Five Reasons You Should Definitely Be Our CAD Buddy Today!

Here at DCM, we’re more than a little proud of how good we make our clients look. Our business relies on your trust that by outsourcing the conversion of drawings to AutoCAD, your business will thrive.

We’ll shout it from the rooftops: outsourcing rocks, and here’s why:

WE SAVE YOU VALUABLE TIME

Blueprints, and jpegs, and PDFs, oh my!

We know it can get a little overwhelming (not to mention time-consuming) getting all your plans converted to AutoCAD. Who wants to sift through those old, musty papers? Or dig out those CDs? Who wants to decipher that scribbly writing?

WE DO!

AutoCAD conversion doesn’t have to be painful. While you do what you do best, we’re here to do the rest: DCM’s Redraw Service saves you time (and gross visits to the basement storage area), and in the end what’s that?

It’s money.

Time is money.

Our Drawing Specialists deliver accurate digital files, ready for immediate use, for a fraction of the time and cost of doing them in-house.

You design. We redraw. You save. Win!

 

WE SAVE YOU ACTUAL CASH MONEY

We hear you… what’s the real cost of outsourcing?

Let’s cut straight to the chase: we know it’s a little intimidating outsourcing this stuff, but our team of real, live, amazingly talented humans are ready to answer any and all questions about the process to alleviate that loss of control feelings.

The reality is that you’ll save 75% or more by hiring DCM’s dream team to use our hands-on approach, creating master drawings that are easily stored and accessed, and will never smell like the back of your grandma Edith’s closet.

And we offer 60% off on multi-buys, too, so the more we work for you, the more you save. It’s pretty stellar, we know. 

WE BOOST YOUR EFFICIENCY

Sure, your staff can manage, and slowly convert plans, but it’s not their specialty. And while they do that, they’re neglecting their huge to-do lists. And here’s the thing: you can’t simply hire the caliber of drawing specialists DCM offers, with this kind of experience, which means you’ll have inefficiencies within your ranks – that’s not ok!

We’re here for you, project-by-project, minimizing time spent hiring, training, acclimating, and providing costly benefits to new employees. You’re able to laser focus your staff’s core skills, building a stronger team internally, as we support you from the back room bleachers. (Gooooo, team!)

WE HELP ALLEVIATE RISK WITH OUR DRAWING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Imagine the real value of your drawings, and how quickly that can all *poof* be gone. All those filing cabinets full of plans are a liability you cannot really afford. Water damage, fire, age… there is nothing that can protect your assets quite like digital files. You’ll no longer rely on Fred’s 30 years of tenure with the biz – instead, you’ll depend on slick new files accessible anywhere, any time. 

 

WE MAKE YOU LOOK GOOOOOOD

There’s little sexier than your amazing drawings turned digital. (No? Just us?)

Well, we promise you’ll be thrilled with the results. Let us help you make your clients oooh and aaah over editable, modifiable drawings from anywhere!

We support your design team, giving you the flexibility and access you need – with echo, you’re able to view, modify, and share plans on the fly, so there’s virtually no downtime!

There are lots of automated conversion systems out there that speed up conversion time. At DCM, we don’t think speed should be the only benchmark. 

When you pay a machine to churn out conversions quickly, that’s where the benefit ends—you’re in for low quality, low-security work.

Alas! This is where many of our competitors sign off.

Not DCM!

We are The Drawing Specialists.

We offer a top-quality product backed by superior customer service at a competitive price.

NO canned software. NO bulk batch drawing conversions.

You get what you pay for, and we think it’s malarkey to treat a conversion like a polaroid.

Drawings run through a high-volume process will never be 100% accurate.

Since DCM never signs off a job that isn’t perfect, we feel it’s important to separate ourselves from the mediocre conversion companies right off the bat.

WE’LL JUST SAY IT: if you’re after quick, cheap, marginal drawings that capture most of the details but not all of them, stop reading this post. You’re in the wrong place! Our services aren’t for you. You’re looking for something that leaves you feeling underwhelmed—and that’s not our bag.

Good news, though!

If you’re looking for hands-on corrections and guaranteed accuracy that costs roughly ⅓ less than subpar in-house conversions, read on smartypants researcher!

Every DCM conversion is checked by a real live human.

There is no magic software that performs a trustworthy, complete drawing conversion.

DCM automates what can be automated for efficiency, but then each drawing conversion is manually manipulated twice by two separate groups—our hands-on touch!—to correct and redraw what the automation process misses.

8 Points of QA

We have years of experience under our belts, and we used those years to streamline our system, combining automation with hands-on digitization.

We fine-tune each drawing conversion by putting it through our proprietary 8-point Quality Control process that leaves nothing to chance. So save your lucky clovers for the lotto!

“How do we do this affordable drawing conversion?” you ask.

We treat every CAD conversion like a coddled superstar, that’s how.

We know! It all seems too good to be true, right?

Well, we’re honest Canadians, so we’ll share our formula for Superman-style affordable drawing conversion success:

We go through every drawing one-by-one to ensure high-quality, rapid turnaround, and economically-priced services worldwide. We assemble project teams to meet your specific needs.

It’s our goal to deliver a quality product, error-free, on time, to your unique specifications (so your CAD drawings are ready for immediate use). When we do this at a competitive price, we win the day, saving the world from bad conversions all over the place.

REPEAT CUSTOMERS

DCM processes around 8,000 drawings per year for our clients and draftspersons in a range of industries: utilities, power generation, engineers, architects, education and healthcare. This value sets us apart from automation shops.

Our high-quality product has resulted in a repeat client base of North American firms such as Stantec, Ellis Don, Platte River Power Authority, and many others. Client trust is the cornerstone of our repeat client base.

“Okay, I’m in!” you say.

(That’s great.)

But then you wonder, “How beneficial are editable drawings?”

Great question!

If you are a facility manager, engineer, architect, contractor, or property manager, you’ll come across blueprints and engineering drawings that are not in an editable format. You’ll need to modify and update drawing information for a renovation, for example. Paper scans and composite hybrid drawings don’t allow that. 

Let’s get specific! Here’s what we convert, and the formats we serve across all disciplines:

We’re not just a PDF to CAD converter.

DCM also: 

So what does this top-of-the-line conversion cost?

DCM reduces redraw time and cost by up to 70%.

We take pride in our top-quality CAD conversions and affordable rates.

Typical turnaround time for 1-5 “D-size” sheets is three days.

Take your drawings from where they are now to where they need to be in 2020 (the right way).

If instant coffee is what you’re after, get your caffeine fix at the minimart down the street. But if a cuppa joe that’s expertly brewed by a Colombian barista is more your style, we’ve got a hot mug of locally-roasted arabica french press with your name on it.

We are family-owned and we have family values. That’s why we don’t throw software at a project and call it a day. And that’s why we are leading CAD conversion in North America.

DCM’s Conversion Service beats the competition for quality, price, and customer service

From start to finish, we’ve built a reputation as the highest-quality conversion service out there. We deliver hands-on perfection that’s hands-down the best on the market. That’s why we’re known as The Drawing Specialists (we really are… that’s what they call us).

When it comes to CAD Conversions, we go through your drawings one by one to ensure high-quality, rapid turnaround, and economically-priced services worldwide.

Hundreds of engineer firms across North America have trusted DCM for over a decade to process thousands of drawings that reflect their quality standards.

 

We would be happy to review your situation at no obligation and assist you in protecting and converting your drawings.

Let’s talk about CAD conversion!

Call us today to find out how DCM can save you time and money with affordable drawing conversion.

We’re proud of our fast, 100% accurate drawing conversions, and you’ll be happy with our results.

