“The main reason that I chose SOLIDWORKS is that I wanted access to a large, supportive, online community of users that would help me figure out how to use the program,” Bouwman explains. That’s why I investigated 3D design solutions.”īouwman used evaluation versions of the leading 3D CAD packages before deciding to standardize on the SOLIDWORKS® 3D development platform. Roughly 40 percent of our products involve sheet metal, and because dairy applications require either stainless or hot-dip galvanized steel, design errors are costly. “Whenever I needed to make a design change, I had to make the change to multiple drawing views, which wasted time. “As business grew, designing and manufacturing in 2D became frustrating and limiting,” Bouwman recalls. Founded in 1982 as a dealer for Bou-Matic dairy equipment in northwest Iowa, southeast South Dakota, and southwest Minnesota-a service that the company still provides- Valley Dairy Farm Automation (VDFA) has grown to become a leading manufacturer of customized, innovative dairy farm automation products.ĭemand for the company’s products has increased rapidly, leading to the establishment in 2015 of its Lyntech subsidiary, which designs and manufactures the firm’s extensive product offering.ĭevelopment of VDFA’s line of products emanated from its desire to do the best possible job for its customers, according to General Manager Kevin Bouwman, who began developing products in the early 2000s using the DesignCAD® 2D design package.