Changes in the Drafting Industry

As promised in my last blog I will look at the past twenty-three years of the drafting/engineering supplies industry. The drafting industry definitely hit a fork-in-the-road in 1990 to 2008. CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) became the star rookie for engineering and architectural drafting. This initiated a major trend in companies coast to coast. Equipment used in the standard drafting rooms began to change rapidly. The larger corporations and professional firms began switching to computer-driven drafting. This was not an easy change to make, causing a long learning curve for many organizations. Many of the older, experienced draftsmen and engineers were not comfortable working on computers. On the other hand, younger computer-savvy operators were not knowledgeable in drafting details, methods, and terms. This created a slowdown in the production of finished drawings. Most industries attempting to use CAD felt time-sensitive backlogs which required extra man-hours. Initially this created operating tensions in middle management. The new CAD operators were not able to produce drawings as fast as the experienced manual drafting technicians.

The CAD programs were general applications which required specific third-party software, specific to the trade or application of their use. It took several years before third-party applications were developed for most industries. This was problem number one. Problem number two was the experience level of the CAD operator. It would take as much as a year for a diligent operator to become proficient imputing information. The emotional impact on experienced drafting technicians was great. Many of the older knowledgeable draftsmen were offended by the incursion of computers and most refused to learn. As the older workforce retired the newer CAD operators replaced many of them. However, most of the smaller engineering, architectural, and drafting offices did not have the time or capital to make the computer change. Today many of these smaller firms still prepare drawings the old fashioned way requiring a change in the education circles.

This created a requirement for new curriculum in trade schools and universities. Today many schools and universities are training students first in drafting language and then moving them along into CAD training. Many educational institutions secure their supplies and equipment from Drafting Equipment Warehouse. At Drafting Equipment Warehouse, LLC (aka: draftingsuppliesdew.com) we have lived through and experienced this evolutionary change in the drafting industry. Our first website previewed near the end of January in the year 2000. We were not the first company selling engineering/architectural drafting supplies. After a few years, we became the online leader in the industry. Presently there are several more options for these supplies. Our selling policies have never changed since our inception in 1994. It is our goal to supply our customers with the best available equipment and supplies at the lowest possible prices. Our A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau attests to our friendly, customer-oriented service and assistance. Our sales folks are available if you need help and consultation with your purchase. Rest assured, we look forward to serving your specific drafting needs.