How to meet purlins requirements faster using bespoke software

David Brown, sales director of purlins at voestalpine Metsec plc, explores how bespoke software can help structural engineers save time and work more efficiently.

With technology constantly evolving, investing in bespoke software enables companies to offer customers access to quick solutions. As the software develops alongside technological advancements, companies are able to keep up with ever-changing customer requirements and stay one step ahead of the curve.

voestalpine Metsec plc’s popular MetSPEC software reflects how bespoke software can help make life easier for structural engineers. Historically, structural engineers were forced to spend significant amounts of invaluable time calculating bespoke solutions using inflexible load tables.

Consequently, Metsec identified an opportunity to make life easier for the structural engineer and created a software package that made it easier and faster to calculate purlins requirements. By incorporating the latest standards and wind load calculation, the software provides a solution for engineers to use that helps simplify and speed up the design process.

Simplicity

Bespoke software, such as MetSPEC, is designed with the user in mind and takes users through a step by step process for the design of purlins, side rails and mezzanine flooring systems. As a result, the user’s workflow improves and their learning time is reduced as it is easier to navigate the system. The end result is the software then offers the most efficient solution available for the information inputted.

MetSPEC provides users with an intuitive and user-friendly solution as any modifications can be made on demand, ensuring absolute flexibility of design.

Scalability

The bespoke software, can be easily upgraded continually to meet new customer or industry demands without impacting the quality of service or speed of the system.

Metsec has continued to launch subsequent editions of its free-of-charge MetSPEC software since its first release in 1989 when structural design was beginning to become computerised. The new editions reflect new industry standards and meet demand for more complex information, from managing snow loads to wind speeds.

In 2017, MetSPEC 14 was launched to incorporate new section sizes and products, giving a more complete solution to engineers using the software. MetSPEC 14 also incorporates both British Standards and Eurocodes into one piece of software, offering users complete reliability and streamlining the software for added efficiency.

The software is available to download from here.