Evolution Window Systems – A 2021 AGWA Design Award Winner
Photography Credit – Nicholas Watts
In 2021, Evolution Windows won ‘Best use of Windows & Doors, Glass & Glazing’ in Residential projects over $80,000, for a project in Bronte, New South Wales. We recently met up with Mitchell Winter, Lead Estimator at Evolution Windows, to discuss how using Soft Tech V6 software through their supplier AWS (Architectural Window Systems), helped contribute to the success of the award-winning project.
1. Highly Customizable with a Technical Depth
Evolution Windows used Soft Tech V6 from start to finish on this project, making use of the full gamut of functionality to ensure all the product detail was correct. This was from the initial estimation, producing cutting lists and fabrication reports, to being manufactured according to the architect’s specifications. “The brilliant thing about V6 is it is highly customizable, with the technical depth to control the complete BOM (bill of materials). You can build everything from scratch, including curves, rakes, and interesting shapes, then display in detail how all the materials will fit together,” says Mitchell. “This allowed us to provide a fully comprehensive estimate, including a visual of what the item will look like once it’s manufactured.”
2. A Powerful Tool
Not only did Mitchell use V6 to create detailed estimations and fabrication reports, but he was also able to produce a fully optimized BOM. From this he generated glass orders (including a glass cutting plan), hardware orders, and material orders for AWS, saving him the time of having to duplicate these orders otherwise.
Mitchell was also able to export the entire job at the click of a button, creating detailed blocks of the extrusions, which he was then able to import into CAD. “I was able to export the V6 files to CAD drawings, with the architect’s surround details, and these drawings all came in at the correct scale and in the configuration of how the item was going to be built. This allowed us to clearly show the architect the exact detail he was wanting to achieve with the finished product. This feature is a big time saver for us, and definitely one of the biggest selling points for me,” says Mitchell.
3. Reduces Workload
With all the data already in V6, once the order is progressed to the approval stage, it was easy for Mitchell to push the orders to the cutting floor with in-depth cutting sheets and fabrication reports, reducing his workload in the handover. He says “V6 reduces the work I need to do to get the order into production. I send the job straight out from V6 to the team on the cutting floor, and 9 times out of 10 the team can make a job comfortably without any external input.”
4. Increased Efficiencies
This project involved a lot of custom curved windows, so working with V6 gave Mitchell the ability to show the curve of the frame and glass in the fabricator reports. This helped reduce the time going back and forth between the metal and glass curver before templating the job, to have them quote. “This is usually a very long process,” says Mitchell, “but having these detailed fab reports allowed us to streamline the process to be more efficient.”
Photography Credit – Nicholas Watts
Using V6 also helped to keep wastages under control for this project. As this job required a special finish, it was important to order the exact quantities to keep the costs down. Evolution staff was able to work off an optimized BOM to remove any excess material and use stock they had on hand. Michell says, “V6 helped us nail the order down to the minimum amount of material we had to order to get the maximum output for the job.”
On a final note, Mitchell says, “the more you delve into V6, the more you can build and make. I’m building stuff in V6 now that I never would have thought of when I first sat down with it. The power that V6 offers, allows us to do that.”
If you’d like to understand how Soft Tech V6 can help you manage your window and door manufacturing business, visit us at www.softtech.com to request a free demo.
Evolution Window Systems | www.evolutionwindows.com.au
Evolution Windows custom make exceptional aluminium or timber windows and doors for residential and commercial projects in Sydney, Blue Mountains and surrounds. They always look for ways to ensure your project goes smoothly. Their experienced team are ready to assist you with product selection, standards and code compliance and they take pride in ensuring your windows and doors are supplied on time, on budget and to the highest standard. That’s the Evolution difference!
