CADWORLD - Inside cadworld

:: Case Study 1 :: Large multi-partner project - Deutsche Post

::	The Situation
	The German Post Office Department manages its operation through over 6000 buildings containing 16000 floors encompassing over 100 million square feet of floor space.
::	The Problem
	Managing such a mammoth facility posed serious challenges to its facility managers. Data was widely spread across the facilities in hard copy format (some nearly 75 years old), making it almost impossible to assimilate statistics for the purpose of infrastructure maintenance and managerial decision making. To add to the problem, the Post also rented / leased out a portion of its total floor space to other agencies. To profitably implement its renting / leasing policy, the Post also required updated information regarding the lease / rent status of its property. In a nutshell, the organization was in no position to assess its potential real estate related revenue / expenditure or even accurately inventory its real estate assets and hence was unable to frame, let alone implement, profit maximization and asset control strategies.
::	The Solution
	Like every problem, this too had a solution, only this required a slightly bolder one. And like every bold solution this too seemed un-implementable to start with. Cadworld's German associates approached the German Post in 1996 with a proposal to implement Computer Aided Facility Management - a concept not too often heard of during that time. To the Post the concept seemed ambitious, the cost looked prohibitive, but considering the potential benefit the management finally approved the funds and the project started in June 1997.
::	The Logistics
	It became apparent at the very early stage of project planning that (a) an offshore component was essential to manage costs within practical limits and (b) a very strong on-shore presence was required in order to support the off-shore production facility. It was decided that Cadworld's offshore facility would be supported by three on-shore agencies, each handling a specific operation. Partner 1 - Direct coordination with client, including onsite implementation Partner 2 - Receipt/cataloguing inputs from client and dispatch to Cadworld's off-shore production facility Partner 3 - On-site validation of data produced by Cadworld The project logistics was framed with three prime objectives in mind - (i) To design a system whereby the Post can access accurate information through a click of a button. (ii) To maintain a very transparent in-process status record among on-shore project partners and client. (iii) And at the same time, making the whole thing cost effective.
::	The Implementation
	The documents, in the form of hardcopy drawings and records, were shipped in batches from the German Post to the office of Cadworld's German associates where they were scanned, catalogued, indexed and referenced. Then the documents were shipped to Cadworld's offshore production facility in India. At Cadworld the paper drawings were systematically converted to intelligent vector drawings using an integrated drawing + database tool named Drawbase with final data processing in an Unix based tool named CAD400. Special add-on modules were written to handle features such as walls, doors, windows etc. as per German standards along with attached databases. Each object (wall, door, window, room/space etc) had multiple database fields attached containing information such as material, dimensions, date of installation, manufacturer, last repair of date, lease status, tenancy details etc., enabling efficient searching, sorting, querying and report generation both in graphical and textual format. Extremely high level of quality of deliverables was achieved through multi-level QC checks both in-process and post-process. All staff underwent periodic training and refresher courses during the total span of the project. Key personnel visited the client facilities for hands-on training and project related discussions. Initial production commenced with 20 operators which was progressively ramped-up to 55 and the overall 150 man-year project, containing 16000 drawings, was completed within 15 months.
::	Benefit
	The Post now can access and view all necessary information both graphically and in report format, leading to better decision making and efficient management.

::	Case Study 2 :: Architectural CADD support
::	The Situation
	AAA Inc.( name withheld to protect the privacy of the client ), a California based Architectural firm, specializes in design of schools and public facilities. The volume of projects received by the organization, and hence its workload, fluctuates widely from time to time.
::	The Problem
	Due to the widely fluctuating workload, the top management faced a significant problem with staffing. At any point of time the organization stood the risk of being either under staffed or over staffed - the former resulting in risk of missing client deadlines and high overtime payment while the later leading to idle hours, both resulting in losses, either explicit or implicit.
::	The Solution
	The area mainly affected due to fluctuating workload was identified to be the CAD department which was responsible for production of drawings throughout the lifecycle of each project, starting from conceptual design to preparation of construction documents. To tackle this issue the organization decided to off-load a major portion of the work done by this department, retaining only a skeleton staff to handle some very critical areas which had to be done in-house. The organization approached a number of off-shore companies all of whom was assessed in terms of capabilities through RFI and a sample project. Cadworld came out to be the most capable and was finally selected.
::	The Logistics And The Implementation
	An arrangement was reached whereby Cadworld shall virtually act as AAA's drafting department. Work is uploaded to Cadworld's FTP site as and when required by AAA along with intimation by mail. On execution of the job, it is uploaded back to FTP site by Cadworld for AAA to download. All queries are sorted out over email or telephone depending on nature of query and urgency. In order to ensure quality and quick turn-around, a dedicated team of operators are maintained who are familiar with AAA's in-house conventions and practices.
::	Benefit
	AAA Inc. now maintains a much leaner and effective structure without having to compromise on quality and schedule. Apart from that the organization has been able to cut down infrastructure costs on account of reduced hardware, software and other accessories.