Altair Case Studies DECKED: Revolutionizing Storage Solutions for Pickup Trucks

	DECKED: Revolutionizing Storage Solutions for Pickup Trucks Altair

DECKED: Revolutionizing Storage Solutions for Pickup Trucks

Altair

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services
Applicable Industries	Automotive Retail
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Manufacturing Process Simulation Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Challenge	The challenge faced by DECKED, a company founded by entrepreneurs Lance Meller and Jake Peters, was to create an innovative, robust, and useful storage solution for pickup trucks. The storage system needed to be able to withstand a load of 2,000 lbs, fit into a wide range of pickup models including those from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan, and be manufactured for a compelling retail target price. The main issue was that the large capacity of a pickup truck often came at the expense of storage. The loading area was typically a simple box with no ability to store smaller items safely or secure them from theft. This presented an opportunity in the marketplace for a well-built alternative. Read More
About Customer	DECKED is a company founded by entrepreneurs Lance Meller and Jake Peters. They identified a gap in the market for a robust and useful storage solution for pickup trucks. The company's target customers are both commercial users and private owners of pickup trucks. The storage solution needed to be versatile enough to fit into a wide range of pickup models from various manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan. The company aimed to create a product that could withstand heavy loads, provide secure storage for smaller items, and be available at a compelling retail price. Read More
Solution	DECKED selected Altair ProductDesign as its partner to deliver conceptual design work along with advanced engineering and prototyping services. Altair ProductDesign’s industrial design group, Thinklabs, was invited to participate in the process of developing design themes encapsulating product branding, form, function, and aesthetics for the storage solution. Altair’s virtual simulation suite, HyperWorks, was used to investigate the structural performance of the product to see how it would perform in real conditions. Based on the results of these studies, Altair ProductDesign was able to suggest design changes to improve the performance of the product such as its load capacity. Altair ProductDesign also worked on simplifying the design and tooling, enabling DECKED to manufacture several variants of the product with the same tooling, thus keeping manufacturing costs low. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Retail

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Manufacturing Process Simulation

Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing

Challenge

The challenge faced by DECKED, a company founded by entrepreneurs Lance Meller and Jake Peters, was to create an innovative, robust, and useful storage solution for pickup trucks. The storage system needed to be able to withstand a load of 2,000 lbs, fit into a wide range of pickup models including those from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan, and be manufactured for a compelling retail target price. The main issue was that the large capacity of a pickup truck often came at the expense of storage. The loading area was typically a simple box with no ability to store smaller items safely or secure them from theft. This presented an opportunity in the marketplace for a well-built alternative.

About Customer

DECKED is a company founded by entrepreneurs Lance Meller and Jake Peters. They identified a gap in the market for a robust and useful storage solution for pickup trucks. The company's target customers are both commercial users and private owners of pickup trucks. The storage solution needed to be versatile enough to fit into a wide range of pickup models from various manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan. The company aimed to create a product that could withstand heavy loads, provide secure storage for smaller items, and be available at a compelling retail price.

Solution

DECKED selected Altair ProductDesign as its partner to deliver conceptual design work along with advanced engineering and prototyping services. Altair ProductDesign’s industrial design group, Thinklabs, was invited to participate in the process of developing design themes encapsulating product branding, form, function, and aesthetics for the storage solution. Altair’s virtual simulation suite, HyperWorks, was used to investigate the structural performance of the product to see how it would perform in real conditions. Based on the results of these studies, Altair ProductDesign was able to suggest design changes to improve the performance of the product such as its load capacity. Altair ProductDesign also worked on simplifying the design and tooling, enabling DECKED to manufacture several variants of the product with the same tooling, thus keeping manufacturing costs low.

Impact #1	DECKED successfully met its performance and manufacturing cost targets while creating a product that is simple to fit and use. The storage solution is now on sale throughout the US and is proving to be popular with both the trade and consumer markets. The company continues to use Altair ProductDesign for product improvements, future design iterations, and product extensions. The product's success is evident in its reception, as DECKED received a prestigious SEMA Award for ‘Best New Van/Pickup/SUV Product’ for 2015 during the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Impact #1

DECKED successfully met its performance and manufacturing cost targets while creating a product that is simple to fit and use. The storage solution is now on sale throughout the US and is proving to be popular with both the trade and consumer markets. The company continues to use Altair ProductDesign for product improvements, future design iterations, and product extensions. The product's success is evident in its reception, as DECKED received a prestigious SEMA Award for ‘Best New Van/Pickup/SUV Product’ for 2015 during the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Benefit #1	DECKED's storage solution can withstand a load of 2,000 lbs.
Benefit #2	The storage system fits into a wide range of pickup models from various manufacturers.
Benefit #3	DECKED was able to manufacture several variants of the product with the same tooling, reducing manufacturing costs.

Benefit #1

DECKED's storage solution can withstand a load of 2,000 lbs.

Benefit #2

The storage system fits into a wide range of pickup models from various manufacturers.

Benefit #3

DECKED was able to manufacture several variants of the product with the same tooling, reducing manufacturing costs.

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Overview

DECKED: Revolutionizing Storage Solutions for Pickup Trucks

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit