Future-proof and backward compatible: Ensure your CAD models work for every customer, forever

When it comes to creating a comprehensive digital customer experience, manufacturers must invest in technology that has a future… and a past.

From pencil and paper drawing, to static 2D designs, to 3D renderings with kinematic movement and detailed metadata, Computer Aided Design (CAD) software has come a long way. And thanks to the digital revolution, CAD software is changing at an even faster rate.

So how do component manufacturers keep up with the times when providing downloadable CAD for their engineering audience? Instead of picking and choosing which CAD formats to provide, forward-thinking manufacturers can have it all with the right interactive product configurator.

Today there are six major platforms and dozens of specialized CAD applications engineers use to create and build designs, all of which introduce new software versions each year. Unfortunately, many of those yearly updates are not backward compatible, even within their respective CAD ecosystems.

But with the interactive product configurator, manufacturers can provide CAD files and data for today’s newest version, as well as versions from 10 years ago. And, those models are accessible on-demand from computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Each year, OEM CAD platforms update their software, a new web browser emerges, mobile devices become smarter and the digital information balloon further inflates. Even manufacturers with teams of people building CAD models cannot keep up with the ever-changing digital landscape.

In the last 20+ years, the CADENAS Electronic Product Catalog has continued to evolve at full-speed ahead, keeping pace with market evolution and trends. Manufacturers can rest assured that whatever new technology comes along, the interactive product catalog will provide CAD files that are natively compatible, relevant and updated with the newest technology.

As the digital industry continues to evolve, future-proof and backward compatible CAD files are essential for manufacturers to properly connect with engineers and designers.

Customers expect content that is up-to-date and available to them in their preferred format – whether that’s a five-year-old edition or the newest digital platform. To provide the best digital customer experience, manufacturers need a digital parts catalog that can do both.

Would you like to further optimize your customer service and make your CAD data future-proof? Find out more about the Electronic Product Catalog and the interactive product configurator at:

www.cadenas.de/en/products/ecatalogsolutions/electronic-cad-catalog