Experiences of a Metrologic Dealer

1. Experiences of a Metrologic Dealer The UK’s Leading Range of 3D Measurement & SPC Solutions

2. Measurement Solutions All 4 engineers have the ability to provide sales & applications support • Measurement Solutions was formed in 1998 after 6 years as Managing Director of CE Johansson in the UK ( joined CEJ originally in 1989 ) • Johansson started to use Metrolog software ~1996 (Jowin) as the standard software for new CMM’s • Earliest version – Metrolog II v.1.38 (on floppy disks !) • We now have 5 people ; • 1 Manager • 1 Full-time Sales Engineer • 1 Applications / Service Engineer • 1 Full-time Service Engineer • 1 Administration • We are advertising right now for 2 more people

3. Measurement Solutions • We are based in Peterborough, approx. 1 hour North of London • Our office includes a busy demo room with ; • CNC CMM with PH10 plus TP20 and SP25 • Kreon Laser Scanner • Handyscan3D Handheld Laser Scanner • Faro Platinum and Silver Arms • Modular Fixture Systems • Photogrammetry System • We have an agreement with Faro such that we can loan a Faro laser tracker for demonstrations • A dedicated training room with 6 PC work stations • Expected turnover in 2007/2008 > €1million • Approx. 25% of turnover is CMM service, training & support

4. Measurement Solutions • Measurement Solutions became the UK Dealer for Metrologic Group in 1998 • Our product range was Metrolog II – that’s all we had ! • We have worked with Metrologic Group as it has grown into the company we all know now, with a strong product range ; • Metrolog XG • Silma XG • Metrolog V5 • Silma V5 • m-Log XG • Metrologic CMM controllers and hardware

5. Measurement Solutions • In addition to Metrologic products, Measurement Solutions also offers a range of products / services ; • QDAS SPC Software • Handyscan3D handheld laser scanners • Kreon laser scanners • Used CMM’s • New CMM’s - AEH (China) • EasyFix modular fixtures • Aicon Photogrammetry • CMM Calibration and Service • The product line may appear to be big for a small company, but ALL products have one common link ….. ….. They all work in some way with Metrologic software !

6. The UK Market

7. The UK Market • The UK market is extremely competitive, with too many players trying to sell into a market that is reducing in size • What software do we see in the UK market ? • Hexagon - PC-DMIS • Metris - CAMIO, STUDIO • Wenzel - Metromec, Open DMIS • Delcam – PowerInspect • Zeiss - Calypso • Other OEM software e.g. Virtual DMIS, Cosmos • Others – Axel, CMM Manager, Origin, CappsNT, Aberlink • The UK market is driven by hardware manufacturers – customers buy hardware with software, not software for hardware i.e. they prefer to buy hardware AND software from the same supplier • The market is driven by PRICE – discounting is expected and it is unusual to get an order without some discount being offered

8. How We Compete • We have to accept that we cannot compete on price ; • Lower profit margins • Reduces the “value” of our products • The big OEM’s will drop prices significantly to win orders • We offer excellent levels of service and have built a family of very happy customers ; • High quality training • High levels of expertise – know your product • Excellent product support – be there with help and advice • Provide solutions – be able to offer hardware solutions as well as software • Make alliances – have good working relationships with other key players e.g. Faro • Build a strong reputation within your own customer base

9. How We Compete We know from experience that the competition provide bad service ; • The average wait for a service callout with Hexagon is 2-3 weeks • If you call the “warm-line”, you always have to wait for a call back • Check out any of the internet forums for “happy” customers ; • www.pcdmisforum.com • www.cmmtalk.com • www.yourcmm.com • http://forum.delcam.com • You won’t find entries for Metrolog – they are all happy customers ! • Make sure your existing customer base receives high levels of service • High levels of service can bring added value - ~70% of licences in UK have maintenance contracts !

10. Demonstrate to Win How We Prepare and Handle A Metrolog Demonstration

11. Demonstrate to Win • Before arranging a demonstration, make sure you know exactly what the customer wants to do with the software • Be prepared to customise the demo to suit his needs and application • If at all possible ; • Use his equipment (use the “Detector” application) • Use his parts and CAD data • Only use a “demo block” to demonstrate specific functions where the customer’s part is not suitable or does not have the right features • Make sure you visit before the demo to test the interface, check connections, etc. • Insist on using your own PC – make sure it has lots of memory and is reliable !

