It has taken years for a truly useful CAD app to appear for the iPad and iPhone, but our wait is finally over thanks to SitePAD. This new app was created by Timothy and Paul Barnard and focuses on what CAD designers really need, instead of what non-engineers think they might need.

The PAD stands for “Pocket Aided Design” and this app allows the user not only to be able to view CAD drawings, but also create them. While it’s not a replacement for traditional software, it is a truly useful app that comes in handy on job sites or when an idea happens to strike you during off-work hours.

Not only is it a creator and a viewer, but SitePAD also functions as an excellent task manager and you can update project status, as well as get information on updates throughout the day. We liked the availability of features for CAD drawing which include: “Line, Polyline, Arc, Circle, Rectangle, Freehand, Move, Copy, Rotate, Mirror, Offset, Trim, Extend, Group, Un-group, Snaps, Orthos, Pan, Zoom, Notes tool, Box select, Delete, and Layers.”

SitePAD also includes a floor plan viewer as well as the ability to view and create elevation drawings. For power users or companies who want to extend their functionality, SitePAD can be synced with an online service that stores data and makes sharing between members even easier. While this is expected to run anywhere from $10-20 a month, this service is actually priceless. The developers are also offering a deal to those who sign up before the application’s 30 day trial period ends to get special pricing on the app and the online service.

Although SitePAD was originally created just for the iPhone, their innovative Pixel Doubling allows it to be used on the iPad. There are three different versions of the app including SitePAD Pro, SitePAD Lite and the low cost SitePAD viewer. The monthly subscription cost also features a one-time administration fee, but when you weigh all the benefits of this app, it’s more than worth the extra cost.

Training specialized engineering staff is vital, but it can also be expensive. If you are finding that your company’s training costs are getting out of control, there are six easy ways that you can lower your expenses, without lowering the quality of the training.

1. Schedule as much group training as possible. If at all possible, group training sessions are typically less expensive and will allow you the ability to increase the team spirit and provide peer support for employees. While this is not always possible, particularly when you only have one new incoming employee, group sessions will save you money and help get everyone up to speed at the same time.

2. Streamline the training process. You can streamline your training process by examining the current material, removing redundancies and looking for what information your employees will actually be using on a daily basis. Focus on this instead of broader training that may not be actually useful for their position.

3. Offer incentives for early training completion. Paid training is nice, but some employees may be tempted to stretch that out while they complete the necessary tasks. Instead, consider offering a lower rate of pay during train, or do away with paid training entirely. Your new hires will be motivated to get through the training process quickly.

4. Find a key team member who is already experienced. Instead of hiring an outside instructor, or using someone within your organization who is needed elsewhere, find a team member who has leadership and teaching skills and ask them to help you train the others in their department. Since they know the actualities and the day to day requirements, they are uniquely appropriate for this type of training.

5. Utilize temp to perm hires more often. Contract workers who are already experienced can help you drastically reduce the amount of money you spend on training new hires. This also gives you the luxury of trying out a new person before making them a permanent employee in your organization.

6. Move to an entirely digital training format. While much of engineering training takes place on a computer or in a similar environment, there are still manuals and materials that are typically printed. By reducing your reliance on this type of training material you can save significant money, particularly over time.

Attracting today’s best engineers requires a little creativity in your approach, as well as the actual content of your job listing. We all know that listing certain benefits in your posting can increase interest in a position, but many of these benefits don’t have to be expensive. Let’s take a look at a few of these benefits that will help you get the best engineers.

1. Employee Wellness Programs. Not only is this benefit inexpensive, but it’s actually providing a service that will help keep your employees happy and healthy. Free flu shots, employee gym passes and even special programs for nutrition, smoking cessation and health awareness are typically very well received by employees. In addition to physical wellness, a program with free counseling or personal motivation is also a very good idea.

2. Special Monthly Rewards for Performance. Contact your local movie theater or restaurants and see if you can get a special deal for buying tickets and gift cards in bulk. Most will be more than willing to work with you and this is a great incentive for increasing not only interest in a job, but also employee productivity.

3. Free Employee Buffets. Providing food not only helps keep employees fueled for their tasks, but it can also save them a lot of money over eating out or bringing their own lunch. Some of the top Fortune 500 companies use this strategy and it is a sound one.

4. Paid Time Off. PTO is always hugely popular, and in fact, most employees prefer companies that offer this benefit over companies that pay higher salaries. It’s always nice to have a little extra vacation time. To ensure you don’t break the bank, make this an incentive based program which in turn will help you increase productivity.

These benefits are all very inexpensive, particularly when you weigh the advantages and the benefits you’ll receive by becoming an employer of choice for engineers in your area.

If you’re looking to attract engineering employees, SoloPoint Solutions is the premier staffing agency of choice. Give us a call and let’s see what we can put together for you.

As we grow up, particularly in America, summer time is the time to play. Even as adults, it can be very difficult to stay on task when it’s beautiful out and the last place you want to be is behind a desk. Your employees are undoubtedly feeling the same siren song and it’s vital to keep them engaged at their task during the summer season.

This can be easier said than done, but with a little creativity, you can ensure that your employees will stay engaged all summer long.

1. Create specific goals with milestones. One of the best ways to get your employees on task is make it very clear what the final goal is, and what each one needs to do to achieve that goal. Once you set up a goal and milestones, make it fun to achieve those milestones by offering rewards, particularly if the tasks are completed well ahead of schedule.

2. Offer some time away. In many cases, the way to help employees focus is give them what they want — but on your terms. If the team reaches a goal ahead of schedule, offer them a paid day off, preferably on a Friday to give them a long weekend. They’ll be appreciative and much more likely to work hard to get that paid day off.

3. Make it interesting. Competitions are a great way to get your employees focused on their jobs and not the great outdoors. While you don’t want to pit them against one another in a brutal fashion, offer rewards for performance (again, the extra day off is a great motivator in summer). Set team performance goals as well to keep the entire team working together towards their collective goal. Find new ways to spice up competitions and make the rewards well worth the effort needed to achieve them.