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Solution · Steel distribution poles

Distribution Pole
Design Automation

Distribution poles are a volume business: standard classes, standard lengths, and then every utility's own drilling patterns, framing details, and finish specs on top. Each variant still needs its drawings, BOM, and part numbers. We build automation that turns a pole spec into a complete documentation package in minutes, on your CAD platform, to your standards.

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Class-Based Pole Families Drawings + BOMs + Drill Patterns Inventor · AutoCAD · SolidWorks & More 19 Years in Design Automation

The problem

A Catalogue Product With Custom-Product Drafting Costs

The pole itself is standardized: class, length, taper, material. What isn't standard is what each utility wants on it. At distribution volumes, hand-drafting those differences becomes a permanent tax on every order.

Volume multiplies small differences

One order can cover hundreds of poles across classes and lengths, each combination with its own drilling pattern and framing detail. The drawings differ in numbers, not in kind, and someone drafts each one anyway.

Every utility has its own standard

Ground line clearances, hole layouts, climbing provisions, finish and marking requirements: the same pole class documents differently for every customer, and drafters carry those differences in their heads.

Wood-to-steel conversions wait on drafting

Utilities converting wood lines to steel expect fast, exact equivalents. When each equivalent needs days of drawing work, the quote goes out late or the backlog absorbs the win.

Our solution

Pole Spec In. Complete Documentation Package Out.

We build the automation on the platform you already run, around your pole classes, your customers' standards, your drawing templates, and your part numbering.

CLASS · LENGTH · STANDARD IN → COMPLETE 3D MODEL OUT

3D Models Without the Modelling

Select class, length, and customer standard. The system builds the shaft, base and top details, drilling patterns, and framing provisions as a complete parametric model. A new combination is a new input, not a new modelling job.

3D MODEL IN → FABRICATION DRAWINGS OUT

Fabrication Drawings Straight From the Model

Views, dimensions, hole tables, weld symbols, and marking notes land on your templates automatically, as IDW, DWG, SLDDRW, and PDF, fabrication-ready.

MODEL DATA IN → BOM · WEIGHTS · PART NUMBERS OUT

BOMs and Part Numbers Without Data Entry

Bills of materials, pole weights, hardware lists, and part numbers come straight from the model, exported to Excel or your ERP, consistent across the whole order.

CUSTOMER STANDARD IN → RULE SET OUT

Utility Standards as Reusable Rules

Each customer's drilling, framing, and marking requirements are captured once as a rule set. The next order for that utility applies them automatically, identically, on every pole.

The workflow

From Order Spec to Fabrication Drawings in Minutes

STEP 1

Structural design

Size the pole as you do today, from PLS-Pole, your design tables, or class equivalency charts. Nothing changes upstream.

STEP 2

Input the order

Class, length, customer standard, and framing selections go in, per pole or as a batch for the whole order.

STEP 3

Automated generation

Models, drawings, hole tables, BOMs, and part numbers generate in minutes, for one pole or two hundred.

STEP 4

Review and release

Your engineers check the outputs, adjust where needed, and release to manufacturing.

STEP 5

Fabrication data

ERP, cutting schedules, and production planning receive the data directly, with no re-entry.

Working from PLS-Pole on transmission-class structures too? See Transmission Pole Design Automation.

Typical results

The Numbers Pole Manufacturers See

80–90%Faster documentation per pole, days become minutes
BatchWhole orders generated in one run, not pole by pole
Near ZeroDrawing errors, rule-based validation stops mismatches at the source
60%Capacity freed, engineers back on engineering, not drafting

Run the Numbers for Your Pole Volume →

Proven results

Deployed with US Steel Pole Manufacturers

"The automation reduced our design cycle from weeks to days. Drawing errors dropped to near zero. Our engineers now focus on engineering, not repetitive drafting." Engineering Manager · US-based Tubular Steel Pole Manufacturer
  • Design-to-fabrication cycle reduced from 2 weeks to 2-3 days
  • Zero fabrication errors from drawing inconsistencies
  • 60% of engineering time freed from repetitive documentation
  • Direct data flow to fabrication systems eliminated manual re-entry

See the Full Case Study →

Custom built

Configured to Your Pole Range and Your Customers' Standards

The automation is shaped around how you already design and fabricate. Every one of these is configured to your shop:

Pole classes and lengths

Your full catalogue of classes, lengths, and wood-equivalent designations

Shaft construction

Tapered tubular, multi-sided, stepped; direct-embed and base plate mounting

Drilling and framing

Customer-specific hole patterns, gains, climbing provisions, and framing details

Standards

NESC and utility-specific standards; ASTM A572, weathering steel, galvanized finishes

Drawing templates

Your title blocks, annotation standards, and view layouts

Part numbering

Your existing numbering system and conventions

Output formats and integration

IDW, DWG, SLDDRW, PDF, Excel, ERP

How we work

From Audit to Production in 8-16 Weeks

1
Workflow auditWe map your order-to-fabrication workflow end to end. Free, no commitment.
2
Solution designArchitecture, parameter flow, and output integrations are agreed before code is written.
3
DevelopmentThe automation is built on your CAD platform, with your team reviewing it as it grows.
4
TestingValidated against your real pole designs, not sample data.
5
DeploymentHandover with source code, documentation, and training. It's yours.

Why FDES

Why FDES Technologies

  • 19 years building design automation and CAD customization
  • Pole-domain fluency, from transmission structures to distribution lines
  • Fluent across platforms: Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and more
  • In production today with US-based steel pole manufacturers
  • Custom engineering, not a generic product that almost fits
  • One team, end to end, from workflow audit to production-grade automation

FAQ

Asked on Nearly Every First Call

Can it batch-generate a whole order at once?
Yes. Order data goes in as a batch, and the system generates models, drawings, and BOMs for every pole in the order in one run, with consistent numbering across the set.
How are customer-specific utility standards handled?
Each utility's drilling patterns, framing details, and marking requirements are captured once as a named rule set. Orders for that customer apply the rule set automatically, so their standard is enforced identically on every pole.
Does it support wood-equivalent pole designations?
Yes. Class and wood-equivalency logic can be built into the input side, so a wood class and length maps to your steel equivalent and its documentation generates directly.
What CAD platforms do you support?
Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and other platforms. The automation is built for whichever CAD platform your team already uses.
How long does implementation take?
Typically 8-16 weeks, depending on how many pole classes and customer standards need covering. We build iteratively, so you see working automation early rather than waiting for a final delivery.
Do we own the source code?
Yes. This is custom engineering, not a licensed product. You own the system outright, operate it independently, and pay no per-user licensing and no annual subscription.
What does it cost?
It depends on scope: how many pole classes, how many customer standards, and what integrations are required. The free workflow audit comes first and produces a detailed proposal with real numbers.
Can we try it before committing?
Yes. The free workflow audit analyzes your current order-to-fabrication process, identifies what's automatable, and gives you a detailed assessment. No cost, no commitment.

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Substation Structure Design Automation

Gantries and equipment supports from analysis to erection drawings.

Free assessment · no commitment

Volume Should Scale With Compute, Not Headcount.

Bring us your order-to-fabrication workflow for distribution poles. We'll map what automates cleanly, flag where the risk sits, and show you what a production-grade system would look like for your pole range. Free, with no commitment.

  • Your current workflow, mapped end to end
  • Automation opportunities, ranked
  • Risk and feasibility, assessed honestly
  • Projected results, in your numbers