Since Cefam Atlas was founded in the late 1960s, the design office has been one of the pillars of the company’s smooth running. Both the number of draughtsmen and their working methods have changed considerably over 50 years. Here are the three main stages in the history of the design office:

THE PAPER AGE:

In the early days, in the 1970s, drawings were produced by hand by the draughtsmen on drawing boards, then traced out as clean copies by the tracers. At that time, there was a much clearer hierarchy between the draughtsmen, who carried out the more complex tasks, and the tracers, whose tasks were more routine. Today, draughtsmen follow their projects through from start to finish.

THE CAD AGE:

From the 1980s, as computers became widely available, Cefam was able to switch first to computer-aided drafting and then to computer-aided design (CAD). The calculation tools built into the software minimised human error, and drawings became quicker to produce and easier to amend as the customer wished. This saved a considerable amount of time. As a result, lead times were shortened and customer satisfaction increased.

Day to day, some fifteen people are busy in the design office designing Cefam Atlas goods lifts and lift tables.