Vendor Qualification

In my many corporate years, I visited and qualified many suppliers and service providers. It is a required process, and particularly stringent, for vendors who supply medical device manufacturers. Those countless trips and the subsequent reports and documentation served me well in understanding what to look for and the expectations of such relationships.

I have made many such trips to local (Denver area) suppliers, and am headed to Ohio this week to visit one who was recently selected by a client. It's a reminder that, even though I work alone in my home office, there's always a network of people and businesses behind a contract design engineer. New clients looking for more than design work have the opportunity to choose a contract designer who has the resources to point them to other qualified providers of goods and services. I have met and worked with everyone from intellectual property lawyers to nut and bolt suppliers. Those that I've qualified and rely on for my business are excellent partners who I am happy to recommend.

As a contract designer, I can work with these resources on your behalf, or you can work directly with them during or after the design phase. It's all part of the full package you should look for in a partnership.

Using the Time Zones

I have mentioned before that I tend to work very odd hours. Both the creative side of this job and the plugging-away-at-the-computer side benefit from striking when the iron is hot. I make the best use of the time by focusing on different aspects of different projects at appropriate times.

I've also mentioned that I work with clients all over the United States, and I've found that being situated in the Mountain Time Zone can be used to the advantage of everyone involved. I've become quite adept at working all the time zones. My evening work hours are uninterrupted by phone calls and emails, for the most part. This allows me to focus on completing phases of jobs for the clients and fabricators who I work with in the Eastern half of the country. By completing work and sending it out in my late evening, the East Coast and Central folks get an hour or two to look at it and get their feedback together before I hit the computer at 8:00 am my time the next morning. When it works, I hit the ground running first thing in the morning on the stuff I finished the night before.

A similar fate awaits the feedback I get from the West Coast. If it comes late in their day, I have the evening to work on it, plus an hour or two the next morning, and they see results of many hours work when they start their day.

The best utilization of time is critical to get products launched, and optimizing the work flow in every phase can make a big difference in getting to market quickly.

Rapid Prototyping

The primary business of Strangineer Design is the creation of computer files. In a typical day on a typical project I create PDF files to share images, usually of the SolidWorks parts files, assembly files, and/or drawing files I'm creating. All these files become the project deliverables, and the client then takes those files to whatever manufacturer they have chosen to approach with the project.

Another important file type I find myself creating more and more lately, is the STL file. This the usual file type required by Rapid Prototyping equipment. I have several Denver-area resources for creating 3D printed or other hard or soft plastic parts. These can be invaluable for visualizing the design direction and making decisions about fit and function. Considering that the cost is reasonable and they can be obtained in one or two days, getting a rapid prototype made is something that can be planned as part of the project with very little impact to overall cost and schedule.

Whenever prototyping is part of the project request, the parts usually become project deliverables as well, although there are times that the prototypes become consumed in the design process. They may be cut up or modified to test alternative design direction and may become useless in the process. There may be occasion when I, as the design engineer, determine that I need a rapid prototype in hand to further my research and development of an idea. In this case, the client may or may not ever see the plastic part, or it evolves the design to the point where a final prototype is made and shared with the client.

Rapid prototypes are a great design tool, and planning for their use and review can be a valuable part of the design process.

Working local vs. national

I'm often asked by new contacts whether it makes sense to work with a contract design engineer who is not in the immediate area. There are definite advantages to having the client and contractor within driving distance, and if you prefer the interaction, I do recommend you find someone nearby for the relationship.

That said, I have worked with clients from across the country. I currently have projects going in TX, CA, TN, and MN, as well as several in the Denver CO area. I do like the advantage of local clients; there's nothing like the face-to-face time to work through details and brainstorm options.

Achieving the same interaction by phone and email is a challenge I take seriously, and I've gone to great lengths to make sure the same quality of relationship is maintained. If you search your local area and just can't find the contractor that feels right, by all means expand your search. With some in-depth inquiring, you may find that working with someone across the state or across the country can be practical and successful.

It can be Made in the USA.

I'm increasingly asked if there's a way to make such-and-such a product in the USA. More clients are looking for that as a positive marketing factor in rolling out a new invention or product. They believe that there's a trend toward US consumers being willing to pay a bit more for a product if a higher quality alternative is available, and, increasingly, "Made in the USA" is perceived as safer and higher quality, whether that is the case or not.

The good news is that US manufacturing is not dead. There are still technologies that are better performed and more cost-effective in the States than anywhere else. There are also older industries that have been nearly outsourced to death that are figuring out that niche products, targeting lower-volume higher-quality design markets, are viable business.

Chemetal is a great example of what used to be a commodity product turned into something innovative and valuable. There are many more examples out there, and I'm pointing clients toward using those materials and processes whenever possible.

Designer Showcase - Raymond Loewy

If you are anywhere near the East Coast, you have two more weeks in which to visit The National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA.

There you will find the exhibit Raymond Loewy: Designs for a Consumer Culture, which runs through March 23rd.

Raymond Loewy is a name worth knowing if you've any interest in Design; in fact he's known as the Father of Industrial Design and his career is fascinating. I'm sadly missing the show, but have heard from someone who attended and it sounds like a very thorough and excellent study of the man and his works. Highly recommended.

Various and Sundry

Just a couple of quick notes.

First, I'm now up and running with a new 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator. For those unaware, it's a handy little desktop puck that provides easy control for movement in the 3D world. Pan, zoom, rotate, spin: this little guy allows you to do many combinations of these movements simultaneously, so you can be zooming in on a feature and spinning the model as you go. It takes some getting used to, but fortunately it's customizable so that the movements make sense to whatever your mind/body connection is prewired for. You run it with your left hand while mousing with your right, and it definitely speeds up navigating and modeling. I'm still not sure how to manage keyboard shortcuts without growing another limb, but I'm sure that'll work itself out.

And here's a nice design weblog to pass along - DESIGNwatcher.

The Spirit of Cooperation

At one end of the project spectrum, there are people who come to me for design and/or engineering, and their input seems to be limited to comments and changes to get the product looking like what they have in their head. It seems they're doing nothing but waiting for me to send more pictures. I eventually complete my side of it, hand over the files, and never know what becomes of the program.

On the other side of the spectrum, I find myself in the midst of many projects where the inventor, client, or instigator, whoever it may be, is really doing an exceptional job of positioning themselves and the product for success. Hearing about that progress and being asked to participate is a joy. As a contract design engineer, seeing such effort raises my level of expectations for my side of the equation. With so much of the business and marketing side getting completed in a thorough and professional manner, it only makes sense that I'm going to pull out all of the stops to rise to the occasion. There's no doubt that a better product results when there's effort expended on all fronts, and the team involved is cooperating and sharing information.