburg facility, which they have since expanded, serves as a hub for production, research, and design, ensuring that every product meets the highest standards of quality before being shipped around the world.

However, with global expansion came a set of complex challenges that required Brelko to rethink their approach to manufacturing and design. One of their primary goals was to ensure that they could meet the demands of a growing, diverse customer base while maintaining their reputation for reliability and high-quality craftsmanship. Achieving this meant upgrading their design capabilities and embracing a digital-first mindset.

Customer Challenges

As Brelko expanded its operations to serve customers in over 40 countries, the company quickly realised that their traditional methods of product development – relying heavily on physical prototyping – were becoming untenable. Each product iteration required significant resources and time to develop, test, and adjust, which often resulted in high costs and lengthy project timelines.

“Back in the day, we were using physical prototypes for everything, especially when it came to the injection moulding side of our operation. Up to 80% of our project costs were tied up in mould production, and if we got something wrong, we had to start over. That meant building a new mould from scratch, and the financial implications of that were massive,” Rynders recalls .

These challenges were compounded by the increasing complexity of Brelko’s product line. As the company began to offer more customised solutions, they needed a way to quickly iterate on designs and provide customers with accurate models and specifications. Additionally, Brelko’s customers demanded more involvement in the design process, often requiring detailed 3D models that could be integrated into their own systems.

During these challenges, Brelko recognised the need to adopt digital solutions that could streamline their design process, reduce reliance on costly physical prototypes, and improve collaboration with their global customer base.

Project Goals

To meet these challenges head-on, Brelko established a set of clear project goals aimed at transforming their operations through digital innovation:

1.  Reduce reliance on physical prototyping: By adopting digital prototyping tools, Brelko aimed to eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming physical prototypes, particularly in their injection moulding processes. The goal was to reduce both costs and lead times for product development, allowing the company to bring products to market faster.

2.  Improve collaboration and communication across teams: With teams spread across multiple locations and customers requesting detailed design specifications, Brelko needed to improve the way they collaborated internally and externally. This meant finding tools that would allow for seamless communication between engineering, manufacturing, and field service teams, as well as with customers.

3.  Enhance product quality and accuracy: As Brelko’s product line became more complex, ensuring that every design was accurate and met customer specifications became a top priority. The company sought to implement advanced simulation tools that would allow them to test and validate designs in a digital environment before production.

4.  Increase efficiency and productivity: Brelko needed to find ways to streamline their internal processes, from design and development to production and shipping. This included adopting tools that could automate certain tasks and reduce the manual workload for their teams.

5.  Support future growth and innovation: With plans to continue expanding their operations globally, Brelko wanted to ensure that their digital transformation would support long-term growth. This meant investing in technology that could scale with their business and allow them to continue innovating in the years to come.

The Path to Digital Excellence

To achieve these ambitious goals, Brelko turned to Autodesk’s Product Design & Manufacturing (PDM) Collection, which includes powerful tools like Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD. Having worked with Autodesk products since the 1990s, Brelko was no stranger to digital design, but they needed to take their use of these tools to the next level to keep pace with their growing business.

“Brelko has always been at the forefront of digital design. We’ve been using AutoCAD since the mid-90s, and when we adopted Inventor, it was a huge leap forward for us. It allowed us to move from 2D to 3D design, which completely changed the way we develop products,” Rynders explains.

However, making the most of these tools required expert guidance and support, which is where Baker Baynes came into the picture. As a trusted Autodesk partner, Baker Baynes has been instrumental in helping Brelko implement and optimise their use of Autodesk technology.

“Baker Baynes has been with us every step of the way. Whether we needed technical support, or help with troubleshooting, they’ve always been there to ensure that we get the most out of our Autodesk software,” says Rynders.

Design Solutions

By adopting the Autodesk PDM Collection, Brelko was able to revolutionise their design and manufacturing processes in several key ways.

Digital Prototyping with Autodesk Inventor

One of the most significant changes for Brelko was the move to digital prototyping using Autodesk Inventor. With Inventor’s 3D design & simulation capabilities, Brelko’s engineering department could create detailed digital models of their products, allowing them to test and iterate on designs in a virtual environment before moving to production.

“Digital prototyping has been a game-changer for us. We’re able to run multiple simulations and test different scenarios before we ever create a physical model. This has allowed us to achieve up to 99% accuracy in our designs, which means fewer mistakes and less time spent on revisions,” Rynders notes.

Inventor’s simulation tools also played a crucial role in helping Brelko ensure that their products would perform as expected in the field. By running dynamic simulations, the company was able to test the durability and performance of their products, ensuring that they would meet the high standards their customers had come to expect.

“In the past, we relied heavily on physical prototypes to test our designs, but now, we can do almost everything digitally. This has saved us an enormous amount of time and money, and it gives us the confidence that our products will work as intended when they’re deployed in the field,” says Rynders.

Future-Proofing with Autodesk Vault Professional

As Brelko continues to expand, managing their vast amount of design data has become increasingly important. To address this challenge, the company has started the process of implementing Autodesk Vault Professional, a centralised data management system that will allow them to store and organise their design files in one place.

“Right now, we’re in the process of moving a huge amount of data into a central database, and once that’s done, we’ll be able to use Vault to manage everything. This will make it much easier for our teams to collaborate, as everyone will have access to the same files, no matter where they’re located,” says Rynders.

Vault will also help Brelko ensure that their design data is secure and that they can easily track changes and revisions to their files, further improving their efficiency and productivity.

Business Benefits

The benefits of Brelko’s digital transformation have been felt across the entire organisation, from the engineering and design teams to manufacturing and field service. Some of the key benefits include:

•  Cost Savings: By reducing their reliance on physical prototyping, Brelko has been able to cut costs significantly. With digital prototyping, the company can test and iterate on designs in a virtual environment, reducing the need for costly physical moulds and prototypes.

•  Improved Accuracy: With Autodesk Inventor’s advanced simulation tools, Brelko’s engineering department can achieve up to 99% accuracy in their designs, ensuring that products meet customer specifications before they go into production.

•  Faster Time to Market: The ability to prototype and test designs digitally has allowed Brelko to reduce their development timelines, bringing products to market faster and more efficiently.

•  Enhanced Collaboration: The 3D abilities have made it easier for Brelko to collaborate with customers and field service teams, improving communication and ensuring that products are installed and maintained correctly. It has also allowed them to communicate effectively to the market with marketing tools and accurate sales catalogues.

•  Scalability: With Autodesk Vault, Brelko is preparing for the future, ensuring that their data management processes can scale with their growing business.

•  Customer Satisfaction: Brelko’s ability to deliver high-quality products quickly and accurately has helped them maintain a strong reputation in the industry, earning the trust and loyalty of their customers around the world.

Conclusion: A Future Built on Innovation

As Brelko continues to grow and expand its global footprint, the company remains committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation. Their partnership with Baker Baynes and their use of Autodesk’s powerful design and manufacturing tools have positioned them as a leader in the industry, capable of delivering cutting-edge solutions to customers across the globe.

“Autodesk technology has been at the heart of our success. It’s allowed us to innovate, reduce costs, and improve the quality of our products. We’re excited about what the future holds, especially with the development of new technologies like AI, and we’re confident that Autodesk will continue to be a key part of our journey,” says Rynders.

With a strong foundation in digital design and a commitment to research and development, Brelko is poised to lead the way in the materials handling industry for years to come. Their success story is not just a testament to their products but to the power of embracing technology and innovation to drive business growth and success.