The greatest challenge facing first time buyers is the newness of the technology. It is certainly difficult to know what questions to ask when one doesn't even speak the language of computer technology. Buying CAD software and hardware without a basic knowledge of the fundamentals would be the equivalent of trying to drive a car without drivers education ... your chances of crashing both are very high.

So how do you know if you are buying the right software and hardware for your company? The answer to this question can only be discovered as a result of very focused due diligence on the part of the buyer. Every hardware and/or software product has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Sorting the marketing hype from the fact can be a difficult challenge.Choosing the correct software is critical to the success or failure of your CAD implementation. From this point, there are several other subjects a potential buyer must review, as well as a variety of questions you want to ask both yourself and any prospective vendors:

1. What do you want to accomplish? This may sound like an obvious question, but it actually is a rather difficult one to answer for many companies. Technology is radically changing the relationship of the designer to the finished product. Because the work that occupies the space between the designer and the consumer is now capable of being totally automated, job functions, job descriptions and the entire product development and production process is changing. With the help of integrated database programs that can simplify the endless repetition that goes into producing, annotating and revising size specs, technical sketches, costing and even cutting tickets, the entire product development process is much more streamlined. Before the use of technology, each of these important processes was handled by separate individuals or departments with job responsibilities such as designing, merchandising, costing, or production. With the use of technology, the entire process is reengineered around the process itself, not job descriptions and functions with boundaries. As a result, much more work can be accomplished not only faster, but usually with fewer employees as well.

What you want to do with your CAD system is contingent on how you plan to integrate it into your company, which is contingent on many variables. These variables include: the size of your company, your budget, the type of products you produce, the skills of your employees and your existing computer equipment, if any.

The current state of the industry dictates that no one piece of software will perform virtually every function a company elects to process on their computers. The key to successful integration is in seeing to it that each piece of software used can "talk" to the other software. Computer software is written in computer language, or code, which produces a particular format. Many software developers promote their "proprietary format." If you want successful integration, be sure that this file format can be read by the other software programs you use. This is particularly important in the graphics area. The use of a consultant who understands the particular software and hardware issues of the industry is extremely beneficial in this area.

2. Do you need industry-specific custom software? As mentioned earlier, there are currently more than 30 custom and over 100 off-the-shelf, or commercial applications available for the apparel, textile and home furnishings industries running on UNIX, Macintosh, Windows and SGI platforms. The custom software offers industry specific solutions in several areas. In drawing packages, for example, they offer unique capabilities such as the ability to create knit and woven designs, to create repeats and offsets instantly, and the ability to create multiple colorways of garments or textile patterns at the click of a mouse.

If you simply want to draw your product on a computer and your product line has very few, if any, prints or patterns, then commercial drawing packages such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Aldus Freehand, or Corel Draw will work just fine. If you work in textile design where patterns, repeats and multiple colorways are an issue, then you will definitely benefit from the features of custom software.

Custom software is also advantageous where the design features are linked up with production equipment such as screen engravers or knitting machines. In these software packages, the data created in the design process is used to run a loom or engrave a screen, for example. These features are wonderful, but if you don't need them, then don't pay for them. In these instances, commercial software, which costs significantly less, may be just fine for you.

I am often asked about the use of a program called AutoCad. Developed originally as an architectural drawing program for interior design, engineering and landscape design, several companies have written add-on programs which expand its use for patterns, grading and marker making. AutoCad has no color capabilities, so it can only be used for spec drawings, not for fashion illustration or colorized product development.

The third type of of CAD software available is what is often referred to as product data management (PDM) software. These database programs offer superior organizational capabilities for all of the mundane technical information required in product development. This includes the ability to simplify the endless repetition in size specs and technical sketches, access style information such as fabric, trim, washing instructions and packing information instantly, cost garments with different mark-ups at the click of the mouse and the ability to produce style and cutting tickets.

The majority of these software applications are actually commercial database programs which have been customized for the industry. You could actually work with a commercial software application and have it customized for your business, but chances are that before you are through, you will have paid more for the changes than the cost of customized software from an industry-specific custom CAD vendor.