[queue the confetti]

CAD Conversion Services Explained

If you are a Facility Manager, Engineer, Architect, Contractor, or Property Manager occasionally you may find yourself in a situation with blueprints and engineering drawings that are not in an editable format. Some of the drawings may require you to modify and or update the drawing information for upcoming renovations, additions or merely to keep the drawing current. By converting your drawings to an editable Computer-Aided Design (CAD) format; software such as AutoCAD provides significant features. Such as flexibility that paper, scans, or composite hybrid drawings do not.

What is AutoCAD software?

AutoCAD is a 2-D and 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application, equipped with powerful drafting and detailing tools to create precision engineering drawings or illustrations.

Why facilities benefit from converting to CAD?

Having your paper, tiff, jpg and pdf convert to AutoCAD is useful for many reasons. 

Customization

CAD allows individual entity and attributing with editing capability, customized colors, layers for more natural interpretation and standardization.

Reduce the Cost of Revisions / Modifications

Revisions done in CAD are typically much faster than the same revision done by manual methods. Conversion allows the user to take advantage of these savings even when working with old paper drawings.

Drawing Storage

Storage of hard copy (paper) drawings can typically take up a lot of floor/office space.

Security of your Assets

Having your drawings within a digital format can help prevent loss of original printed drawings. Unforeseen events can cause a loss of relevant information. A single sprinkler malfunction could destroy your drawings and essential information.

Sustainability

The environmental impact of paper is significant; we at DCM have been leading changes in facilities since 2000. Our drawing services, conversion services, Baseline and echo drawing management system all offer balance to our environment.

Don’t Let This Happen To You!

In this situation, the Director took us to this room and he said:

Conclusion

You can see why our services at DCM Inc. are leading CAD conversion in North America. We offer high quality, rapid turnaround, and economically priced services worldwide. 

What are your options to get your Paper drawings to AutoCAD?

You may opt to manually redraw in the house, or use a PDF to AutoCAD conversion software but we would suggest you sub-contract your redraw work to DCM Inc. Here’s Why!

What is Unique About DCM’s Conversion Services? 

Our years of experience, exclusively unique systems and processes that combine automation with hands-on digitization to convert engineering drawings to AutoCAD. As well, the 8-point QA/Quality Control process we’ve created leaves nothing to chance and provides clients with CAD drawings that are accurate and ready for immediate use to your specifications.

Plus, each one of our clients work with a skilled CAD Account Manager who will support you throughout your project. DCM clients receive top-quality CAD conversions at a 1/3 of the cost from their traditional in-house cost.

With paper to AutoCAD conversion services we simplify your workload with a seamless and convenient process. Keep reading for your quickstep Conversion Service process.

How Do You Get Started With DCM’s Conversion Services? 

Here is your Quickstart Guide:

Get in Touch

Firstly, you need to connect with our DCM Inc. CAD Account Manager and share all relevant details via email, phone or complete our online order form. [Contact DCM click here.]

Send source files or samples; hard copies, prints, scans, PDF, JPEG, TIFF files in just about any format. Good or poor quality drawings, via email, FTP or courier services. 

Get Approval

A CAD Account Manager will review all specifications and provide a quote and timeline for the overall project. 

Cost: Pricing will vary depending on size, discipline, density, and clarity of the source files. Our standard pricing includes basic AIA layering standards applied. However, we can follow any standard requests according to your specific requirements. 

Timeline: Typically we would like 1-3 business days to get things rolling, and then we would deliver as they are completed at a rate of 2-5 files daily; however we are flexible to work within your needs and priority.

Paper to AutoCAD

The DCM team proceeds to convert all source drawings into digital CAD files.

Production: No magic software performs an accurate or complete conversion that we have developed, or that is available on the market. Instead, DCM has developed a series of both automation and manual processes to re-draw the source drawings to AutoCAD. [see production process below].

Quality Control: This is where DCM Inc. likes to stand out; we take pride in the quality and live by the vision that “you’ll never regret buying quality.” Drawings are analyzed by a team of Quality Assurance experts, using both manual and automated quality check techniques. This is systematically done twice by two separate groups.

