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Indian CAD Drafting Service Provider
Blames Outsourcers April 25, 2006
Outsourced CAD drafting projects can fail just like any other outsourced
project. However, in the CAD press, the blame is more often than not placed
squarely on the shoulders of the CAD drafting service provider. The fact is
that very often the outsourcer is at fault. Here are the reasons why, along
with a guide for successful outsourcing.
In any given year, thousands of engineering,
architectural and publishing firms in the Western hemisphere send their
assignments to CAD drafting service providers in Asian countries not knowing
whether they will ever see the assignments again. Stories circulate about
how some of these CAD assignments mysteriously disappeared overseas or about
how they went so wrong at the hands of the service providers that they had
to be quietly buried on return. Primitive drafting methods and an
underdeveloped CAD workforce are often ascribed to the service provider
country. Interestingly, it is not the service provider who is always to
blame.
“In our experience, many prospective clients
have very little idea of how to participate in a CAD outsourcing exercise,”
says Lucky Balaraman, Executive Director of The Magnum Group (http://themagnumgroup.net),
one of India’s best-known CAD drafting service providers. “The methodologies
for outsourcing CAD are not as well entrenched as those for outsourcing IT
or CRM.”
The Magnum Group has been a CAD drafting service provider since 1999 and has
engaged with many types of outsourcers over the years. Through the sizeable
experience thus gathered, it has developed a thoughtful overview of the CAD
outsourcing process, and is therefore qualified to make meaningful
observations on the subject.
Mr. Balaraman describes typical outsourcer shortcomings. “Frequently,
enamored by accounts of how assignments sent at the close of the US business
day are completed and sent back by the start of the next day, many
outsourcers expect this to happen from the first day onwards. They are
unaware that the CAD drafting service provider must ascend a learning curve
before attaining cruising speed.”
Commenting on the specifics of the learning curve, Mr. Balaraman says, “For
one thing, the learning curve is required for becoming proficient in the
elements of the outsourcer’s CAD style. Examples of style elements are the
colors and thickness of drawn lines, the appearance of dimensions and the
assignment of layers.”
In addition, he says, “there might be design
knowledge specific to the domain that has to be absorbed. Examples of such
knowledge are the meaning of various sketched symbols and the formulas for
calculating sizes of engineering components.”
Mr. Balaraman mentioned how all the lasting, mutually beneficial customer
relationships of The Magnum Group started off with a carefully planned
training course. This course lasted anything from a few days in the case of
architectural CAD to several weeks in the case of HVAC design and drafting.
Mr. Balaraman suggests that any company trying to outsource CAD for the
first time should download and read The Magnum Group’s free guide on the
subject, "The Twelve Magical Steps for Successful Outsourcing" from
http://themagnumgroup.net/12MagicalSteps.pdf . With the insights gained
from reading this guide, he says, outsourcers will develop a realistic
overview of what to expect (and not expect) of outsourcing CAD, as well as
gain an awareness of the exact process steps required to guarantee a
successful CAD outsourcing result.
The Magnum Group specializes in engineering drafting and architectural
drafting in 2D and 3D. It is one of the few CAD drafting service providers
with engineers and architects on the staff and currently serves customers in
Europe and the US. Samples of its work are available on its website,
http://themagnumgroup.net .
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