Innovations in Online CAD Publishing Grow Industrial Companies’ Sales While Speeding Design Engineering
New Video from ThomasNet Educates Industry on Value of Publishing CAD Drawings on the Web
New York, NY – March 9, 2010 – ThomasNet today announced the posting of a new video detailing the business value of CAD drawings from the Web, as resources to manufacturers that share them with existing and prospective customers (engineers and/or architects) who incorporate 2D/3D CAD drawings into their designs.
Research shows that when engineers need a component part, such as an electronic motor for a hospital bed they are designing, they’ll go online first to research potential motor suppliers. Nearly 80% of the time, they will purchase the part because they had access to CAD technology early in the design process. The availability of downloadable 2D and 3D drawings not only streamlines and speeds the design engineering process, but can also help industrial product suppliers grow their sales.
The new video from ThomasNet was produced to educate industrial companies on how to use these online tools. Available at http://websolutions.thomasnet.com/webcad-publishing.php, the video walks industrial suppliers through best practices for sharing CAD drawings as part of the online selling process. For engineers and architects, the video also demonstrates smarter ways to search for, configure, download and spec in components, using sample searches for valves and bearings.
ThomasNet developed its own 2D/3D WebCAD Publishing Technology that is compatible with all major CAD systems on the market, as a way to help engineers and their suppliers to “work smarter.” The technology enables engineers to find and download the exact part they need, when they need it, from suppliers who publish their CAD drawings on their sites, condensing a process that used to take weeks into a few minutes. It eliminates the need to re-create and then email or fax drawings back and forth, and reduces the risk of the wrong part being purchased because of communication errors. Engineers can choose to download these files in a variety of formats that are compatible with all the major CAD systems engineers and architects use every day. In addition, the solution automatically inserts the manufacturer’s name, part number, and all the detailed product specifications directly into the CAD designer’s bill of materials.
Matt O’Kane, Business Director and General Manager for Schneider Electric Relays (Magnecraft Division) finds WebCAD invaluable: “The ability to provide 2D and 3D CAD models allows us to help our prospects at the very earliest stages of the design process, guiding them to the part that will best help them achieve their goals.”
Travis Sherbine, Senior Director of Marketing, ThomasNet’s Web Solutions Group, said, “ThomasNet is dedicated to helping industrial companies connect and do business together. Tools like the WebCAD solution are fostering this collaboration, and helping industry grow.”
Powered by ThomasNet’s Navigator Platform, the 2D/3D WebCAD Publishing technology is designed to help industrial companies replicate their traditional sales process online by providing the information engineers need to make intelligent decisions and the tools and functionality that makes specifying a product easier.
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