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E-Services and the design engineer
Always on the prowl for new resources to help them do their jobs, engineers are
looking to add the Internet to their tool boxes.
I-Commerce: Information is key
§1 - The most useful websites for engineers are those with the freshest
information, regularly updated. But some suppliers go even further than merely
updating information on their sites. Access-hardware supplier Southco, for
example, has added a feature called ZOOM, which takes users through a series of
questions about their application requirements and then narrows the list of
possible solutions it can offer to a few that most closely match the users'
needs.
§2 - In addition, Southco provides a 24-hour-a-day application engineering
service, manned by Southco personnel throughout the world. These experts answer
e-mail queries about products and applications within hours. Like an increasing
number of suppliers today, Micro Mo Electronics gives users of its website the
ability to find its miniature motors and other products by category, get a brief
overview of specs, access full data sheets, get exploded views of the products,
view tutorials, and download CAD drawings.
E-Commerce: Websites become distributorships
§3 - Mirroring the efforts of their cousins in the consumer-goods world, many
suppliers of engineering tools, components, and materials are moving toward
using their websites as virtual distributorships where engineers can log on and
order products.
§4 - The change is not occurring without a lot of soul-searching. This is
particularly the case with OEM suppliers who market their products to engineers
largely through distributors. In such setups, direct sales through the Internet
could threaten traditional distributor networks. As a result, industry experts
believe that many suppliers will first use the Internet for sales to engineers
at larger companies that they have traditionally served directly rather than
through distributors. Others may limit their internet sales to small quantities,
such as prototypes.
§5 - In many instances, sales involve standard products, such as programmable
controllers, that are used as replacement parts by end users. As products move
up the scale from standard components to systems and custom solutions, it gets
far more difficult - if not impossible - to sell products via the web.
T-Commerce: Virtual tool box emerges
§6 - Finding the right component for a design is one thing. Getting it quickly
is another. "I don't use standard components unless I can download them into my
CAD drawings," asserts Don Hartinger, an engineer at Textron Automotive. There's
too much work associated with redrawing components from catalog copy, he says.
Most manufacturers of standard products like switches, connectors, and motors
provide downloadable files. Southco, AMP, Parker Compurnotor, Turck, and Fasco
are just a few.
§7 - But, once again, engineers say that often the download advantage is for
commodity products, not highly engineered products. Dan Krupp of Universal Air
Filter says engineers looking for prototypes will increasingly turn to the
Internet. "They will e-mail drawings and specifications to a select number of
vendors, who will review the prototype request, give a response time, and meet
the engineer's production-run timetable, quantity requirements, and other
specifications." Already, he says, Universal gets nearly 30% of its prototype
requests through its Internet site.
§8 - Of course, just as important as product information and prototypes is
technical support, engineers say. Chat rooms and open forums help. CADKEY
provides a web forum, and President Bob Bean says it's one of the company's
most-used links on its website.
§9 - And what are the implications of that enhanced ability to communicate? Says
Roger Lobdell, vice president of Information Technology for Kollmorgen: "The
Internet will soon become an interactive environment that allows engineers to
work together with engineers at Kollmorgen and other companies to find the right
solutions."
Katherine Tyrka
Global Design News - February 2000
Exercises
1 - VOCABULARY
1- WORD BUILDING
A/ Paragraph 1: Pick out the words ending with -ER
a. Which one(s) is (are) a noun ?
What are the root words? Are the root words nouns, adjectives, verbs? What does
the suffix -ER mean in this case? Pick out other examples in § 3,5 and 6. Find a
similar construction (with a slightly different suffix) in § 4,6 and 7.
b. Which one(s) is (are) an adjective? What is the usual grammatical category of
an adjective ending with -ER?
B/ Paragraph 3 : DISTRIBUTORSHIPS. Does this word mean: the ships / boats of
distributors? If -SHIP is a suffix, what is the root word?
This suffix added to a noun a/ indicates the person's status, position or office
(e.g. apprentice >>apprenticeship) b/ refers to people's mutual relations (e.g.
friend >>friendship) Do you knnow other similar words?
2 - NEW WORDS
A/ Use the context to find the (approximate) meaning of ... ( choose the correct
answer)
introduction : always on the prowl for ... a/ always being afraid of b/ always
encouraging c/ always looking for
§4 soul-searching : a/ long and careful evaluation, reflection b/ introspection
c/ scientific research
§4 setup : a/ system, way of organising b/ disorder, disturbance c/ decision
§7 commodity (product) : a/ very complex ( product) b/ common and simple
(product) c/ very expensive (product)
§7 select: a/ segregated, discriminated b/ chosen, selected c/ elite, exclusive.
B/ Match the words from list A with those from B.
requirement (§1) - mirror( §3) - log on (§3) - occur (§4) - involve (§5) -
request (§7) - enhanced (§9)
improved - connect - happen - concern - need - demand, what has been asked -
copy, imitate
2 - COMPREHENSION - Answer the questions
§1 & 2
What makes a website useful ? Explain why this makes it useful ?
How do firms like Southco make their websites even more interesting ?
§3
Are websites only for obtaining information ? What do many suppliers use their
sites for ?
Have industrial suppliers invented this technique ? (Explain 'mirroring the
efforts … world')
§4
What kinds of firms does this distribution method pose a special problem to ?
How can this (distribution) method threaten traditional networks ?
What solution will be adopted for not endangering them (traditional networks) ?
§5
What kind of products are easily sold via the Internet ?
What kind of products cannot easily be sold via the Internet ?
§6
What else can be found necessary in addition to finding right components ?
What components does Mr Hartinger use and does not use ? Why ?
Explain : 'downloadable'.
§7
What products are easily downloadable ?
