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Listen to Case Summary
Engineering Underwater Vehicles Across Three Cities
Sunfish designs and builds underwater submersible vehicles for inspection and water resource management, working with state water authorities and infrastructure clients. The engineering team is fully distributed — designers, reviewers, and leadership spread across the US, and runs every vehicle program in SolidWorks, where part numbers are simple and sequential, so the team relies on detailed file descriptions to find the right files.
"We're remote. The designer is in Philadelphia, our CEO is in Miami, and I'm in Austin. We needed a way to design, review, and release without everyone sitting in the same place — or even in the same software."
Interviewed for this study
Alberto Lopez
Chief Executive Officer, Sunfish Inc
Their Own PDM, Without Another Server
Sunfish hit three obstacles when they set out to run their own product data management.
Their Own Vault
Sunfish shared a PDM vault with another company under a shared-IP agreement. As they grew into an independent operation, they needed their own system, full control of their files, versions, and releases, separate from the parent setup.
Server and VPN Overhead
Before, Sunfish ran SolidWorks PDM Standard on their own server. Remote designers connected over a VPN and pulled a license every time they opened the vault. Recreating that meant buying, configuring, and administering another server — work Alberto had done once over a Christmas break and didn't want to repeat.
Reviews Across a Team That Isn't All in SolidWorks
With a distributed team, the people who need to review a design,. the CEO, the CTO, outside collaborators, don't all have a SolidWorks license. Reviews leaned on screenshots and slide decks, which slowed every iteration.
The Solution: How Sibe PDM Works
Native SolidWorks Add-in
Engineers check files in and out directly in SolidWorks while Sibe tracks every version, handles assembly references, and keeps a local cache for offline work. No new server, no VPN, no license server to administer. Live in 30 minutes.
Universal Browser Viewer
Reviewers open a share link and view the design in any browser — then leave comments directly on the model. No SolidWorks license needed. Sunfish's designer in Philadelphia sends a link, the CTO reviews from Miami, and the team iterates in one place instead of passing screenshots back and forth.
IP Stays Protected
Sibe generates a separate, neutral model for the browser viewer — not the native SolidWorks file — so designs can be shared and reviewed online without exposing geometry that could be reverse-engineered.
"Ken gave me the demo and I got it pretty quick. I figured I could do all of this myself over a weekend instead of buying a new server."
Performance Benchmarks
Metric | Before Sibe | With Sibe |
|---|---|---|
Setup | Buy and administer a server + VPN | Live in 30 minutes, no server |
Remote access | VPN + a SolidWorks license per person | Browser link — no license to view |
Design reviews | Screenshots and slide decks | Comment on the live model in any browser |
Vault ownership | Shared with another company | Their own vault, every version tracked |
Book a free Demo with Ken to see Sibe PDM in action
Ken Maren
Chief Solutions Architect
SolidWorks Expert with 30+ Years Experience
Our Customer Success team will get back to you within one business day to schedule the demo call.
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