3. How much should you pay for a CAD system? With prices ranging from freeware and shareware on commercial bulletin boards, to systems costing $40,000 or more, the costs for CAD systems are as varied as their capabilities. The higher priced and more inclusive vendors are usually found at industry trade shows such as the the Cad Expo in New York or the Bobbin Show in Atlanta. The freeware and shareware, which are infinitely simpler software programs offering a limited number of features, can be found in places like the Crafts Forum on CompuServe or through the Seattle Textile Users Group, which produces a very informative newsletter called FiberBits (206/523-0872 or 71435,1245 on CompuServe).

The key to evaluating a CAD investment is to analyze and compare your current design and product development costs with the savings that would be realized with the use of a CAD system. The direct savings that can be realized are in the areas of time spent on designing, error control, a reduction in the use of outside vendors for services such as print and colorway development, depreciation and opportunity costs. Indirect savings can be realized by virtue of the abilities to retain control over proprietary designs, develop "on-demand" and custom presentation, work more closely to deadlines and create more sophisticated, intricate and creative designs. When these savings are compared to the cost of the equipment and amortized on an annual basis, it is rare not to find a cost savings through the implementation of a CAD system.

If you would like further assistance with evaluating a potential CAD investment, please call me at 612/593-0776 and ask for our CAD Financial Evaluation Worksheet. This worksheet is clearly designed as a fill in the blanks form with each of the line items mentioned above and recommendations for the appropriates calculations. Upon completion, you will be able to ascertain your annual savings on a CAD system and therefore your projected budget for the investment.

4. How do you choose a vendor? When selecting a CAD supplier, remember that the technical support you receive after the sale is the single most important criteria in selecting a CAD vendor. Technical support covers such areas as phone support, on-site service, replacement or loaner contracts, upgrades and bug fixes. Newer developments in this area include user groups (where users have the opportunity to share ideas with other users, solve problems and network) as well as electronic bulletin boards where messages can be posted for tech support, sales representatives, etc.

In some instances, it may be necessary to buy your software and hardware from more than one vendor (although I don't personally recommend this route). The difficulty with this scenario is that when a problem occurs, it is not uncommon for each vendor to point a finger at the other as a cause. The common denominator here, and the one left to solve the problem is you!

You may need to buy from more than one vendor if you are buying from a system integrator or VAR (value added reseller), who does not have marketing rights or technical expertise for one specific component to your system. A common example of this is for color printers. If you want a printer that your CAD vendor does not support, then you will need to buy it separately, possibly requiring a separate maintenance and support contract.

5. What should you know before you buy? The following questions are designed to help you as a purchaser gain better knowledge of exactly what youare getting for your money: On what platform does this software run?

• What is the operating system
• Is it a mainstream operating system?
• Are there multiple software developers on this system?
• What are the hardware requirements and costs?
• What are the software application(s) being offered?
• What file format does the software write? (Can the other applications you use read or write in this format?)
• What are the unique features of the software?

6. What are the hidden costs? The quote you receive from a CAD vendor, no matter how complete, will not be able to include many of the hidden and variable costs which will be unique to your company and its growing needs. Some of the areas to look for the unexpected include:

• Personnel and training: the inevitability of turnover in personnel will possibly require additional training
• Repairs: research shows that 5percent to 15percent of all electronic equipment needs repair within three years. Color printers pose the greatest potential for problems.
• Trouble shooting; finding the source of a problem can be very time consuming
• Clip-art and fonts : these packages products are pre-designed to speed the design process and expand your creativity on the computer
• Hardware and software upgrades: Most vendors release major upgrades at least every 18 months. TThey often are not covered under maintenance agreements
• Supplies: paper and after market books on software should be condsidered.

It is important to take note of all the considerations mentioned herein, because echnology is changing all areas of our business, from how a product is designed, manufactured and marketed, to how inventory levels are tracked at retail. And with the capacity of a silicon chip to hold transistors doubling every two years, what you can count on is that these changes will come faster and faster, making it increasingly difficult to stay up-to-date and understand the new technologies.

Yet, believe it or not, we are in the stone age of technology. The computer is changing the face of the design function from a creative task, to a multi-dimensional process using new tools and concepts that go far beyond just color and texture. Look for CAD systems to be the impetus behind new fashion trends that without the use of technology, would never have been possible.