Delivery

Your CAD Account Manager approves and delivers your project for your review/approval. Deliverable will be a fully editable AutoCAD file with printable Layouts.

Payment 

Once 100% satisfaction has been met, project payment is collected or as predetermined terms. Payment can be made via Debit, Credit Card, Cheque, PayPal or Money Transfer.

Why trust DCM to deliver quality conversion?

DCM has built a reputation of high-quality conversion service with hundreds of engineer firms across North America for over a decade. Processing thousands of drawings that reflect quality standards, engineering drawings they can trust for accuracy and completeness. Setting us apart and has provided us with this repeat client base by helping them reduce their redraw time and cost by 70%. We process approximately 8,000 drawings per year for our clients that range from Utilities, Power Generation, Designers, Architects, Engineers, Healthcare and Draftspersons.  This quality and value have been the cornerstone of our repeat clients trust placed in DCM.

Conversion Production 

Process

Here is a brief explanation of our typical processes to convert a drawing into AutoCAD.  We trust this will give you the confidence that you will receive a quality conversion from DCM Inc. everytime.

Source File Preparation

We scan in source drawing (if required). Next step, we optimize the image by improving the quality of the source by addressing any crookedness, speckling (unwanted pixels) and blurriness. This done by both manual and automated process.

Run Image Through Proprietary Software

This provides a partial AutoCAD conversion.

Manual Work

This step is where we begin by overlaying the source drawing to manually redraw. Which entails confirming correct software translation and redrawing as required.

CAD Principles

Next up, we manually apply all CAD principles to the drawing, such as ensuring the entities are represented as intended in the source document.

We also manually apply all specifications and standards such as AIA or customer specific requirements or standards and layers.

QA/QC

The drawings now enter the final stages – DCM Inc.’s unique 8 point process; consisting of both manual and automated process. This is systematically done twice by two separate teams.

Authorization Check

The drawing is now handed over to your Production Manager who gives final review and then releases the drawing to CAD Account Manager for delivery.

Conclusion

DCM Inc.’s Conversion Services are sure to give a boost to your production with services tailored to meet your individual and specific needs. As you can see, our processes have some automation and manual components, which enables us to deliver high-quality drawings with value pricing.

Your peers call DCM Inc. “The Drawing Specialists”; give us a chance to show you. Here’s why!

Facilities Managers have a wide-array of duties & concerns, ranging from day-to-day operations to planning for building use space upgrades and general maintanence.  According to a study by the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), one tool that is prevalent and used by over half of all Facilities Departments is CAD.  The IFMA study also found that CAD use increased as the space managed by the department increased.

CAD for Renovation & Space Planning

CAD is an essential tool for Facilities Departments in both renovation and space planning activities.  The process starts with technical drawings of the current building or space, ideally in terms of building structure, infrastructure/systems and furniture/floorspace layout.  Through digital modification of various CAD drawings, current master CAD plans can be readily modified into new design proposals & options.  Via 2D drawings, (and potentially 3D visualizations), Facilities Managers, Project Managers and project stakeholders are able visualize changes and perform what-if scenarios on various configuration options, making edits and taking measurements as needed.  Ultimately, with clear project scope and concepts in the minds of the key internal stakeholders, the RFP process for getting construction companies to bid on the decided vision will be much more streamlined and cost efficient for the organization to procure.

You Design. We Redraw. You Save.

To start the planning & conceptual process, you’ll need a digital plans in terms of flexible CAD drawings. At DCM Inc. our redraw solution helps your project stay on time and budget by outsourcing the tedious redraw process, allowing you to focus your talents on the new design drawing. We are able to simplify your workload with a seamless and convenient process that ends in high-quality ready to use drawings.

Is your Facilities Department still relying on paper drawings?  Is it time to upgrade? Then please visit The Drawing Specialists to learn more on how we can help!