Preparing for "Next Generation" Manufacturing - and the "End of Days" for the traditional drafter

I generally catch up on my "business" reading on Sunday mornings with a bottomless cup of coffee and jazz, and though it wasn't news to me, an article I read this morning pointed out once again the importance of keeping up with technology and taking some of the associated risks with becoming an "early adopter".

The article, entitled "Are You Prepared for the Next Generation of Manufacturing?", written by Warren Smith (an industry consultant with Infor), is the first of a series being posted on the Industry Week website. The message to manufacturers is that understanding (and in my opinion, adopting) the key technologies leading the industry today is essential to take on the future of manufacturing. In this competitive market, a vendor can't rely on long standing relationships and customer service to hold on to business - loyalty in the rapidly changing future will be dictated by attention to meeting shorter deadlines, better predicting product performance, and providing innovation that companies need before the end users think of it themselves. 

I'll go a step further and state that manufacturers had best pay attention to these trends in order to stay competitive, or many will not survive.

First in the author's findings was a stunning fact about the incorporation of the robotic workers - at a labor cost of $4 per hour, a robot can now perform tasks at less than that of an overseas worker. And with a point of entry at around $20k, a robot can provide 3 or more years of service - without the need for health plans, paid vacations, etc. At one time, the robotic worker was a pipe dream for the SMB manufacturing market. Now, it's a viable alternative to placing ads, interviewing people and hoping for a reliable (gast!) human employee.

Second, Mr. Smith discusses how additive manufacturing is lowering development costs, increasing innovation and protecting intellectual property. We've all seen movies and TV shows where a 3D design is pushed to a printer and within seconds the model is in use - though the printers aren't quite that fast, the era of affordable, high detail, and yes, desktop 3D printing is here.

I look forward to the second part of the article, but these two trends alone signal that the days of 2D drafting are nearing the end. After all, you can't virtually test and prototype a design drawn in 2D CAD. So if you're not designing in 3D now, you'd better start soon. Who knows? You could end up designing a "worker" for your company's manufacturing shop floor....

My Top 5 Sources for Autodesk Services and Support

Or as I'm frequently asked, "just where the heck did you find that?"

In my role as an account manager, I do my level best to provide our clients with as much direct help as possible with their software, be it installation issues, error messages, or general "how-tos". After all, when it comes to the world of "been there, done that", I realize that when a designer

• Gets the blue screen of death
• Can't remember the system variable that controls item selection settings in AutoCAD (it's PICKADD, by the way)
• Is tasked with doing something with the software he/she has never done

time is MONEY. And in many cases, there may be a project deadline hanging in the balance, or a Project Manager hanging over your shoulder saying "hey, you're the Inventor expert - this is what I hired you to do, so make it work!"

So in an effort to empower the legions of CAD users who are either short on time, can't get Sean Dotson or Lynn Allen on speed dial, or haven't convinced management to pay for Inventor training yet, here goes...my Top 5 Sources for Autodesk Services and Support.

1. Project based implementation with a Platinum designated Autodesk Partner - designing in Inventor, Revit or even AutoCAD to a new user without proper assimilation of the software into a training program designed to fit your workflow is akin to giving a Gulfstream to an untrained pilot and saying, "fly me to Paris - you've got 9 hours". Platinum Partners (like Applied Software) have invested heavily in their technical teams, and have decades of industry experience. The investment will pay for itself many times over, and is often subject to tax credits, depending on the state you live in.
2. Advanced Subscription Support from Autodesk - provided that you are already a subscription customer for your software, you can choose (for a small fee) to add unlimited toll-free phone, remote desktop and API assistance to your contract (click this link - Autodesk Advanced Support for more details). The support personnel are seasoned Autodesk technical specialists, and if you're a Suites customer, all products in your Suite are covered.
3. Autodesk WikiHelp (http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/enu) - A Wiki site for Autodesk products you say? Oh yes, CAD geeks. Consider this a must for the "how do I?" type questions you encounter. Replete with videos, step by step instructions and shared user content (monitored by Autodesk), this site has made me look like a genius many times for my clients.
4. YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/Autodesk) - This site includes "Getting Started" videos, feature specific "How To" videos, technology previews, and is a great springboard to user generated content as well.
5. LinkedIn/Twitter - I've listed these resources as a single entry because I frequently will "retweet" good tweets on my LinkedIn site (shameless plug - click here- Trevor Fite). A number of my clients will check the LinkedIn site occasionally for updates on service packs, training classes, and new technology, using my site (and my choices) as a filter for the numerous tweets I receive. If you are a fan of Twitter, I generally tweet/retweet 10-12 times a week, occasionally 3-5 times in a day. Check out who I follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/TFiteASTI) for a good mix of Autodesk and related technology tweets.

As if I didn't have enough on my plate, with email, LinkedIn, and Twitter - a blog, too?

In role as a consultant/salesperson/(insert fluffy title here), I tend to occasionally find inspiration in articles I read, encounters with clients, and in the most random circumstances, like bad tv shows or as I walk one of my English Bulldogs.

And while it's easy to cut/paste a hyperlink into Twitter or post on LinkedIn, sometimes I've found that paragraphs of related information with one's own inflection tend to serve as a better delivery method.

Hence this blog. It'll primarily be information on design technology relative to Autodesk software and 3D Systems rapid prototyping printers and how my team at Applied Software (shameless plug) implements them, along with other cool stuff I've felt compelled to write about.

So here goes. Hope you enjoy it, and if you do, let me know.

Trevor