Vermeer Corporation, a global manufacturer of industrial equipment and agricultural machinery, has decided to move its SOLIDWORKS environment to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in the cloud to address a challenge that came with its growth: too many tools, too many repositories, and too many different ways of working. The goal is to build a single organization with unified processes and data, strengthen information security, and accelerate collaboration among distributed teams.
A premium brand with growing complexity
Founded in Iowa more than 70 years ago, Vermeer has evolved from a local company into a family-owned group with an international presence and a portfolio of 245 products for agriculture, underground construction, surface mining, tree care, and environmental applications. Its positioning is built on quality, service, and the ability to serve highly specific niches with specialized machinery.
That growth has been intense: Vermeer doubled its revenue, workforce, and units shipped while expanding facilities and operations. But that pace brought an inevitable internal consequence: each team began optimizing its work independently, without a shared framework.
The challenge: scattered data and processes that are hard to scale
The company found itself facing a scenario that limited efficiency and control:
- 20+ different data storage locations.
- 53+ project management tools in use.
- 25+ different subprocesses depending on the area and product.
The result was growing complexity that was difficult to replicate on a global scale. Added to this was another external pressure: industrial and agricultural regulation in the U.S. was increasing steadily, forcing processes to adapt quickly. The risk was clear: operating like “many companies within one” made every change slower and more expensive.
The trigger: protecting data as a critical asset
In 2018, a tornado destroyed two Vermeer factories, affecting 40% of its production capacity. The community helped keep operations running, but the hardest impact was invisible: all paper documentation and physical drawings disappeared with the disaster. That turned a “what if it happens?” into reality.
Vermeer realized that data was an asset that had to be protected and available no matter what. The cloud stopped being a culturally uncomfortable option and became a strategic necessity for business continuity.
The solution: SOLIDWORKS connected to ENOVIA on 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud
As long-time SOLIDWORKS users, Vermeer chose the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in the cloud to build a single source of truth connecting design, projects, and product data. ENOVIA acts as the core PLM management system and enables:
- Real-time access to up-to-date versions of designs and documentation.
- Cross-functional visibility into project status, resources, and priorities.
- Structured part cataloging and intelligent reuse of components.
- Traceability to respond quickly to regulatory changes.
Design work continues to be done with SOLIDWORKS, now integrated into the platform, providing revision control, direct collaboration, and the ability to work from any location.
Impact: visibility, collaboration, and less day-to-day friction
The first tangible value has been shared visibility: all teams can see which projects are progressing, which are delayed, and where bottlenecks exist. This enables more coordinated management and reduces reliance on emails, spreadsheets, and disconnected repositories.
Parts management in ENOVIA has replaced manual processes, avoiding errors due to duplication or outdated versions. In addition, reuse of existing components accelerates development without compromising quality.
The cloud adds another key advantage: automatic updates with no downtime. Vermeer can always stay on the latest version without slowing projects down due to internal migrations or complex upgrades.
Next steps: digital continuity toward operations and the customer
With a unified foundation, Vermeer is moving toward virtual representations of products, workflows, and operations to improve standards and efficiency. Looking ahead, the company aims to extend part of that continuity to the customer: providing useful information on design, manufacturing, and maintenance to anticipate issues and maximize machine availability.
About Vermeer
Based in Pella (Iowa), Vermeer is a family-owned company and a leader in industrial and agricultural machinery. Its commitment to SOLIDWORKS connected to 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud aims to support global growth with shared processes, secure data, and collaboration designed to scale quickly.
More information: www.vermeer.com/na
Read the full case study on the Dassault Systèmes website here.
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