CFD SUPPORT - another dream come true

One of the most resilient items on my to-do list is called “Write down the story of CFD SUPPORT”. It is time to do something about it. Sit down with me, grab your coffee, and see how it all happened. 

CFD SUPPORT now is a stable company with a fantastic team and happy clients. However, it has not always been the case. Back in 2009, we were just two enthusiastic Ph.D. students, who were amazed by the open-source software, and who originally founded CFDSUPPORT as a consultancy business.

How our journey began

We started poorly. Completely from scratch. We had no money. We had no contacts. We had no clients. We had no experience. In fact, we had nothing but our passion for supreme CFD software. The only thing we knew was that we wanted to be as close as possible to our clients and provide them with high-tech support to help them with achieving their goals. That is how our journey began.

Cold calling doesn't work

As you can imagine, our beginnings were pretty difficult. We created a couple of case studies that we thought might work and started cold-calling local companies here in the Czech Republic.

The first year was a complete disaster. Surprisingly, it was not a problem to get to a meeting and give our pitch. In fact, we made dozens of live (we thought promising) meetings but no one ever called back.

Free projects don't work either

Later, we changed our strategy and started offering pilot projects free of charge to show ourselves first. The problem of free projects is that they are easier to agree on (client has nothing to lose) but later they are difficult to turn into a proper business. I still remember how once we’ve spent over 400 hours of (hard) work on a free project hoping to be finally picked. The project results were well above expectations, they fit the client’s measurement data. We made a presentation and received nothing more than “good job & thanks”. After a couple of disappointing experiences, we realized that free projects didn’t work either. 

 In the first year, we made no business at all, nothing. At the beginning of the second year, we were quite disappointed and it was more and more difficult to persist. The trial period was over and our situation started being serious.

We’re rather craftsmen than businessmen

A venture capital investment in our start-up has not been an option for us. As old-school engineers, grown-up primarily in the eighties and nineties, we’ve always been rather craftsmen than businessmen. We’ve always wanted to succeed with value-based business on the real clients’ interests. Burning other’s money and promising we’d hopefully deliver a fantastic product someday in the future has been against our perception of the world at that time. 

First real business

After a long 18 months from inception, we finally got a little consultancy project on simulation of a large steam turbine stage. The project was very successful and greatly determined our future. A newly acquired ability, self-confidence, which had been unknown to us so far, has made a tremendous difference. It started to be easier and easier to get new projects. The die has been cast, CFD SUPPORT succeeded in the field of turbomachinery simulations. As a result, turbo simulations remained a matter of our hearts until today.

Consultancy or software?

In the next few years, we used OpenFOAM for our consultancy projects. We were developing and selling complete OpenFOAM methodologies for turbomachinery applications and for internal and external aerodynamics. Including new OpenFOAM solvers, boundary conditions, and countless other applications, libraries, and automation scripts. The consultancy business worked well enough for survival, nonetheless, it seemed to be difficult to scale it up.

OpenFOAM difficulties

The projects’ results themselves were typically well above expectations. The workflow was smooth and worked well - on our side. However, we experienced serious issues when we have handed over the pure OpenFOAM methodologies to our clients. Our clients were missing a clear, smooth, understandable process. They were missing a stable environment independent of the operating system. They were missing the graphical interface (GUI). They were missing a natively compiled Windows version - that could have been connected with their existing Windows workflow. They were missing automation. They were missing postprocessing tools and a reporting system. In fact, standard OpenFOAM showed itself to be absolutely incapable of delivering what was expected - a workflow to compete with professional commercial codes. 

OpenFOAM can't compete with commercial codes

All of sudden, we realized that OpenFOAM is just a set of tools (and great tools). However, there is a huge gap between the tools and results leading to successful projects. The work must be done. Standard OpenFOAM, as it is freely available on the internet, is missing a clear process that helps the user to undergo a complex simulation process. Imagine a set of tools, like a hammer, shovel, and pickaxe - when having these tools without a clear process - it is not easy to build a house with them. At least, the house you will love. We realized the game we play here is much more about builders (process) than about tools. 

