Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1522071
JUNE 2024 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 13 of who has the lowest price, but that shouldn't always be the case. When I get projects done around the house, I always make it a point to get at least three quotes. I talk with them about how they do it, their processes, and so forth. I don't necessarily pick based on price; I pick based on who I feel will do the best job. Even if they're more expensive, I don't care. But, if you want expertise, you have to be willing to pay for it. If you just want a cheap price, you will pay for it one way or the other. You want to pay for it now, or you can pay for it later. I guaran- tee that if you pay for it now, it will be cheaper than when you're paying for it later. It will cost a lot more later—not only in schedule delays, but in respins and eating up a bunch of materials. Shaughnessy: It almost sounds like some companies just natu- rally embrace collaboration. Is it just that some companies don't see the value of collabo- ration? I don't know. Maybe it's like a game of hot potato. Matties: My thought here, Charlie, is that collaboration starts with you or me. The per- son who's doing the work can always reach out to somebody. They can call a fabricator. They can create a collaboration culture, and you don't have to wait for the president of the company to say, "This is how it will be." Most collaborative cultures probably start at the grassroots level, I would imagine. True. When I was young and starting to learn how to design, I would collaborate with other senior designers and get their opinion on what I was doing. But designers are very prideful kind of people and they don't like to reach out. Plus, by the time it makes it to their computer, and they're ready to do a layout, their schedule has gone from a two-month window to hav- ing two weeks to finish this design from start to finish because we've screwed around on the front end, and now it's late. It's a cultural thing. Like you said, Andy, some companies get it, and some don't, and the ones that don't are the ones that suffer. Shaughnessy: They're already thinking about the next board while you're working on the current board, and it's so compressed. So, when there's a respin, they don't care because by then they've already moved on to another board. Right. en the respin is even more desperate. What's the cause? Is it because of the manufac- turing or is it because of the engineer- ing? ese days, it could be any- thing. "Well, this part's obsolete, and we need to design this out of the product. Let's redo the engi- neering and find another part that does the same thing and then re-engineer it." Now we're four weeks behind. "Let's give it to the designer now. By the way, now you only have two weeks to finish this thing." e designer may be very good, but he's not a miracle worker; he's there to lay out what you give him, and he needs time to do it as well. It's such a different culture now than it used to be. Back in the old days, it used to take eight or 10 weeks to do a layout on Mylar. Now, they expect us to push a few but- tons and have it done in a couple of weeks. But a really good, true designer will take his time and do it right. A real designer will probably push back when they ask for it in two weeks. He'll say, "I'll give it to you in six weeks. at's the best you're going to get." Matties: You're a good example because you're not only the designer and the manufacturer, but you're also quoting boards now with Zentech. When the quote comes through, you understand where that The designer may be very good, but he's not a miracle worker...