Würth Elektronik speeds CAD access with file locking

Peer Software has reported deployment results from Würth Elektronik's use of its PeerGFS file management system, which supports engineering teams across North America, Europe and Asia.

Würth Elektronik, an electronics manufacturer with about 2,000 employees in the US, Germany and China, uses AutoCAD and SolidWorks across multiple sites. It needed a way to give engineers faster access to design files while ensuring teams in different regions could not edit the same documents at the same time.

The system now synchronises about 800GB of active engineering data in real time across four Windows-based file servers on three continents. According to the companies, it also provides distributed file locking across those locations, along with centralised management and built-in high availability.

File locking was a key requirement for Würth Elektronik as engineering work became more internationally distributed and data volumes increased. Speed alone would not address the risk of conflicting changes to design files used in day-to-day product development.

"Performance wasn't our only concern. File integrity was equally critical. When engineers in different regions access the same files simultaneously without proper file locking, conflicting versions can corrupt work, delay projects, and undermine confidence in shared data. We needed a solution that could enforce consistent file locking across every server location, not just within a single site," said Greg Foley, IT manager at Würth Elektronik.

Before the deployment, engineers working with CAD files from a centralised server could wait more than five minutes for files to open, according to the companies. Users now access local replicas that load in seconds.

Collaboration shift

The change reflects a broader challenge for manufacturers with engineering teams spread across several regions. CAD files are often large, frequently updated and vulnerable to version conflicts, which can cause delays and rework if multiple users overwrite or duplicate changes.

In Würth Elektronik's case, the focus was on maintaining what Peer Software described as a single source of truth while avoiding the latency of relying on one central file location for global teams. By keeping synchronised copies closer to users, the system is intended to reduce waiting times without allowing separate versions of the same file to emerge.

Peer Software also said the deployment improved operational resilience. After a server failure in China, the restored system was automatically brought back up to date when it reconnected, with current files synchronised back without manual intervention.

That matters for engineering departments, where interruptions can quickly affect project schedules. A failure at one site can have knock-on effects elsewhere if access to current design data is lost or if staff must rebuild file sets manually.

"Engineering organisations can't afford to have productivity slowed by waiting for files or dealing with version conflicts," said Jimmy Tam, Chief Executive Officer of Peer Software.

"Global manufacturers need their data available where work is happening while maintaining a single source of truth. We're proud to help Würth Elektronik deliver that experience for its engineering teams around the world," Tam said.