How Consumer Goods Manufacturers with SOLIDWORKS Can Reduce Prototypes and Accelerate Innovation

Are Prototype Cycles Slowing Your Next Launch?

What’s the true cost of all the prototypes product development teams build and refine? Not just in dollars, consider the cost of wasted time, missed opportunities, and launch delays. Continue reading to find out the value of SOLIDWORKS design plus simulation for developing better consumer products.

For manufacturers of consumer goods—whether it’s precision timepieces, sleek kitchen appliances, high-performance e-bikes, or home robotics—the prototyping process is integral. When considering how to digitally transform product development, maybe it’s time to rethink how to minimize physical prototypes.

Imagine knowing how a design behaves before cutting a single tool or printing another iteration. It’s possible to use fewer physical prototypes. It’s possible to have your first prototype very close to the final design. Launch new products faster than your competitors. Sound impossible? It isn’t.

Engineering teams across segments, whether designing furniture, DIY tools, home robotics, or sports and leisure goods, now integrate simulation early in design. Product development teams in fashion watches and athletic footwear adopt the same approach to accelerate design deicions and reduce prototypes. Where does your company stand?

Virtual Testing Allows Product Teams to Fail Faster and Fail Smarter

Failing fast drives innovation because teams can test ideas quickly, learn what doesn’t work and improve without investing a lot of time or budget. Integrated design and simulation brings virtual testing into the design phase so engineers uncover issues before committing to costly prototypes. What if engineers developing consumer products use virtual testing to answer:

• Will this kitchen gadget crack when dropped onto tile?
• Will a garden tool motor overheat under peak summer sun?
• Can a carbon-fiber e-bike frame withstand torsion, weigh less, and still meet safety standards?
• Will the latch mechanism in a new luxury watch design resist daily wrist movement?
• Can a carbon-fiber e-bike frame withstand torsion, weigh less, and still meet safety standards?
• Will the latch mechanism in a new luxury watch design resist daily wrist movement?

That’s the value of integrated modeling and simulation: shift analysis to the earliest design phases—right where decisions shape products.

Already used in the automotive industry, new industries benefit from this approach, such as manufacturers of ebikes. Read how QARGOS®, a SOLIDWORKS customer, reduced the number of prototypes and lowered vehicle weight by 30 percent with simulatin driven design.

Consumer Companies Move Beyond the Build-Test-Fix Development Cycle

Don’t wait for a concept to be “complete” before validation. Leading companies use simulation to weed out weak designs early—optimizing geometry, materials, and evaluating product performance and sustainability factors (water use, material waste, etc.) before producing the first physical sample.

Companies of all sizes benefit from modernize product development. In a report, ‘Twin Transformation‘ from analyst firm Roland Berger, partners Beate Rosenthal and Hugo Carreira note: “Twin Transformation offers immense potential for competitive advantage and positive sustainability impact.” In other words, integrating digital tools and sustainability isn’t optional—it’s essential (Roland Berger Twin Transformation).

Is your organization exploring new ways to work and stay ahead?

Brazilian Bicycle Manufacturer Adds Simulation to SolidWorks Design

Caloi, Brazil’s leading bicycle manufacturer, exemplifies this shift. Long known for engineering quality, Caloi expanded its SolidWorks CAD capabilities by integrating simulation directly into design workflows.

Product engineer Leandro Timótio da Silva describes the impact:

“In the past, we spent a lot of time and money on physical tests… we reduced our design cycles from two months to two weeks, which frees up our team to design more in the same amount of time.”

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Design, then simulate to test real world conditions..

(Read the ebook, and CALOI Case Study)

By embracing simulation, Caloi cut development costs by half, slashed prototype expenses, scrap, and rework—and shortened time to market by 25%.

Simulation: From Analyst Tool to Design Norm

Once reserved for specialized analysts, simulation tools are now embedded in designer workflows. This democratization breaks down silos—enabling collaboration between design, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing—and moves validation upstream.

Now your team can:

• Run structural analysis during early sketches
• Validate thermal behavior while setting up toolpaths
• Simulate impact and fatigue before material sourcing

The result? Fewer, smarter prototypes that are closer to readiness for manufacturing and market launch.

Exploring What’s Next in Consumer Product Development?

Simulation is changing the way consumer goods are designed and produced. It helps teams:

• Reduce design cycles and prototype costs
• Optimize performance earlier in development
• Deliver better products to market, faster

If your organization plans to rethink its approach to product development. Learn more about integrating simulation into your design process. Explore how integrating simulation can reduce prototypes and accelerate innovation:

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