| "Initially I predicted six companies would eventually buy the software. Now the potential is in the hundreds." |
Traditionally, industry has relied on trial and error to perfect plastic products, including automobile hoods, bath tubs and vacuum cleaner components. First, materials are poured into a mold. If the desired result isn't achieved, engineers adjust factors such as temperature and mold structure. Sometimes it takes a year and a half and costs millions of dollars to find the perfect combination for a piece. There can also be excessive waste.
Thanks to The Madison Group, a College of Engineering spin-off company, some industries are completing this entire process right on their computer screens by using molding simulation software. This development greatly reduces production time, virtually eliminates waste material, and allows manufacturers to preview a product before the molding process begins. A savings of $20,000 to $50,000 per part is not unusual.
Molding simulation software was initiated about 12 years ago by Tim A. Osswald, a UW-Madison associate professor of mechanical engineering. (The department's plastics program is one of the oldest and largest in the U.S.) Originally he used the software solely to aid academic research, but as time went on it became apparent that, if refined with some "bells and whistles," it would also have commercial applications, he says. "There was a professional responsibility to transfer this technology to industry."
The Madison Group displays items that have been produced more easily as a result of their molding simulation software. From left, Paul Gramann holds a circuit breaker, Bruce Davis a vacuum cleaner motor housing and Tim A. Osswald an engine valve cover. |
In August 1993, Osswald and two of his doctoral candidates--Bruce Davis and Paul Gramann--incorporated a company called The Madison Group to develop and market the new user-friendly version of this software. From what could be called humble beginnings (they set up shop in Gramann's basement with an answering machine and fax on top of a washing machine) the corporation has grown tremendously. It's now based in a comfortable, modern office in the Madison Gas & Electric Innovation Center, a business incubator in the UW-Madison Research Park. And the software, which started out as strings of numbers that only made sense to academics close to the subject, now includes colorful graphics which show how molded products are formed.
"Initially I predicted six companies would eventually buy the software," says Osswald, adding that at one point the group thought of selling its venture for a small profit. However, Rockwell International purchased a package shortly after the trio incorporated, and others were soon to follow. By the end of 1996 the group had 24 customers. "Now the potential is in the hundreds," says Osswald.
"When we started out we thought only the auto industry would be interested in our software," says Gramann. However, it soon became apparent that the technology had innumerable applications. Current customers include research groups, universities, and both large and small industries.
The engineers are pleased their business is growing, and they're not about to let up their efforts. Davis and Gramann can be found at the office almost daily, often working well into the night. As a professor, Osswald says his role is mostly that of "silent owner." He spends the lion's share of his time with academic responsibilities.
Davis is primarily responsible for programming while Gramann handles most of the marketing, but like any small corporation, there's a lot of crossover in duties. Eventually the men would like the company grow enough so that they can get away from doing the programming themselves and concentrate more on running the business.
In addition to developing their standard software--such as Cadpress, the group's bread and butter package--Davis and Gramann are often hired by companies to conduct simulations for specific parts. That's because many industries simply don't have the engineering staff to devote to such projects. The Madison Group also spends a good deal of time providing support to those who have purchased its software, says Davis. This is done both over the phone and through customers transferring electronic files.
To date, one of The Madison Group's biggest customers has been Square D Co., of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the world's largest manufacturer of circuit breakers. Square D was so happy with the workstation software Davis and Gramann developed to solve some processing problems that it now contributes money for research in the college's Polymer Processing Research Group. Many of Square D's suppliers are also potential customers of The Madison Group, the entrepreneurs note.
Plastics is the fastest growing part of Wisconsin's manufacturing sector, and offers a tremendous base of potential customers, says Osswald. The Madison Group is already doing business with companies such as Eaton Corporation (Milwaukee), General Motors Corporation, and Allied-Signal Aerospace Co. (Milwaukee).
As The Madison Group grows, so do the chances of spotting items that were produced more easily as a result of their software. Examples include body panels, hoods, and some under-the-hood components of the newest automobiles on the market.
Gramann says, "We have quite a few products out there. We're establishing a name for ourselves."
--By Paul Bauman--
| For further information, please contact: |
The Madison Group, 608/231-1907
tmg@prowler.madisongroup.com
Copyright 1997 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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Date last modified: Wednesday, 19-Mar-1997 12:00:00 CST
Date created: 19-Mar-1997
