FAQ

Design automation is when software is used to generate a new variation of a product, based on design input supplied by the designer, engineer, or even the customer.  The input is typically entered in a form, which can be displayed within the automation software and/or on a web page.

Design automation allows a design to be generated much more quickly by eliminating slow and time-consuming manual processes.  It also reduces, and even potentially eliminates, design errors. 

A design automation system can generate CAD data such as 3D models, 2D drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOMS), etc.  It can create documents such as letters, quotes, proposals, instruction manuals, etc.  It can send emails, and update databases and 3^rd-party systems.

A design automation system uses “master files”, which are like templates.  The new variations of the product are generated from these master files.

There are typically four (4) stages in a design automation system:

1. Capturing the design parameters of the product
2. Creating data input forms
3. Writing rules to link the design parameters with the inputted data
4. Running the system to generate a new variation of the product

There are many benefits of design automation.  Overall, it will improve the efficiency of your design processes by automating the mundane, repetitive, and boring tasks.

More specifically it will:

• Eliminate errors
• Save time
• Save money
• Increase sales
• Deliver products faster
• Allow staff to focus on more challenging, interesting, and rewarding projects
• Give staff time to develop new products

We don’t think so.   😊

However, one concern we have heard is that a design automation system will replace people.  In reality, we have not seen this happen.  In fact, the implementation of a design automation system usually leads to the people involved gaining time to focus on more challenging, interesting, and rewarding projects, as well as developing new products.

Let’s be honest and up front about this, it’s not cheap developing a design automation system.  There’s the software to buy, more hardware might be required, staff have to be trained, and then the system itself has to be developed.  It all adds up, doesn’t it?

It’s not possible to quantify the total cost until you answer questions like:  Which software do you need?  Do you need more hardware?  What exactly is the system going to be designed to do?  And so on.

If you’d like an estimate of the cost of your proposed system, please contact us; we’ll be more than happy to talk to you.

All that being said, there’s another perspective on this we’d like to mention.

We refer to the cost of developing a design automation system as “perceived” cost.  Yes, obviously there is a cost to developing a design automation system, but there is also a cost to not developing such a system.

If you are considering investing in a design automation system, there is a reason why, and this reason is usually, to put it simply, money.  Either you want to save money or make more money.

You might want to save money by reducing the number of errors occurring in your current manual processes.  You might want to make more money by responding faster to customer enquiries and orders. 

The thing is, if you don’t invest in a design automation system, these money problems will remain.  In 6 months’ time, in a year’s time, they will still be there, they will still be a concern, and they will still be costing you money.

However, if you do invest in a design automation system, once it is up and running, money will start to be saved and/or made.  From that point on, your ROI starts to kick in.

That is why we refer to it as “perceived” cost.  There’s a cost to everything.  Why not make sure the cost actually provides benefits to the organisation?

Let’s be honest and up front about this, it’s going to take resources to develop a design automation system, these resources being time and people.

It’s difficult to estimate accurately the time or number of people that will be required to develop your system.  How quickly can your people develop the system after they have been trained?  What exactly is the system going to be designed to do?  A simpler system will obviously take less time than a more complex system.

We recommend starting with a relatively simple system.  Reasons for this include:

• It will be finished more quickly
• People can use it sooner and start reaping its benefits
• Small amounts of money are already being saved
• Time is already being saved, thus providing more time to expand the system
• The simpler system provides a learning curve for the expanded system
• Organisational stake holders

Based on our experience, a relatively simple system will take approximately 3 to 6 months to develop.  The range of time is because the scope of the system always expands as the people involved learn just what a design automation system can do for them.  It happens every time! 😊

All that being said, there’s another perspective on this we’d like to mention.

You’ve decided you want a design automation system, but you’re worried about how more resources can be allocated – time and/or people – to develop a system, when there is barely enough time/people available as it is to do the existing work that needs to be done every day?  It’s a common scenario.

The thing is, if those resources aren’t allocated, the situation will remain the same.  In 6 months’ time, in a year’s time, there will still be barely enough time/people available to do the work that needs to be done every day.

However, if the resources are allocated and a design automation system developed, once it is up and running, resources will start to become more available – time will be saved, and people will become more available for other work.  From that point on, the ROI starts to kick in.

A Configure Price Quote (CPQ) system, also known as a “configure to order” system, is a design automation system, however there is more focus on supplying a quick quote directly to the customer.  It may not do too much with the physical product design until the quote has been accepted.