Mivan partners with Autodesk to make the move from 2D to 3D

Mivan partners with Autodesk to make the move from 2D to 3D

With over 45 years’ experience, Mivan is an award-winning world leader in Interior luxury fit out and bespoke joinery. The company has a strong reputation for excellence and innovation across a wide range of sectors including prime residential, hotels, leisure, museums, and cruise ships. Covering everything from design, planning, and project management to joinery, metal works, and installation, Mivan has worked on numerous high-profile projects, including the Scottish Parliament Building and London’s Wembley Stadium.

Mivan recently transitioned to Autodesk’s 3D modelling software package, Inventor. The fit out and fabrication industry has relied on 2D design for decades, and so is heavily entrenched in that methodology, meaning that the move to 3D is a major shift. However, with clients increasingly requesting three-dimensional designs, moving to a 3D workflow was the next logical step in the company’s digital transformation journey.

While world events have made the last few years particularly challenging for the fit out industry, Mivan and parent company Rathbane Group remained resilient, taking the opportunity to make vital improvements and embark on the next step in their digital transformation journey. “For us, digital transformation means that we’re enhancing our customers’ experience with us all the time,” explains Jude McCann, Innovation Manager at Rathbane Group. “They enjoy working with us because they know we’re organised and will deliver, confident in our ability in what we’re doing”.

Making the move to 3D with Autodesk

The shift to 3D is already bringing tangible benefits to the Mivan design team. “Working in three dimensions and modelling your joinery and buildings forces you to uncover certain interfaces that you may not have thought about in two dimensions,” says Helen Eakin, Mivan Design Manager. “It makes your work more precise and also reduces errors. Moving to 3D has brought better collaboration between design and the factory within Mivan, and increased coordination with the client’s team”.

Inventor was an obvious choice for Mivan, with Autodesk’s products widely used among many of its clients. What’s more, the high level of support offered by Autodesk ensured that Mivan’s transition to 3D was even smoother than anticipated. The move forced the team to think differently and adjust to accommodate the new way of working. “Autodesk has been instrumental in helping us on this journey,” says Helen.

Significantly reducing production time

The overall effect of the switch from 2D to 3D on Mivan’s operational efficiency is already proving to be significant. Production has been reduced from a five-stage process to just four stages, with both assembly time and painting time reduced by around 20 per cent.

As well as boosting Mivan’s workflow efficiency, the pivot to 3D has also had a significant impact on its sustainability goals. With improved design coordination, there is a reduction in rework and material consumption, while the amount of people sent out to sites has been reduced, leading to a reduction in flights.

“Mivan’s digital transformation from 2D to 3D has been a total game changer,” says John Cunningham, CEO of Mivan. “We’re able to provide more innovative and sustainable solutions for our clients, and in turn help them on their own digital transformation journeys.”

Boosting Investment in people

A key benefit of moving to 3D was its ability to help Mivan upskill employees from the shop floor, enabling more automation and bringing people into higher positions with better remuneration packages. This is helping to make the company a really enjoyable and rewarding place to work, with a good work-life balance for the Mivan team. What’s more, improved efficiency in the production pipeline means that team members are empowered to enjoy the design they’re working on and achieve better results. Seeing projects being constructed more efficiently to meet customers’ briefs is a major plus point for staff and their own job satisfaction.