Creating Cost-Effective 2D to 3D CAD Conversions

The Client and Challenge

Our client, a leading designer and supplier of transformers and power supplies for manufacturers around the world, had been doing its CAD work in-house. However, it ran a lean engineering operation and was in a remote area. When it experienced surges in its business, the client needed a way to outsource non-core engineering work to keep up with demand while ensuring quality and cost control.

The Actalent Solution

Actalent’s technical teams worked diligently to understand the work and provide a comprehensive, operationally-aligned engineering/design solution. Based on the client’s technical requirements and scope of work we developed, we determined that offshore services from our India delivery center would provide the greatest value. Actalent's offshore services included domestic governance and project management, structured communication models and systematic knowledge transfer to ensure operational alignment and increased visibility.

Actalent's offshore team created 3D space reservation models in AutoCAD from 2D drawings provided by the customer. These models were used during design to show the fitting relationship of purchased parts. We maintained close alignment and transparency with our customer by showcasing sample models in our SOWs and including detailed cost breakdowns for modeling effort, quality checking and project management.

Modeling was executed based on a priority list organized by part families in an Excel tracker sheet. We selected listing part numbers required from a priority sheet and studied the input AutoCAD drawings to understand part features. All detailing and quality checks for 3D modeling were handled as per the customer’s internal standards and guidelines. Actalent delivered models to the customer with completed quality checklists for approval and final sign-off.

The Results

Work orders from this customer have increased from 100 models to 3,000 models as we have consistently delivered on time with quality outputs. Overall, we were 60 percent under budget for this project, achieving significant cost savings compared to the work being done in-house while expanding the customer’s engineering bandwidth for surge and non-core work.

According to the customer:

“After talking to our Chief Engineer… we are all in agreement that the Actalent team does excellent work. Thank you for all of the coordination and effort.”

Expertise
AutoCAD 2014
Inventor 2014
Autodesk Inventor Professional 2018