Ratio of engineers/designers to CAD staff?

VeeEmmy

I'm curious to know what are the ratios out there of engineers, designers, planners, whomever to the number of CAD support people they normally have.

In my past lives in busy to moderately busy firms, it was 2-3 CAD:1 engineer.
Bigger or busier places, about the same ratio, but more engineers, more CAD support, i.e. 4 CAD : 2 engineers/designers, etc. (some engineers doing some basic CAD, but most had little CAD depth, so CAD support was necessary for those types as well).

And now that times are hard, have you seen the ratio change?

What's been your experience or observations?

CatFromHue

In most of the places I've worked the engineers have done their own CAD modelling.

The first place was a work placement about 8 years ago. It was a large electrical inter connector manufacturer. I worked in a team that had one smaller project and then one larger project that it looked after. The smaller project was made up of a CAD tech and an engineer. That's my only experience of a dedicated CAD tech. In the larger project the engineers did their own CAD work. It was of a high standard too.

Everywhere else I've worked the engineers have done their own CAD work. Where I work at the moment that's what I do.

James 007

Yes, I have always felt as if I was been used by my company because they could not pay CAD technicians enough money in the boom times.

Up to approx. 40% of my time was used to generate CAD drawings. I always taught this was very high especially coming from structural engineering background.

However that said, I found that all the architects seemed to be spending alot more time using CAD too, but then again alot of their work is involved in producing drawings.

Our office was made up of 10 engineers and 2 technicians, a ratio I always found difficult to comprehend. However I could see it from the directors point of view too, no wasting time between a CAD technician and an Engineer discussing whats wrong with that drawing, Engineer just do it etc.

Eventually because of the recession all our engineers were left go. Just left in the office was me (An Engineer) and a CAD technician, two Associates and the two Directors who were both close to retiring.

Guess what happened next. I was left go. No more engineering work. The CAD technician was kept on. And this CAD technician arrived into the office about two months after I arrived.

Why was I left go first? - Because I was an Engineer, but 40% of my time was CAD work. Applying for a job, I should have 10 years engineering experience, but in reality I only have 6 years experience.

Is this common amongst the engineering sector I ask?

If you are employed as a Postman, then you should not be expected to do a Milkman's job. Had I this attitude from the very start, then I am sure I would be in a better position now?

What do others think?

jonnyfingers

Last place I worked there was nearly 20 engineers and one CAD technician. Granted about 10 of us were proficient in CAD with 2 or 3 being very good.

sickle

It was about 5 engineers to 1 cad tech in my last job (structural engineers).
We were all let go in the end, engineers will do their own cad work when there isn't enough work to go around.