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emailing drawings and parts back and forth to vendors 4

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arcticcatmatt

Mechanical
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Messages
180
Location
US
We have an outside vendor that has started to do some work for us recently and we are running into problems. I know what the problem is but I am having a hard time explaining it to management.

Lets call my fellow employee E and the vendor V for the example. E makes a part and drawing and sends both files via email to the vendor in solidworks format.

V makes the part and sends it to us, all is good. 2 months later we need the part again for a different machine, E has also revised the part. He emails the vendor the SW drawing and part again.

V clicks the drawing from the email and prints and makes the part. The problem is that V did not know of a revision because when he opened it from his email it was showing the original part from 2 months ago.

In an attempt to show this to management, I demonstrated how when you open the drawing right from your email, SW creates a part in your temp folder. When it gets opened from a new email it still references that old part. And when it gets emailed back to E, the drawing references the part that we have on the network.

Long story short.. its a referencing mess. I have told them they can't keep emailing drawings/parts back and forth like that. They either need to only send a PDF or DXF.. or (most preferable) they need to be all be working from the same "basket".. our network.

I looked at pack and go and that doesn't seem to solve the problem either.

This sending drawings back and forth crap has caused multiple problems in the last month. Of course, you don't find out until it has cost you. The last one just created $21,500 in junk parts.

Can anyone advise me on how to word this to management to create an effective solution?
 
I would consider instituting a practice where they have to sign/return a copy of the drawing referenced by any purchase order. This doesn't fix the problem but it should provide a gate item for catching revision problems.
 
ajack1 / ctopher

I understand now, after viewing the 2 videos.

I was so busy programming CNC machines I really didn’t take the time or effort to seek out new programming methods. With this new info I am sure that 3D is much faster on the programming side. Now I need to learn how to make the most of 3D models.

The Teksoft demo was very informative.

Many thanks
Bruce
 
arcticcatmatt,

This isn't your problem. This is your vendor's problem. It's great that you're taking responsibility for it, but you're shielding those that really need to take the fall. Make them eat a couple more $20k orders (you made them eat the first one...right?) and I'll bet they get smarter faster.

bojyna's got the right idea.

-b
 
I agree--this is all documented in writing through emails--ostensibly saved as records of transactions. If you sent the correct files and your vendor used incorrect files, I don't see how you're liable.



Jeff Mowry
A people who value security over freedom will soon find they have neither.
 
I don't think we send anyone a SolidWorks drawing. For the drawing we deal strictly with PDFs. We do deal with all sorts of versions of the solids. Translations are one of my biggest headaches. We handle many sensitive military projects requiring secure information transfers. One method they use is called ACE. I can't say too much about it as I don't have access and the project engineer has to be the go between. I used Cadra for years before SolidWorks. Yes you can pop out some simple things fast like layout sketches. You can also make fictional drawings since the views don't have to be real. There is no way that any part of any complexity can be detailed with multiple views, section and details as fast in Cadra as SW, let alone updated as fast if parts or assemblies change.
My advice is don't give them the SW drawing. If they must have them to make their own creations then send the model first without the drawing. Do you know what kind of file system they use? They should make a practice of opening a new folder, placing the new model in it, then placing the new drawing in it, and only after that open the drawing. From there they can be responsible for tracking versioning.
 
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