本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Be A Process-Oriented Professional
In this article, I will share my experience as a professional in mechanical engineering with you
and, hopefully, it will shed some light to your career path in long term.
I will use automotive industry as a example here, which I am familiar with.
There is no point to argue if IT jobs outnumber engineer jobs or vice versa. If you compare your
money spent on car to the money you spent in computer, you should agree that there are still plenty
of opportunities for non-IT professionals. It is especially true for the professional in ME in Ontario.
Though there is no domestic automotive industry for Canada, Ontario still boasts itself as the second
largest automotive base in the world, only after Michigan. The automotive-related companies, big and small,
are scattered in southern Ontario. If you drive along any highways, you should see many automotive companies,
cluster after cluster. Opportunities are there.
In last decade, the falling exchange rate, a rich pool of well-qualified workforce make Ontario an
attractive place to invest, especially in automotive industry. The quality of the products and the timely
delivery brought Canadian companies the contracts for auto-parts and subsystems in billions from across
Detroit river.
If you are a mechanical engineer, Ontario is the right place for you. There are many opportunities for
mechanical designers, stress analysts and vehicle dynamics analysts. but why there are so many people
with strong ME background unemployed?
There are many factors to get a job. There are soft factors such as communication skill, interpersonal
skill and networking skill. Sometime luck plays a factor. However, some hard factors such as your technical
skills can make up the shortfall of the soft skills. Here I give an example:
The company I am working for has been looking for a computer programmer with CAD programming experience,
preferable development experience on CATIA V5 platform. I have a friend he was doing the exact the same job
in another company, but he is poor in communication skills. I put myself in dilemma: I must help my friend
to recommend him
while I do not risk my credit. The solution is he submit his resume with a PowerPoint file highlighting
his key qualifications and I did the recommendation. During the interview, the PPT presentation attracted the
attention of interviewers and the applicant took the control of whole process. As predicted, the response is
favorable and no one actual pay much attention to his communication skill.
What the hard skills can provide is, at least, that you might not be skipped for the first interview because of the key
words in your resume they are looking for. Whether you get the job is the combinational effect of both
hard and soft skills, plus if you are lucky or not.
Many immigrants coming to Canada possess many years of professional experience and practical skills. Some people,
for example, have been AutoCAD users form many years in China. Why they can not find the suitable job here or,
even they find one, it is of low-pay and unstable?
As I mentioned, the backbones of ME in N. America are automotive and aerospace industries. In last decades,
the fierce competition has been forced the companies in those industry to ort to computer technology to
define, implement and define the processes. At product development level, the processes are
implemented in such a way as to integrate design, analysis and manufacturing. In more precise terms, it is
CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM integration. There are many examples:
General Motors uses Unigraphics as a platform to incorporate design, analysis and manufacturing together to
reduce development cycle. Chrysler has the similar process implemented on top of CATIA. If any company want
to business with those companies, they must comply with the process. That means, if you want to be a
part supplier to Chrysler, you must have CATIA installed to get the design of components.
The impact of trend can also be felt in the CAD/CAE/CAM industry. 10 years ago, there were many CAD companies
active in the industry. But now they are gone. have you heard Euclid, a CAD software from France? Where is
the MicroStation from Benteley Systems Inc.? The only chance you can find it is in construction industry.
We look at the four high-end programs: Unigraphics, Catia, I-DEAS and Pro/E. In last a few years, the competition
among there are not about which one runs faster and more robust. It is about the process. The one providing
process-central solution wins. For CNC programmer, you might know of a CNC program called SmartCAM, which was
a direct competitor against MasterCAM, was acquired by SDRC I-DEAS since I-DEAS was weak in this area.
The reason for EDS (Ungraphis) to acquire I-DEAS is that PDM module of UniGraphics is not competitive and
the MetaPhase, the PDM module of I-DEAS is, the best in class. All the merger and consolidation in this
industry is exclusively about the process-central solution. I-DEAS will die in next few years since EDS will
not support it. Pro/E has been in decline for years, among many reasons, one of them is its PDM module
failed to surprise people.
