EnginX: Smart software for complex engineering
In manufacturing, quality is essential and projects need to be done right the first time. The engineering component in such projects is both complex and time-consuming. According to the founders of EnginX, there are more efficient ways of working. CEO Saskia Eijkelhof talks about their innovative software to tackle technical design struggles.
No matter how complex an engineering project, it always starts with a technical drawing. It is also where the challenges arise that EnginX solves. Saskia tells: “The first technical drawing is incredibly complex. It has to be absolutely right in terms of physics and mathematics. Because obviously, you don’t want to develop and deliver a hydrogen system and then discover it doesn’t work, or worse: it explodes. It’s a process with many mandatory checks and iterations and it’s very time-consuming. It is necessary to be meticulous, but we are sure we can improve the process.”
Design, populate and simulate
EnginX’s software allows engineers to make technical designs that are responsive. And instead of solely using industry icons and then searching for the right part, you can create drawings and populate them with real components. “It allows you to simulate and calculate directly from the drawing, making finding suitable components much quicker and easier. There is no search engine for a pump with a specific diameter and flow rate. So until now, engineers have had to call manufacturers and suppliers for details. Or they had to flip through paper catalogues and compare and convert metrics and compare data —an incredibly tedious and time-consuming process.”
Saskia first heard about EnginX through Mercator Launch. “I was immediately drawn to the technical challenge they were wanting to solve. I have never engineered myself, but having worked in manufacturing environments, I recognize the struggles. Especially when customers come up with additional requirements during a project, I could see engineers implode as they knew they had to recalculate every component in the whole system.”
In 2016, EnginX was established by three founders from different engineering backgrounds: aviation, the oil and gas industry and astrophysics. They all had one thing in common: they wanted to improve and modernize the outdated and time-consuming way of working in engineering. The first step was to update the design process itself.
“This resulted in a powerful product and the next step was to write a conclusive business plan”, explains Saskia. “Thomas Bronzwaer participated in two Mercator Launch IMPROVE programs to get the necessary support. And this is where we got to know each other. I joined EnginX not long after. After two years, the board asked me if I wanted to take over as CEO, allowing Thomas to focus fully on the technical side as CTO.”
Steps in growth
The product worked well, so the next step was figuring out how to market it. It takes more than showing off your self-written code to convince potential buyers. However, when pitching, EnginX noticed a growing interest in the product. “When I became CEO, I immediately started looking for financing instruments, such as the Startup Fonds Gelderland, OostNL and the Business Angels Network Nijmegen. We were able to join through Briskr. Having money at hand makes life a lot easier! We can start planning for the future.”
Twelve people now work at EnginX. “I wouldn’t call us a scale-up just yet, but we are getting there! Our growth has taken off. We are happy we can count on support from Mercator Launch, OostNL and Briskr for their network, knowledge and partners. The ecosystem these organizations have built up in Nijmegen and beyond is amazing.”
A household name
Having taken the first steps, EnginX can now look forward. “We want to be a household name for engineers. In fact, with our software, we could do even more to tackle early-phase engineering problems. From energy efficiency and 3D geometry to maintenance and project planning; we want to contribute to it all.”
The company focuses on storming the Dutch market. “We joined the Verenigde Maakindustrie Oost-Nederland (VMO), with 200 affiliated manufacturers in the east of the Netherlands and the GMV with affiliated manufacturers in the food production industry to both understand our market and be able to converse with potential users. And why look abroad for customers when there is still so much to solve in the Netherlands?” According to Saskia.
