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Tekla Structures - The Edmonton City Roadshow By Arvin Eugenio
While Lito was holding training sessions for Edmonton’s newest users, Norfab Mfg & D&C Steel Detailing during the day, I had the chance to visit some of our users like M&D Drafting, C.W. Carry and Global Structural Detailing among others in their drawing offices. One especially favorable visit was the one I paid to Mehadi Sayed, Manager of Customized Information Technology in the National Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). NAIT knew that Tekla had become the number one steel-detailing software in the world over the past few years because it provided clients with the power and flexibility they need for today's projects. NAIT currently has 16 educational licenses of Tekla Structures and will soon open their doors to interested parties.
To summarize, the whole Dowco Roadshow event was a smashing success and as a final statement, let me just say… Edmonton… we’ll be back! Special thanks to Ewen Dobbie, Lito Manrique and Thomas Cetnarowski for helping out to make this event a huge success. For inquiries on Tekla Structures for Engineering and on STAAD.Pro, call our sales office at 604.629.6087.
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About 50 people filled the Emerald meeting room of West Edmonton’s Mayfield Inn & Suites last November 14th. This gathering kicked off the whole series of meetings held in Alberta’s capital city last November 14th to 16th. Detailers, Fabricators and Engineers attended the whole event in what would be the ‘first’ among many roadshows that Dowco would be doing all around Canada. I say the ‘first’ because unlike previous roadshows, this was our first to underscore the integration of Tekla Structures with STAAD.Pro and our first demo of the ‘World’s leading Structural Analysis and Design Tool’ to an Engineering-Detailing-Fabricating audience.
There were 3 meetings all in all, with our resident detailer and engineer, Lito Manrique doing the main presentations. The Users Meeting highlighted the features of Tekla Structures’ newest version – 11.0. Lito was able to demonstrate some of the new tricks embedded within the latest release, especially highlighting those that would prove the most useful to detailers. The next day’s meeting proved to be very informative for attendees who witnessed the industry standard software in action for the first time. Focus was shown on how this unrivalled 3D modeling tool with its viewing and drawing production capabilities, could help people work faster, decrease errors in the shop and open up more business opportunities. To cap that day off, we demonstrated how ‘Tekla Structures for Engineering’ with the STAAD.Pro post-processor already integrated into the Tekla Structures environment, could import or export data back and forth. For people who designed residential or commercial buildings, high rise structures, industrial complexes or petrochemical plants, this configuration was the most suitable because it gave the flexibility to model the structure like it was in the real-world. We were also fortunate to present STAAD.Pro on the 3rd day, with Lito opening up an actual model done by one of our attendees in the A&D tool and exported into Tekla Structures.
According to Mehadi, promotions would start early December of this year with classes starting on January 2006. As experienced before, classes are expected to be filled up shortly after opening enrollment, but preparations needed to be made. During our meeting with the Engineering Program Head, NAIT is still at a stage wherein there will be numerous possibilities for incorporating the 3D modeling software in their system. Mehadi stressed that a ‘customized’ approach would be used to initiate classes. This meant that programs might be outlined in their school’s curriculum, offered as an elective, and could even be presented as a special course for working professionals. Bruce added that their department had 45 students with about a third of them about to don their graduation ‘caps and gowns’. Presently, business owners in Alberta are looking at NAIT to supply the shortage of skilled detailers with Tekla Structures know-how. Incorporating Tekla Structures in the school’s instruction not only contributes to work force development in Alberta but also ensures that there will be a steady supply of skilled individuals ready to take on the city’s growing detailing industry.
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