“We wanted to guarantee the confidentiality of our designs: all technical documents, all contracts… The goal was to maintain a collaborative environment but in a secure way, and to have more than just a tool — to have a technological ally.” – David Eduardo Magaña, CIO at Operbus.
Operbus is a Mexican manufacturer of semi-trailers and dollies designed to maximize transportation efficiency. With more than 20 years of experience, they have become a leading company in the metal-mechanical sector, offering “best-in-class” quality solutions and serving AAA clients such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, several breweries, Coppel, and national and international companies seeking a reliable long-term partner.
They specialize in custom manufacturing and design, adapting to the needs of each client under national and international standards. For more than a decade, they have been among the top 5 manufacturers in the sector in Mexico.
Protecting Their Most Valuable Asset
They sought to protect their critical industrial property — their most valuable asset — their engineering know-how, their competitive advantage contained in their designs and documents. They not only wanted to keep this information confidential and prevent leaks, but also preserve a collaborative environment. Their engineering teams and suppliers are key players in product design and quality.
Eduardo carried out an exhaustive search for a solution specialized in CAD. He listed 15 technical and operational evaluation criteria and compared 5 different solutions. He wanted to be able to share SolidWorks designs with suppliers while limiting usage and access permissions. He also needed to restrict editing so that it would only be possible with prior authorization.
Additionally, they needed to revoke access or permissions once a supplier contract expired, preventing access even if the designs had already been copied to external servers. It was important to have full traceability, while also receiving support from the solution to address their specific needs.
A Comprehensive Solution
SealPath stood out as the most robust and reliable option to protect all their sensitive information. In-depth testing ensured the effective protection of all critical company documents. They had access to second-level support — experts who assisted them throughout implementation and the initial steps. They found not just a tool, but a comprehensive solution and a long-term strategic partner that helps them face new challenges.
Deployment was very simple; they had clearly defined use cases and technical requirements, which made it easy to align with the support team. It was deployed all at once without complications. In a very short time, they learned to operate it independently.
“I established a very clear business case to present to upper management; I laid out the rationale and justification, every evaluation point. The most important thing is feeling that we are not acquiring a tool, but a solution in which our provider is our technological partner,” the CIO of Operbus explains.
Benefits Across Multiple Areas of the Company
Today, the solution is also used in two additional areas: the legal department, to protect all contracts throughout their formalization, and the Human Resources department, since in Mexico there is a regulation — the Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties — that must be complied with.
Another benefit is that they inform all staff that SealPath is in use, giving employees peace of mind in case someone attempts to take or extract information from the company. They ensure that no one will be able to open protected documents, as everything is secured. This results in greater overall awareness of how sensitive information is handled.
“I would recommend it to a security specialist because the tool is very easy to use; it is very intuitive. It gives us confidence that critical information is protected and that we have a very simple and straightforward management experience,” Magaña highlights.
Mitigated Risks
Their main concern was the exposure of critical information to unauthorized individuals. The possibility of information being compromised represented a significant risk they needed to control — it is their competitive advantage. Everything related to their product, design, and manufacturing processes… Now, no matter where the documents are, no one can view them without authorization. This gives them peace of mind and certainty.
“We have fully covered all our needs, 100%. Now the information is protected, and we ensure the continuity of our operations securely,” concludes the CIO of Operbus.e forma segura”, concluye el CIO de Operbus.
