Re: CAD Board

From: <Christopher>
Date: Sat Apr 02 2005 - 13:19:00 EST

On Apr 1, 2005, at 7:46 PM, Paul Bowers wrote:

> I
> feel that "computerization" has actually *increased* the number of
> people and cost needed to get the job done.
I think you're right. It's obvious that project costs have gone up because facilities cost more than they used to, although I doubt anyone really knows why. I doubt that anyone high enough in corporate management to have access to the financial data has enough understanding of the engineering function to understand what the numbers are saying. So we'll never know

My theory is that the increase in cost has come by replacing experienced designers with less experienced people who will work longer hours for less money. On the face of it that probably looks like a savings, but I suspect the cost of the supporting functions has gone up disproportionately. The longer hours are off-budget, but they do represent increased resources. And since the supporting functions only show up on project budgets as burden or overhead, it's hard to make the case, but you're looking at enormous increases due to networking equipment and support and MIS staffing. No one talks about the costs of re-work and project management resulting from poor design, especially if the design documents are delivered on schedule and on budget.

I'm inclined to doubt that inexperience + fancy software results in the same quality of engineering that comes with experience + not so fancy software. Design is a process of communication, not simply drawing production. Properly used CAD tools and 3D modelers have enormous potential, but only if the designer is aware of the entire design process including fabrication and economic issues. On this list alone we get posts from people apparently doing design work who have very little understanding of material specification issues, including corrosion and fabrication problems. I found out the hard way that you can get into horrendous problems if you don't specify materials properly. Fabrication is another issue where experience only comes later in a career because it's not taught in school anymore. Students aren't taught about design codes either, certainly in the mechanical engineering curriculum.

It isn't just the computer that has done this, it's the tendency toward technical illiteracy in management, and the substitution of financial credentials for engineering credentials. There's no question that engineering is being done, but you really have to ask yourself whether it's getting done in spite of corporate management and whether at some point when all the world is one single giant corporation will anyone actually know.

Christopher Wright P.E. |"They couldn't hit an elephant at <a href="/group/PipingDesign/post?postID=aNtgPx9TyzNWcITKP9KzwpQvr2SRtlZetG6c8VE9T3E_Dv6J5YIkZVZSpOKUL5ytnEtTIb3Rkc7Npw">chrisw@skypoint.com</a> | this distance" (last words of Gen.

.......................................| John Sedgwick, Spotsylvania

1864)
<a href="http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw/">http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw/</a> Received on Sat Apr 02 13:19:00 2005