ATS is an engineering company that provides expert solutions in conception, simulation and digital twin technologies to large industrial companies.
ATS has its roots in Le Creusot, a historical hub for mining and metallurgy. Over time, it has expanded its operations and opened new sites in Nantes, Dijon, Lyon, Porto, Barcelona and most recently, Montreal, to better serve its clients.
The company operates in a highly competitive market but the use of Octave’s solutions, including Facets P&ID (formerly Smart P&ID), Forte 3D (formerly Smart 3D) and Aspect Nuclear Pipe Stress (formerly PIPESTRESS), has helped it carve out its space.
Identifying goals
Fifteen years ago, ATS was among the early adopters of Octave’s suite. “As a company, we’ve always been willing to make some calculated bets on things we believe in. At the time, we felt that industry standards, such as Plant Design Management System (PDMS), were losing ground and becoming obsolete. Moving to Octave’s solutions was initially an investment for us but, with Octave’s help, we were able to train and gain proficiency very fast,” said Stéphane Poirier, head of growth and development at ATS.
In the following years, the move provided the company with a competitive advantage in several key markets, such as shipbuilding, chemicals and hydrogen. Poirier adds that “among large European shipbuilders, two-thirds have now adopted Octave’s software.” The company has recently worked on several major projects for large shipbuilding companies, including the design, calculation and 3D modeling of piping and cables, structural framework, exhaust and ventilation for cruise ships.
Overcoming challenges
In some sectors, Octave’s solutions have become industry standard. “This is particularly true for piping and calculation systems, with Aspect Pipe Stress and Aspect Nuclear Pipe Stress. Among industrial companies, they represent 90% of the French market” Poirier said.
Poirier attributes this rapid adoption to the fact that Octave’s solutions bring transformative results: significant time savings, a better quality of deliverables and robust integration and interoperability - the latter point being particularly important for large accounts.
In some less mature industries, there is still a need to overcome what Poirier calls “a culture of PDF and legacy software, with the burden of history.” Adopting solutions such as Forte 3D represents an initial investment in time and skills, but it helps these industries gain their fluidity back, using tools that are effective, well-structured and bring powerful drawing, schematics and workflow features.”
Poirier sees this investment as bringing ten-fold results over time. Since ATS uses software from different vendors, Poirier can experience some of Octaves competitive advantages firsthand.
“Compared to other P&ID solutions, Facets P&ID, for example, is truly what is best on the market. It helps clients design faster and more efficiently, create all the reports they need and capitalize on integrations across the complete lifecycle. And, overall, schematics are one of Octave’s very, very strong points.”
Realizing results
The company’s ability to deliver projects using the full spectrum of Octave’s design solutions has been instrumental to its growth.
“It has helped us win some great projects and great accounts,” Poirier notes. “Today, for example, we’re involved in every single program at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, using Octave solutions for both their civil and military initiatives, as well as projects related to renewable marine energy (EMR) infrastructure.”
Beyond the quality of software itself, Poirier particularly appreciates the partnership mindset of Octave teams: “As a solution-agnostic engineering company, we have experience with every software and editor in the market. What I particularly appreciate with Octave is that there is always a way a way to see eye-to-eye and build something together.”
Moving forward
ATS is headed for further growth and international expansion. To power this growth, the company plans to expand the use of Octave solutions to address a larger segment of its clients’ needs.
“As a solution-agnostic engineering company, we have experience with every software and editor in the market. We see that Octave’s solutions can deliver transformative results and help our clients design faster and more efficiently and capitalize on integrations across the complete lifecycle. And what I particularly appreciate with Octave is that there is always a way to see eye-to-eye and build something together,” Stéphane Poirier, Head of Growth and Development ATS
