BUILDING BRAND AWARENESS

THE BRIEF

Initially founded in 1999, Visual Components is a developer of 3D simulation software for the manufacturing sector, and a pioneer in the component-based 3D simulation platform market. The business provides a complete solution for simulation and emulation via one platform, covering single robot cells and machines to production lines and factories, to make manufacturing design and simulation technology easy to use and accessible to manufacturing organisations of all sizes.

The organisation has 25,000 licenses across nine different industry verticals, covering automotive, electronics, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, heavy machinery, industrial automation, packaging and palletising, intralogistics and warehousing, white goods and food and beverage.

With market challenges around greater automation and use of robotics in the age of Industry 4.0, sustainability in the manufacturing space and the need to modernise remote management, Visual Components looked to the expertise of Whiteoaks International to maintain its growth via measurable PR tactics and strategies.

Having signed an initial six-month contract with Whiteoaks, the organisation has now embarked on a new 12-month campaign to continue its momentum in the UK media, particularly with manufacturers.

THE APPROACH

Included in the initial six-month scope was a comprehensive research project carried out by Whiteoaks, which uncovered industry insights such as the millions spent by manufacturers on correcting avoidable errors, sustainability as the biggest driver for factory upgrades and the challenges among manufacturers to use simulation software to its full potential. Coverage was achieved in prominent titles such as Manufacturing Global, Machinery and Business Chief.

Visual Components was so impressed by the findings that the team utilised the statistic during presentations at industry shows, such as the Processing and Packaging Machinery Association (PPMA) and Advanced Engineering events and used the results as a basis for a hosted webinar with E&T Magazine.

Whiteoaks has also supported Visual Components by helping establish the organisation in the UK market with introductions to the press, with four briefings secured at the PPMA show with industry publications such as Machinery Update.

Thought leadership has also been an integral part of the campaign, with articles providing Visual Components’ expert insights to the industry. This has included topics such as automation and the importance of manufacturers being able to learn from mistakes in the virtual world and adopt a trial-and-error approach with 3D simulation software, the future trends for automotive manufacturing and the role of simulation tools and the relationship between simulation software and sustainability. Additionally, content has been created around the role of new technologies in advancing pharmaceutical packaging.

THE RESULTS

Since beginning working with Whiteoaks, 21 pieces of coverage have been achieved with key publications and a total of 40 key messages communicated alongside the completion of the research project. This research not only supported Visual Components in event and webinar outreach, but 92 per cent of all coverage from the research findings included links back to the organisation’s website, driving crucial prospect traffic to its product pages.

“Put simply, the relationship we’ve had with Whiteoaks since we began our partnership has been easy. We’re absolutely delighted with the results achieved and appreciate how transparent the team have been with us. They’ve also been very proactive in creating attention-grabbing content that has played a key role in developing our business,” said Tanja Säde, Head of Global Marketing at Visual Components.

Such glowing feedback is a testament to a successful initial six months between Whiteoaks and Visual Components, providing the basis to develop the relationship over the course of the next campaign and take the organisation to its next level of market growth.