The future treans is that CATIA and Unigraphics will dominate the CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM market. Pro/E and AutoCAD
will be edged out from mainstream. The days for I-DEAS is numbered. If you want to be a mechanical designer
or a design engineer, CATIA or UniGraphics is the choice.
UniGraphics is adopted by the largest automotive company--GM. Catia is used by Chrysler, Boeing, P&W and
Bombardier. Ford recently announced that they will choose Catia as primary platform for C3P implementation
and abandon I-DEAS. Toyota is the last one jumping onto Catia wagon.
If you are a AutoCAD designer, you are confined by AutoCAD because of its limited functionality. If you work
with Catia, Catia, as a platform for CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM, offers you a chance to look into other segments of the
process such as analysis and manufacturing and you will have more opportunities to grow.
One of my friends has been a CNC programmer for several years. He uses MasterCAM. After several years, he found
that there is nothing new to learn. He changed his job several times and was still not happycw until one day Catia
opened a door for him. Now he is more satisfied with his job because he can look at his work from an new perspective.
He can manipulate more complicated geometry with Catia and make full utilization of his education. It is not
a magic, it is a new world.
Because China is in the early stage of industrialization, most of professional from China lack the knowledge and
awareness of process. Process was once recognized a series of random event over period of time. Here it is
regarded as a controlled and rigorously followed series of events. The companies with best process win. Big 3
have the most brilliant mechanical engineers and most advanced technologies, while Toyota has the most rigorous
process, the result? Big 3 are losing market share to Toyota and Honda. In the future, the companies with
best people in the best process will excel.
It is suggested for every professonal to pay attention to process, be process-oriented. Knowing the process and
sharpen the your skills are keys to the success in your professional life.
As an immigrant in this land for years, I have seen many of our country men succeed in their professional
and personal life. I strongly believe that each of us have potential and opportunity. i
For those who are still hardship, do not be discouraged. I have two verses fromBible for you:
There is a time for everything,
There is a season for every activities under heaven.
Thanks for your reading.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
In this article, I will share my experience as a professional in mechanical engineering with you
and, hopefully, it will shed some light to your career path in long term.
I will use automotive industry as a example here, which I am familiar with.
There is no point to argue if IT jobs outnumber engineer jobs or vice versa. If you compare your
money spent on car to the money you spent in computer, you should agree that there are still plenty
of opportunities for non-IT professionals. It is especially true for the professional in ME in Ontario.
Though there is no domestic automotive industry for Canada, Ontario still boasts itself as the second
largest automotive base in the world, only after Michigan. The automotive-related companies, big and small,
are scattered in southern Ontario. If you drive along any highways, you should see many automotive companies,
cluster after cluster. Opportunities are there.
In last decade, the falling exchange rate, a rich pool of well-qualified workforce make Ontario an
attractive place to invest, especially in automotive industry. The quality of the products and the timely
delivery brought Canadian companies the contracts for auto-parts and subsystems in billions from across
Detroit river.
If you are a mechanical engineer, Ontario is the right place for you. There are many opportunities for
mechanical designers, stress analysts and vehicle dynamics analysts. but why there are so many people
with strong ME background unemployed?
There are many factors to get a job. There are soft factors such as communication skill, interpersonal
skill and networking skill. Sometime luck plays a factor. However, some hard factors such as your technical
skills can make up the shortfall of the soft skills. Here I give an example:
The company I am working for has been looking for a computer programmer with CAD programming experience,
preferable development experience on CATIA V5 platform. I have a friend he was doing the exact the same job
in another company, but he is poor in communication skills. I put myself in dilemma: I must help my friend
to recommend him
while I do not risk my credit. The solution is he submit his resume with a PowerPoint file highlighting
his key qualifications and I did the recommendation. During the interview, the PPT presentation attracted the
attention of interviewers and the applicant took the control of whole process. As predicted, the response is
favorable and no one actual pay much attention to his communication skill.
What the hard skills can provide is, at least, that you might not be skipped for the first interview because of the key
words in your resume they are looking for. Whether you get the job is the combinational effect of both
hard and soft skills, plus if you are lucky or not.