12. Demonstrate to Win At the demo, ask the customer for 30 minutes before the demo ; • Prepare the interface connection • Check machine speeds – make sure the machine runs smoothly, and at least as fast as it does with the old software • Set up the MASTER reference sphere location • Qualify the probe head to run an automatic calibration • If possible, import the CAD file in advance

13. Demonstrate to Win • Start the demo by NOT showing them Metrolog • Instead, start the Setup Assistant • Show the user the list of direct connections available • Explain that they can use the same software with any device • Tell them that they can buy ANY CMM in the future, unlike our competitors who will effectively “force” you to buy their equipment • Explain that if they have service issues in the future, we can offer a relatively easy hardware upgrade and they will still be able to run their existing programs Did You Know … No other software has a list of machine connections like Metrolog

14. Demonstrate to Win • Optimise software performance by making best use of graphics hardware • Use multiple devices in the same measuring session • Select a variety of probing systems including specialist OEM equipment • Select the use of laser scanners • Error map the machine removing the need for expensive OEM calibration services • Also use the Setup Assistant to show the user how we can ; Did You Know … Delcam PowerInspect has no option to error map or adjust a machine’s accuracy • Now you are ready to start the demo …

15. Demonstrate to Win • Start by calibrating probes ; • Have a probe file ready, and run the automated probe calibration • Explain that there is no need to build up probes (like PCDMIS) – the software is automatic • Show how easy it is to add probes • Save the probe file and explain that even if the power fails, the probes are saved • Show the user the automated backup – everyone has had Windows crash at some point ! • Emphasise how quickly you can be ready to measure Did You Know … You can’t measure in PCDMIS without defining the probe setup in detail and it only supports standard styli – you can’t make your own special stylus

16. Demonstrate to Win • Don’t spend too much time doing simple manual measurements – this is a demo, not a training course ! • Only use the blue demo block if you have to – we still haven’t found a company that makes blue blocks ! • Highlight the easy to use interface including ; • Dockable tool bars • Customisable toolbars • Split screen functions • DRO functions (especially for manual devices) • Special toolbar and status window for Laser Trackers Did You Know … LK often use 2 screens for CMM demonstrations as 1 is not enough !

17. Demonstrate to Win • As soon as possible, import the CAD file • When importing the CAD file ; • Show the ability to import multiple CAD models • Highlight the list of CAD import options available e.g. CATIA, ProE, etc. • Explain the filter options – we use the analogy of a complete aircraft, and the need to measure the light on the end of the wing • Highlight the possibility to be able to import HUGE CAD files • Show the CAD Database panel ; • Show the ability to easily manage CAD data • Explain that we don’t need “clean” CAD data as we can deal with the problem in Metrolog - quickly create a layer, then hide it Did You Know … Most software needs “clean” CAD data

18. Demonstrate to Win • If possible, have a large set of CAD data available – we have managed to acquire complete car bodies for several cars • Load the file(s) and show the customer the size of the data • Include ALL files when displaying file size i.e. the SU3 files AND the original IGES files – it makes the files appear bigger and Metrolog appear faster ! • Show the ability to handle multiple CAD file assemblies Did You Know … Some softwares consider >50 Mbytes as “huge” !

19. Demonstrate to Win • Try not to spend too much time showing specific details – keep the demo moving and interesting • Only show the “sexy” items that will impress – customers have a limited ability to remember a demo ; • The “GD&T Wizard” - does not require the user to understand GD&T symbols • Automatic CNC path generation – show the options available (a cylinder is often best so you can show the “thread” function) • Highlight the array of alignment options, especially the flexibility of the best fit, including scaling, limitations and the ability to select restrictions on individual features Did You Know … PowerInspect can’t recall an alignment – you must recreate it each time

20. Demonstrate to Win • ALWAYS show the reporting features of Metrolog • Download the customer’s logo from their website and include when creating a simple report layout • Have lots of sample report layouts using different logos and include pictures of parts on the report • Explain the “Auto-sticker” feature – nobody else has this • Use the function “Create all stickers” and point out that none of the sticker lines cross and that views have been automatically created – this always impresses ! • Explain XG Office and how you can transfer data to an Excel spreadsheet automatically

21. Demonstrate to Win • At the start of the demonstration, open the Program window, click Record, then hide it again • Part way through the demo, open the window again and show that everything has been recorded – easy ! • Copy the start of a program, then paste it into a new program – see how easy it is to manipulate programs ! • Use the Grouping function to make a program easier to read Did You Know … If you need to edit a program in PowerInspect it is quicker to start again from the beginning !

