From your perspective, what are today’s biggest challenges for metal construction and design companies?
The biggest challenge is not purely technical. It is more a general overload of communication, information, and competing priorities across many companies and departments. Different communication channels, a constant stream of new information, and changing requirements often cause teams to lose oversight and projects to unnecessarily lose momentum. I believe that clean processes and genuine appreciation of employees are crucial to freeing people up to focus on their actual work.
Where do the greatest losses of time or sources of error arise today—particularly in the planning phase?
Quite clearly in the countless rounds of revisions. Frequent changes, for example, from architects or clients lead to continuous adjustments. These changes often cannot be cleanly and systematically integrated into planning in advance, resulting in repeated project interruptions. This quickly leads to errors, delays, and unnecessary extra work.
Why are traditional 2D design approaches in metal construction increasingly reaching their limits?
For larger projects and complex geometries, 2D is simply no longer sufficient to reliably avoid costly errors. Furthermore, site measurements are often carried out using 3D scanners. So, it makes sense to continue processing this precise spatial data fully in 3D within the CAD solution. Anything else would mean leaving valuable information unused.
In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about 3D CAD in metal construction?
That transitioning from 2D to 3D merely adds another dimension and can therefore be done quickly. In reality, 3D design requires a shift in mindset from the very beginning, and success ultimately depends on the users’ skills and willingness to adapt.
What specifically convinced you to choose TENADO METAL 3D?
For me, the decisive factor was that TENADO METAL 3D is based on Autodesk technology. This means you are working with a powerful industry‑grade system that has been specifically enhanced with tools tailored to metal construction. This provides a strong combination of stability and specialization.
Which TENADO METAL 3D features make the biggest difference in your day‑to‑day work?
What matters most to me is the seamless integration between point cloud processing and parametric modelling. I can import very large 3D scans without any glitches and adapt my design precisely to existing structures. When changes come later—and they almost always do—the model adjusts cleanly via parametrization, without having to rebuild everything from scratch.
How does TENADO METAL 3D actually support users in their everyday work?
Through the continuous improvement and expansion of practice‑driven functionality. You can tell that development is not happening in isolation from the market, but with a clear focus on the real demands of the metalworking industry.
TENADO has recently partnered with TREPEDIA. From a user’s perspective, how would you rate the partnership between TENADO METAL 3D and TREPEDIA?
Very positively. Especially when dealing with warped staircases, the collaboration provides excellent support. The model can be created very precisely and then seamlessly processed further.
Keep the user’s perspective: what should a modern 3D CAD roadmap for metal construction definitely include?
The integration and clean processing of point clouds, as well as automation features, such as for generating drawing derivations or for creating components and assemblies. This saves time, reduces errors, and ensures significantly greater planning reliability.
In addition, there should always be a close connection to real‑world practice. For me, this is one of the most important aspects of all. And it does not stop at individual features. It must include continuous development based on the real requirements of users. Only in this way can effective 3D CAD software remain relevant in the long term.
Looking to the future: how do you see the metal construction industry develop in the coming years?
Automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to gain importance in design and manufacturing; I have no doubt about that. But technology alone no longer suffices.
From my perspective, the human factor will also become more important than ever. Good leadership, clear communication, and genuine appreciation will determine which companies succeed in the long term.
I understand appreciation as something that needs to be visible in everyday interactions. For example, through respectful communication on equal footing, honest recognition of performance, and taking responsibility. Equally important is a culture in which challenges can be addressed openly and resolved together. Especially in a demanding environment such as metalworking, this can have a direct impact on employee retention and is therefore a strong argument in the competition for qualified skilled workers.
