Frequently Asked Questions

Engineering design automation uses software to eliminate repetitive manual tasks in your CAD and engineering workflows. Instead of an engineer manually creating each drawing, BOM, or calculation report from scratch, automation applies your engineering rules to generate accurate outputs in minutes — not hours or days.

We specialize in CAD-driven manufacturing and engineering sectors including industrial & mechanical equipment, building products & construction, steel & metal fabrication, infrastructure & utilities, commercial kitchen & food equipment, and architecture, engineering & BIM. If your team creates CAD drawings or configures products, we can likely help.

We're engineers who code, not coders who learn engineering. Our team has 15+ years of domain expertise in mechanical engineering, structural design, and manufacturing workflows. We build automation that captures the engineering knowledge your senior engineers carry — not just simple macro scripts.

FDES Technologies is headquartered in Hyderabad, India. We serve clients in 20+ countries worldwide, delivering projects remotely with structured communication and milestone-based delivery.

A product configurator (Configure-Price-Quote) lets your sales team or customers select product options through a guided interface and instantly receive accurate pricing, BOMs, CAD drawings, and engineering documentation. It eliminates the back-and-forth between sales and engineering, reducing quote turnaround from days to minutes.

Variant drawing automation uses rule-based logic to automatically generate different versions of CAD drawings based on input parameters. Instead of manually modifying a drawing for each product variant, the system applies your engineering rules to produce accurate drawings, annotations, and dimensions — typically reducing 4-8 hours of manual work to under 20 minutes.

Yes. We convert Excel-based or manual engineering calculations into validated, automated systems that link directly to your CAD models. Outputs include professional calculation reports in PDF, Excel, or Word format with full audit trails. We support industry standards including IS, AISC, and Eurocode.

We work with all major CAD platforms: AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, Revit, and Fusion. For each platform, we develop custom plugins, add-ins, macros, and API integrations. We also build web-based solutions using Autodesk Platform Services (APS) that don't require CAD licenses for end users.

Autodesk Platform Services (formerly Forge) is a cloud-based API platform that lets you build web applications for design automation, 3D viewing, and data management — without requiring CAD licenses for end users. We use APS to build web-based configurators, viewers, and automated drawing generation systems accessible from any browser.

Our process has five phases: (1) Discovery Call — we audit your current workflow and identify bottlenecks, (2) Solution Design — we architect the automation approach, (3) Prototype — we build a working proof-of-concept in 4-8 weeks, (4) Full Development — iterative delivery with milestone reviews, (5) Deployment & Support — go-live with training and ongoing maintenance.

Timelines vary by scope: a pilot or prototype takes 4-8 weeks, a focused single-workflow automation takes 2-3 months, and a full product configurator or enterprise system takes 3-6 months. We offer phased delivery so you see results quickly rather than waiting for the full system.

Yes. We strongly recommend starting with a 3-6 week pilot project focused on a single workflow or product family. This lets you validate the approach, see real results, and build confidence before committing to a larger engagement. Most pilots cost a fraction of the full project.

Our free automation audit is a 30-60 minute discovery session where we analyze your current engineering workflows, identify the highest-impact automation opportunities, estimate potential time and cost savings, and recommend a practical next step. There's no obligation — it's designed to give you a clear picture of what's possible.

We use a range of tools depending on your needs: DriveWorks and Tacton for SolidWorks/Inventor-based configurators, iLogic for Inventor rule-based automation, custom .NET and Python APIs for AutoCAD/Revit/SolidWorks, Autodesk Platform Services for cloud-based solutions, and web technologies (React, Node.js) for custom portals and dashboards.

Yes. We regularly integrate with ERP systems including SAP, NetSuite, Odoo, and Microsoft Dynamics. Integrations typically cover BOM transfers, order data import, pricing sync, and document management. We use REST APIs, database connectors, or file-based exchange depending on your ERP's capabilities.

Not necessarily. With Autodesk Platform Services (APS) or web-based configurators, end users access the system through a standard web browser — no CAD installation or licenses required. For desktop-based automation (like CAD plugins), the user running the automation does need the relevant CAD license.

We design all automation to be upgrade-safe and maintainable. Our CAD plugins follow forward-compatible design patterns, and we provide documentation and training so your internal team can maintain the system. We also offer ongoing support contracts for version upgrades, bug fixes, and feature enhancements.

Typical results include 75-90% reduction in drawing turnaround time, elimination of manual errors in calculations and BOMs, 5-10 hours saved per engineer per week, and significant reduction in engineering escalations from sales. Most clients see full ROI within 6-12 months of deployment. Use our ROI Calculator for a personalized estimate.

We define success metrics upfront during the discovery phase. Common KPIs include: time per drawing (before vs. after), error rate reduction, engineering hours saved per week, quote turnaround time, and number of engineering escalations eliminated. We track these throughout the project and report on them at each milestone.

Yes. We have detailed case studies covering projects like a web-based screw conveyor configurator (reduced quoting from 6 hours to 10 minutes), railway signaling drawing automation (3-5 days to 2-4 hours), automated retaining wall calculations, and more. Visit our Use Cases page to see the full portfolio.