22. Demonstrate to Win VERY HEAVY When competing with PCDMIS ; • Have a sample GM2 program and the “same” program in DMIS (this is what the user will see when using PCDMIS) – ask them which is easier to understand • Invest in a printed copy of the DMIS standard, and tell the customer he needs to know this to use DMIS – it’s big, it’s heavy and it usually works !

23. Demonstrate to Win • At every demonstration, create a customer folder in a central “CMM Parts” folder • When opening / saving files, make sure a list of customer names is seen in the Explorer window – leave the window on the screen long enough for the customer to see lots of names • This always impresses, even if they are not actually customers !

24. Demonstrate to Win • At the end of the demonstration, with any luck the computer has not crashed ! • If there is no crash, make sure you point this out to the customer Did You Know … It is normal for PCDMIS to crash during a demo – most users do not use the latest version due to instability

25. Point Clouds • Point cloud analysis is definitely the next BIG THING • Traditional cloud software (Geomagic, etc.) has limitations ; • Only good for comparing to nominal CAD – without CAD, they are next to useless • A post process – when you finish measuring, you still don’t have a result as the data needs to be processed • Require the whole part to be scanned • Metrolog is able to use point cloud data “on-the-fly” and extract measurements in real-time • Metrolog does not need nominal CAD data to generate results • Metrolog only needs to scan the areas of the part where measurements are actually required Did You Know … Geomagic can’t generate a report if the point cloud is not compared to nominal CAD data

26. Point Clouds • Be aware that PowerInspect appears to have some strong point cloud functionality • They also have some nice features that we don’t have in Metrolog • This is probably our biggest competition for m-Log, NOT Geomagic etc. • The good news … • … none of our traditional competitors i.e. PCDMIS have point cloud functionality ! • … and Metrolog is probably the only solution for laser scanning with a CNC CMM

27. CMM Service - Use Every Opportunity • We offer a service to verify the accuracy of portable arms (equivalent to ISO10360) • The service is one day, on site (Faro require the user to send the arm to a service centre, taking 2-3 weeks) • Our engineer always uses Metrolog for the verification • This way, the customer sees a demonstration of Metrolog … • … and pays us to provide the demo ! • When servicing machines with other software, our engineer always shows m-Log or Metrolog to users • USE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THE SOFTWARE TO CUSTOMERS AND GENERATE NEW LEADS !

28. Maintenance Contracts • ALWAYS try to sell software maintenance contracts • The majority of UK licences have a valid maintenance contract • Offer the maintenance as a standard part of the quotation – not as an additional option • If the user wants to remove it from the quotation, it is his decision to reject maintenance • Sell the benefits – don’t emphasise the “penalties” of not having maintenance ; • 2 new releases every year • Telephone and applications support • New Windows drivers with each release – this is VITAL now that many PC’s have automatic Windows updates • Updates for new processor types, graphics cards, etc.

29. Use the Internet • >50% of all enquiries come to us via the Internet • Keep your website up to date • Register on search engines – Google, Yahoo, etc.

30. Conclusions • When demonstrating Metrolog, you have a limited time to impress – use the time wisely and prepare well • Try to use the customer’s parts for the demo – you must know your product and be confident • Have the possibility to show Metrolog on a variety of measuring devices ; • Beg, steal or borrow a portable arm, laser tracker, etc. • Practice, practice, practice ! • Show the products at every opportunity ; • Make sure your service engineers can give a basic demo • If they can’t, use the demo CD • If you know any weak points about the competition, spread the word and tell the rest of us !

31. Experiences of a Metrologic Dealer Thank You … and Good Luck !