How this Melbourne Caravan Manufacturer went from producing 13 to 50 vans per week
The Challenge:
A Melbourne caravan manufacturer had invested in strong tools such as SolidWorks for design and AlphaCam for CAM programming, but their systems were not communicating. Instead they had staff manually entering data from one system to another, a production bottleneck created entirely by workflow architecture, not software.
They were struggling to keep up with market demand and wanted to find a cost effective way to increase productivity and output to keep their customers happy.
What a workflow assessment discovered:
- Production capped at 13 vans per week despite strong market demand
- 8 – 10 hours of manual CAM programming per van
- 2 -3 hours of manual nesting adjustments per job
- Rework rate: 6 – 8% due to manual data entry errors
- Nesting yield: only 78% because adjustments weren’t pre-optimised
- Four CNC programmers on staff, two regularly working overtime
Their software was modern, their machinery was modern but the workflow connecting them was still relying on human input, manual data transfer, and error-prone handoffs. They weren’t necessarily failing because they lacked good tools, Efficentrix just identified how they could improve their current workflow to scale productivity.
The Solution:
Efficientrix implemented custom macros and conditional logic inside their existing CAD/CAM environment. Integrating SolidWorks and AlphaCam, automating feature extraction, data transfer, nesting, and label generation providing staff training on how to use them.
This removed repetitive work, embedded programmer expertise into the system, and standardised quality consistently.
Efficentrix completed their workflow automation over 12 weeks – with no downtime!
- Weeks 1 – 2: Mapped the entire process and identified manual bottlenecks
- Weeks 3 – 8: Built custom automation for feature extraction, CAD-to-CAM data transfer, nesting, and NC code generation
- Weeks 9 – 10: Integrated the CAD, CAM & CNC chain with built-in error checks
- Weeks 11 – 12: Trained the team and embedded knowledge into the system
The Results – Production Quality and Efficiency:
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output | 13 vans/week | 50 vans/week | +284% |
| Programming time | 8–10 hrs/job | 1–2 hrs/job | -85% |
| Programmers needed | 4 | 1 | -75% |
| Nesting yield | 78% | 94% | +16pp |
| Rework rate | <0.5% | 94% | -93% |
| First-pass quality | 91% | 99.5% | +8.5pp |
Financial Impact: $320K+ in annual savings with ROI achieved in under 18 months.
The manufacturer didn’t replace their programmers, they made one programmer capable of what used to take four programers to do.
Why This Matters Now
Australian manufacturing faces a genuine productivity crisis. With labour productivity growing only 1.1% in 2023 – 24 and manufacturing productivity declining 3.7% over the past decade, doing “more of the same” is no longer a competitive strategy.
Add rising costs, skilled labour shortages, and demanding lead times to the equation and scaling becomes critical.
But scaling your way out of this requires doing more with fewer resources.
The solution is simple: intelligent automation without replacing systems.
Discover smarter workflows that multiply capacity without proportional headcount growth or an expensive system overhaul.
Ready to discover how Efficentrix could scale your manufacturing productivity?
Book Your Free Workflow Assessment today!
We’ll map your process, identify your highest-impact automation opportunities, and show you what scaling looks like without the extra headcount.
No obligation. No pressure. Just clarity on your businesses potential.
Efficientrix: Stronger systems. Greater efficiency.