People want cars, not wheels

In other words, on a global scale, people usually want to get from point A to point B, in reasonable time and comfort. OpenFOAM is like wheels. Yes, the wheels are needed for any kind of transportation, but only wheels don’t make the job done. In the 21st century, people want a complete service not just wheels. People want cars. 

That is why many engineers give up using OpenFOAM. OpenFOAM is still a great tool for all those who have really a lot of free time and there is no pressure on the results. And that is perfectly ok.

Measure of clients’ happiness is having a job done (not free software)

Our company’s mission has always been happy clients. We’ve always wanted to stay with our clients as close as possible, and support them in tasks beyond their comfort zone. Support is coded in our company’s DNA and also in the company name, after all. We realized that the measure of clients’ happiness is having a job done and not to have free software. The pleasure of free software quickly disappears. It is the results that matters.

Strategy change

So, a few years into the consultancy business, we were already quite successful. We were happy about the good (accurate) results. We knew our business would survive. But we were unhappy about the fact that our clients were struggling when fighting the countless errors in the Linux command-line. We felt our clients deserve something more. 

New software decision

We decided to launch a completely new project. A new software product based on open-source and with fantastic technical support. In the beginning, we launched a new CFD code called TCFD. TCFD was very successful and later we decided to upgrade this concept to a comprehensive engineering simulation environment - TCAE.

Merged benefits of open-source with the benefits of commercial codes

We've put all our skills, experience, and our passion into it, and created a set of software modules for simulations of fluid dynamics (CFD) and structural analysis (FEA), including Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI), modal analysis, and much more. For that reason, TCAE is a comprehensive simulation environment, which successfully merged the benefits of open-source, with the benefits of commercial codes. Due to the open-source nature, TCAE is unlimited and extremely flexible. And due to the commercial code nature, TCAE has a graphical interface (GUI), professional technical support, it’s robust, accurate, automated, well tested, and it is ready for use in the industry. In the first seven years, we had spent more than 30 man-years in TCAE development and testing, and this number is quickly growing.

Obsessed with accuracy

We primarily focus on a very high added value for its users. TCAE is definitely a high-end software and our clients are CAE professionals who know well what they want. We are obsessed with accuracy. Accuracy is of our highest priority. And besides accuracy, we are focused on automation, repeatability, and application-tailored solutions. We don’t believe in general-purpose codes. We don’t believe that any particular software can accurately simulate everything. Or, that anyone can simulate anything. We do believe that any successful project is a result of focus, skills, experience, patience, and dedication. We believe in open-source. Especially, we believe in the combination of open-source and professional support. So far, we have invested more than 30 man-years of focused team development on top of open-source to deliver professional simulation tools like this. And that is why we are being picked.

Back to original visions

Now we are perfectly aligned with our original visions. Open-source tools are here for everyone without limits and exceptions. For those who want to perform simulations on a professional basis and use the resources to the fullest, TCAE brings substantial value in the form of a clear, smooth, and automated process, packed in the stable package. At the moment, we, CFDSUPPORT, are a worldwide operating company, which develops engineering simulation software used by engineers and designers for a large variety of engineering applications in the aerospace, energy, automotive and marine sectors. CFDSUPPORT is rapidly expanding and is active worldwide through its network of agents and partners in Asia, Europe, and America.

Value/cost ratio matters

Our mission is to make our clients happy by maintaining the simulation environment with a fantastic value/cost ratio. 

One way ticket to CFDSUPPORT

What I am personally most proud of at CFDSUPPORT is that it is just a one-way ticket. We’ve never lost a client to a competitor so far. We only lost a few clients who completely terminated the CFD department or changed the topic or because of budget cuts. 

We are one big family where no one is ever left behind. There is nowhere to go from CFDSUPPORT.

It will be our greatest pleasure if anyone of you joins us along the way.