Give another reason for engineers to use the Internet.
What request will an engineer make ? What will he receive ?
What shows that the use of the Net is to become more and more important ?
§8
What other noteworthy feature is discussed here ?
How can chat rooms and forums help engineers ?
§9
What does the first line ( the question) mean : a/ Does it ask about the
consequences of easy communication with the Net ? b/ Does it ask about the
difficulties of communicating via the Net ?
According to Mr Lobdell, how will other engineers be able to help his own ?
3 - COMPOUND NOUNS and ADJECTIVES
1 - You can read (§2)"a 24-hour-a-day application engineering service." What
does this mean?
a/ a service which is open 24 hours a day and specialising in applications
connected with engineering
b/ an engineering service which is open 24 hours a day and specialising in
applications
c/ an application which is used 24 hours a day and which is produced by an
engineering service
d/ an application which is used 24 hours a day and which is used by the
engineering team of the service
2 - Recast with compound nouns (and adjectives)
a/ They have developed software that gives you an exploded view of the product
[1 compound word]
b/ They have developed software that analyses finite elements ( use ‘analysis’)
[1 compound word]
c/ They have developed tools that give information about a product and these
tools are now ready for the Web. [1 compound word]
d/ Traditional networks of distributors are threatened by direct sales through
the Internet [2 compound words]
Note: this exercise can be made more difficult by not using italics.
4 - LINKWORDS
1/ Pick out linkwords used to
introduce examples (§1, §4, §6)
add a new idea (§2) (Can you think of other ways of adding a new idea?)
express consequence (§4) (Can you think of other ways of expressing
consequence?)
express restriction (§6) (Can you think of other ways of expressing
restriction?)
2/ Compare the meaning of AS in the following sentences
a/ They use "their websites as virtual distributorships"(§3) or they " are
used as replacements parts" (§5)
b/ "As products move up the scale (…), it gets far more difficult to sell…"(§5)
c/ "just as important as product information is technical support"(§8)
d/ Southco is able to answer e-mail queries quickly as they have a 24-hour-a-day
engineering service.
3/ Express the notion required between brackets.
a/ More and more engineers use the Internet: (aim) they want to obtain product
information
b/ More and more engineers use the Internet: ( cause) it is an easy way to get
product information.
c/ More and more engineers use the Internet: ( consequence) companies are
developing their websites,
d/ More and more engineers use the Internet for technical support; ( add a new
idea) they use it to share ideas via forums.
e/ More and more engineers use the Internet; ( opposition) it is still difficult
to deal with complicated custom solutions.
f/ An engineer won’t return to a site ( restriction) if it is not regularly
updated.
g/ Many firms provide downloadable files : (introduce examples) Southco, AMP,
Parker Compurnotor, Turck, and Fasco.
5 - MOST
a/ Pick out the occurences of 'most' in paragraphs 1, 6, 8 and in this sentence:
'Most of the products sold via the Internet are standard.'
Each one may
(i) be the superlative of an adjective. Which occurence(s)? The pattern is (
fill out) .... most ....
(ii) mean 'very (much)' Which occurence(s)? The pattern is (fill out) most ....
or most ....
(iii) mean 'the majority of ' Which occurence(s)? The pattern is (fill out) most
.... or most .... .... ....
b/ Recast the following sentences with 'most'
Everyone agrees that a regularly-updated site is extremely useful.
In a large number of cases, sales involve standard products.
CADKEY is much more visited than the site's other links.
95% of the manufacturers of standard products provide downloadable files.
Traditional distributor networks are extremely worried, they fear that a large
number of orders will be placed direcly.
It is more convenient to download a file than to redraw from catalog copy.
6 - WRITTEN WORK
A - Here is a summary of Part I..
a. Adapt the words between brackets so as to write simple but correct sentences
( Turn the verbs into the correct form; choose from the two words suggested;
write the words in the correct order)
1 - A website is useful when its information ( to update)
2 - This is not enough and users ( require) ( answers / very precise)
3 - Firms, for example Southco, have (e-mail / services / fast) for (queries /
specific)
4 - These services give (to? Ø?) users ( much ? many?) other information, for
example: access to data sheets and (exploded / views ) of products
b. Improve your first draft
Sentence 1: add 'really' to the first part of the sentence and 'regularly' to
the second part.
Sentence 2: introduce it with a word expressing contrast /opposition.
Sentences 2 and 3 : link them so as to express consequence.
Sentence 3: recast ' fast e-mail services for specific queries' into one
compound word.
Sentence3: use a link word (instead of ‘for example’) to introduce the example.
Sentences 3 and 4 : link them with a relative pronoun so as to avoid repeating
'these services'.
Sentence 4: use 'also'. Replace ‘for example’ ny another link word introducing
the examples.
B- Explain why it seems very difficult to sell certain kinds of products via the
Web. ( In addition to manufactured products as in the text, you can think about
other kinds of products such as fresh food, etc.)
Write between 150 to 180 words.
You can use :
in my opinion, it seems to me (that)
it is obvious (that)
it can be used for + ING
it enables me/ the consumer/ engineers to +verb
it helps me/ the consumer/ engineers Ø + verb
However and other words expressing contrast
So that and other words expressing consequence
7 - ORAL TEAM WORK
Student A : you are the manager of a firm like Southco or Micro Mo Electronics
and you manufacture standard components such as switches, connectors etc.. You
want to set up a website for your customers.
Student B : You are the manager of a traditional distributor network and you are
afraid that an OEM supplier's website may ruin your own business.
Student C : You are an engineer at Kollmorgen. You would like to use a website
as interactive and with as much information as possible.
During a meeting, the conversation has come to the subject of e-information and
e-commerce.
Play your part.
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