Many immigrants coming to Canada possess many years of professional experience and practical skills. Some people,
for example, have been AutoCAD users form many years in China. Why they can not find the suitable job here or,
even they find one, it is of low-pay and unstable?
As I mentioned, the backbones of ME in N. America are automotive and aerospace industries. In last decades,
the fierce competition has been forced the companies in those industry to ort to computer technology to
define, implement and define the processes. At product development level, the processes are
implemented in such a way as to integrate design, analysis and manufacturing. In more precise terms, it is
CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM integration. There are many examples:
General Motors uses Unigraphics as a platform to incorporate design, analysis and manufacturing together to
reduce development cycle. Chrysler has the similar process implemented on top of CATIA. If any company want
to business with those companies, they must comply with the process. That means, if you want to be a
part supplier to Chrysler, you must have CATIA installed to get the design of components.
The impact of trend can also be felt in the CAD/CAE/CAM industry. 10 years ago, there were many CAD companies
active in the industry. But now they are gone. have you heard Euclid, a CAD software from France? Where is
the MicroStation from Benteley Systems Inc.? The only chance you can find it is in construction industry.
We look at the four high-end programs: Unigraphics, Catia, I-DEAS and Pro/E. In last a few years, the competition
among there are not about which one runs faster and more robust. It is about the process. The one providing
process-central solution wins. For CNC programmer, you might know of a CNC program called SmartCAM, which was
a direct competitor against MasterCAM, was acquired by SDRC I-DEAS since I-DEAS was weak in this area.
The reason for EDS (Ungraphis) to acquire I-DEAS is that PDM module of UniGraphics is not competitive and
the MetaPhase, the PDM module of I-DEAS is, the best in class. All the merger and consolidation in this
industry is exclusively about the process-central solution. I-DEAS will die in next few years since EDS will
not support it. Pro/E has been in decline for years, among many reasons, one of them is its PDM module
failed to surprise people.
The future treans is that CATIA and Unigraphics will dominate the CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM market. Pro/E and AutoCAD
will be edged out from mainstream. The days for I-DEAS is numbered. If you want to be a mechanical designer
or a design engineer, CATIA or UniGraphics is the choice.
UniGraphics is adopted by the largest automotive company--GM. Catia is used by Chrysler, Boeing, P&W and
Bombardier. Ford recently announced that they will choose Catia as primary platform for C3P implementation
and abandon I-DEAS. Toyota is the last one jumping onto Catia wagon.
If you are a AutoCAD designer, you are confined by AutoCAD because of its limited functionality. If you work
with Catia, Catia, as a platform for CAD/CAE/CAM/PDM, offers you a chance to look into other segments of the
process such as analysis and manufacturing and you will have more opportunities to grow.
One of my friends has been a CNC programmer for several years. He uses MasterCAM. After several years, he found
that there is nothing new to learn. He changed his job several times and was still not happycw until one day Catia
opened a door for him. Now he is more satisfied with his job because he can look at his work from an new perspective.
He can manipulate more complicated geometry with Catia and make full utilization of his education. It is not
a magic, it is a new world.
Because China is in the early stage of industrialization, most of professional from China lack the knowledge and
awareness of process. Process was once recognized a series of random event over period of time. Here it is
regarded as a controlled and rigorously followed series of events. The companies with best process win. Big 3
have the most brilliant mechanical engineers and most advanced technologies, while Toyota has the most rigorous
process, the result? Big 3 are losing market share to Toyota and Honda. In the future, the companies with
best people in the best process will excel.
It is suggested for every professonal to pay attention to process, be process-oriented. Knowing the process and
sharpen the your skills are keys to the success in your professional life.
As an immigrant in this land for years, I have seen many of our country men succeed in their professional
and personal life. I strongly believe that each of us have potential and opportunity. i
For those who are still hardship, do not be discouraged. I have two verses fromBible for you:
There is a time for everything,
There is a season for every activities under heaven.
Thanks for your reading.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net