Software updates for companies with large construction departments are normally associated with considerable time and effort for training. The experiences of Müller Martini demonstrate that online training offerings can effectively facilitate the transition.

1. PTC.comPage 1 of 4 | PTC Muller Martini eLearning Version
Case Study
PTC University eLearning
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Müller Martini, Zofingen, Switzerland
Software updates for companies with large
construction departments are normally
associated with considerable time and effort
for training. The experiences of Müller Martini
demonstrate that online training offerings can
effectively facilitate the transition.

2. PTC.comPage 2 of 4 | PTC Muller Martini eLearning Version
Case Study
Thanks to PTC University eLearning, the Swiss manufacturer of equipment and
systems for the graphics industry was able to almost entirely dispense with the usual
instructor-led training during transition to the new CAD solution, PTC Creo 2.0.
Müller Martini Marketing AG with headquarters in Zofingen, Switzerland is a
worldwide leading manufacturer of postpress processing systems and variable
format web offset printers that are primarily used in job and package printing.
The conglomerate group develops and manufactures equipment and systems for
web offset printing, press delivery, saddle stitching, soft and hardcover production,
and newspaper dispatch, as well as digital printing at several sites in Switzerland
and Germany.
Like all print machine manufacturers, Müller Martini is under extreme cost
pressures and must adapt its equipment to the requirements of the individual
customer, and then deliver the customized machines as quickly as possible. In
order to improve company-wide collaboration during the product development
cycle, the Swiss company implemented PTC Windchill
®
PDMLink
®
as their data
management system.
In order to put this system into action, however, Müller Martini had to first update
its CAD installation. “In order to be able to utilize the advantages of PTC Windchill,
we first needed to implement PTC Creo 2.0,” explains Christoph Gysin, Head of
Corporate Development at Müller Martini. “However, our challenge was not the
CAD switch but the implementation of the new database because we had to migrate
approximately two million data records.”
The transition to a new PDM occurring at the same time that PTC Creo replaced a
number of disparate CAD systems the company used produced a corresponding
need for training at all sites. With a traditional training approach, there might have
been a relatively long preparation, including revisions of more than 200 Microsoft
®
Word
®
documents consisting of general training documentation and customer
specific standard operating procedures.
As an alternative, the local PTC University Authorized Training Partner, who has
been supporting Müller Martini since 1996 in CAD training and application support,
recommended the PTC University eLearning program. “In this way, we could
dispense with trainer-conducted PTC Creo training and the users only needed a half
day of training on-site on working with the new PDM system,” says the training and
PLM advisor at the Swiss system integrator.

3. PTC.comPage 3 of 4 | PTC Muller Martini eLearning Version
Case Study
Individualized user training
More than a hundred employees currently work in
mechanical design at the various Müller Martini sites,
and of these hundred approximately 20 are apprentices.
However, the design engineers do not spend the entire
work day in the CAD system, but accompany their
design teams through manufacturing and assembly
and take care of coordinating the machine layout with
the customer. Their job descriptions are constantly
changing. For this reason, they needed a CAD system
that operates intuitively and adapts quickly to the new
tasks put before them. “PTC Creo 2.0 really meets these
demands,” assures Christoph Gysin. “With the context
sensitive PTC Learning Connector, users can activate
the eLearning lesson that corresponds to the task at
hand or even the normal PTC Creo Help directly from
their work surroundings.”
All users were assigned the ‘Update to PTC Creo 2.0’
training via eLearning, which they could complete at a
time of their choice. Some familiarized themselves with
the operator guidance of PTC Creo during Christmas
vacation prior to the switch-over, while others took
training during working hours when time permitted.
PTC Creo is used in a wide variety of applications
at Müller Martini. Most use it for the familiar range
of parametric design functions which can easily be
located via the integrated command finder. Others like
the company’s colleagues at Müller Martini Hasle who
produce rotating parts, drilling, and machined parts
along with metal plate components for internal and
external customers, leverage the advantages of the
new direct modeling functions. These are new features
which enable them to more easily import CAD data.
PTC University’s eLearning helps in conveying the
processes required for different tasks very effectively.
The user can access the appropriate lessons in real
time, which are related to the function or process
they want to become proficient at. The online training
sessions are similar to the standard instructor-led
courses, and include theory, demonstrations, and
exercises. The contents are available in German and
English, as well as other languages to facilitate the
training of foreign colleagues.
Accelerated training process
PTC University eLearning also includes the ability to
test and assess the user’s learning success in online
training. In the beginning, Müller Martini did not
embrace this included functionality because they were
concerned it would distract employees from using
eLearning as a learning aid versus a control instrument.
However, the PTC University Authorized Training
Partner considered it absolutely necessary to assemble
several tests from the training documentation so that
users could test how much they were able to learn on a
voluntary basis and remediate any gaps in knowledge.
In particular, this would facilitate orientation of trainee
design engineers or new employees.
Have the users at Müller Martini already become more
productive through eLearning? The long-term benefits
of being able to access training on-demand whenever
a user question comes up will show once the team has
been working with the new software version for some
more time. What can be said at this point is that the
“ The CAD retraining was very
expedient, PTC Creo functions
similarly to Pro/ENGINEER®
Wildfire 4, but is significantly
easier to operate thanks to the
new interface. Because our users
are very familiar with the CAD
system and we are under tight time
pressure, we forwent the classical
update training entirely and made
use of the advantages of the PTC
Learning Connector.“
Christoph Gysin,
Head of Corporate Development

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Case Study
changeover went smoothly and the update was well-
received by the users. Gysin reports that the users have
become faster after a certain period of orientation as a
result of online learning, and that PTC Creo is easier to
operate and offers more functionality than the previous
software version they used. “We were immediately
impressed that the handling of the simulation functions
became easier,” said Gysin.
A significant advantage of online training is the flexibility
of the entire training process, which is in line with the
culture at Müller Martini. eLearning saves time—not
just for the users who can decide for themselves what
content they need, but for the persons responsible for
training. Up until now, over 200 training documents
needed to be updated for every software change, which
meant a time expenditure of several hundred man-
hours for every update.
This expenditure has been cut in half, as Gysin says,
because only company-specific operating guidelines
have to be revised. “From our point of view, it would
also be desirable to incorporate company-specific
documents into the eLearning library and be able to
search them via full text searches. The customization
is actually already available in the PTC University
functionality and is the next logical step for us.”
Gysin also believes eLearning will have a positive
effect on data quality in association with the new
PDM environment. In the future, all 3D models will
be checked for quality and integrity with PTC Creo
ModelCheck prior to release in PTC Windchill PDMLink.
In fact, this possibility existed previously but it was
not obligatory, which led to the fact that during data
migration, models sometimes had to be corrected by
hand. It’s believed that the training will lead to fewer
errors and reduce the need for multiple revisions.
Summarizing the beneficial effects of online training,
Gysin states that, “Thanks to eLearning updates will be
significantly easier and faster in the future.”
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