Any One Out Source their CAD work?

[jekstein]

My boss is interested in outsourcing our cad work. Does any one have any experience with this, how does it work, what are the average costs per sheet?

We are an acoustical engineering firm (similar to electrical engineering). We have an average of 6 sheets

We are not interested in having them plot drawings, we are only interested in electronically sending the drawings, and then have them electronically sending the drawings back for distribution.

What are the Pros and Cons?

Thanks in advance

[Steve_Bennett]

The previous company I was with did this. The company you choose really has got to have their act together or you'll have lots of problems. The company that worked with the other place did a really good job - and they were based in Argentina! I would recommend them to anyone who was interested. They have varying levels of help too.

[UK CADMAN]

We have previously outsourced our CAD work to our Indonesia office, but found that the time difference & some small language problems affected the output as we are in the UK.

We now have a policy of inwardly outsourcing the UK work from Leeds/Glasgow/Belfast etc to our Manchester office which works well via email/Fax/snail mail.

We have a policy of charging out at £45/hour no matter what gets drafted. This is more expensive than taking a char (hired hand) on but in the long run you have consistency of project knowledge with permanent staff.

[Ed Jobe]

Another possibility. My daughter just got a job through her JC. She works at home. Her boss advertised the position as free-lance, but it seem similar to what you're talking about.

[jekstein]

thanks for the help. We do a little bit of the free-lance drafters, and i have been very very unsuccessful and unsatisfied with everyone I've had. The deal is my boss wants to hire new engineers to get the work etc, and our small (2 person) drafting dept can not handle the load, so he wants to find a company that we can send as much work as we want and have it handled.

It does not necessarily have to be a foreign company We are in Salt Lake City, Utah

does anyone know of any USA outsourcing cad companies? I'd like a few names of some international companies too, i am very concerned about the language barrier though.

Thanks again

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Below are a few articles that might prove a worth while read -

Uncertainties of the CAD Manager, Part 1 (http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=148639)

Uncertainties of the CAD Manager, Part 2 (http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=151060)

Uncertainties of the CAD Manager, Part 3 (http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=153415)

Uncertainties of the CAD Manager, Part 4 (http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=158808)

Show Report: COFES 2005, Part 1 (http://management.cadalyst.com/cadman/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=158805)

Have a good one, Mike

[hroark]

I am the manager of the architectural department of a CAD outsource company (we refer to ourselves as a CAD Service Bureau). We have been in business since 1987 and have, literally, hundreds of firms that have used our services. Some are one-time users while others have been with us 10-12 years. While most of our clients are local, we have done work for clients thousands of miles away also. Some of our clients have never met us in person while others think of our offices as an extension of their own.

Our department heads have been in their particular discipline for at least 20 years and therefore act as a sounding board and "second set of eyes" for their clients. I have been in the architectural arena since 1964. While none of us is registered (we don't want to to appear as competition to prospective clients) most of us have done quite a bit of design work. I can't speak for all Outsource firms but, we pride ourselves on knowing what all those "lines mean and whether they are in the proper place....or not".

Our firm has differing rates for various services but our base rate is $40/hour for a draftsperson and $50/hour for a supervisor. Two years ago we went head-to-head with an internet firm that used Mexican labor. We won the contract because of our response time and quality of work.

I hope this gives you a little insight into what you might expect, or can get, from an Outsource Firm.

FWIW

Tom Sigler