Flexible Engineering Support for an Aerospace Drawing Surge
Every engineering team knows the feeling. The work is piling up faster than the team can work through it. Deadlines are rapidly approaching, and hiring new team members will take time and resources you do not have. Even if hiring were a possibility, adding permanent headcount to solve a temporary problem does not make sense.
This is the predicament one of our aerospace clients found themselves in, and that is the reason our Montra is “your engineering department, when you need one.”
The Challenge: A Mountain of Drawings
Our client is an established aerospace manufacturer with a seasoned team of drafters. The problem wasn’t their team’s technical acumen; it was a numbers problem. With a product launch deadline rapidly approaching and both CAD models and drawings needing updates, this created a backlog they didn’t have enough time or people to tackle.
Their drafters weren’t the problem. They knew the products, the standards, and the internal processes inside and out. They just needed more hands, and they needed them quickly.
Our Approach: Working Alongside, Not Around
We did not come in to take over. From day one, our goal was to act as an extension of the client’s existing team, and ultimately eliminate the need for our services. Our engineers and drafters got up to speed on their drawing standards, CAD conventions, and release workflows so the work we produced was indistinguishable from what their own people would deliver. We directly integrated into the team and acted as an extension of their existing resources, not as an independent group that would get in the way.
As the backlog started to shrink, the pressure on their team eased, and drawings began flowing to the teams that needed them.
Scaling Down as Demand Lessened
Here’s the part that often surprises people: once the backlog was under control, we deliberately tapered off our involvement.
As the client’s workload returned to a level their in-house team could manage, we gradually reduced our hours and handed remaining work back to their drafters. There was no abrupt exit and no lingering overhead. The client paid for the support they needed when they needed it, and not a day longer.
For us, that’s what success looks like. The goal was never to become a permanent fixture. It was to get their team through a crunch and leave them in a stronger position than when we arrived.
Why As-Needed Engineering Works
This project captures the core idea behind our as-needed engineering services. Demand in engineering is rarely flat. Programs ramp up, revisions stack up, and unexpected projects land on already full plates. Staffing permanently for the peaks leaves you overstaffed in the valleys, and staffing for the valleys leaves you underwater when things get busy.
Flexible engineering support fills that gap. It gives you experienced people who can integrate with your team quickly, ramp up when the work demands it, and step back when it doesn’t. You keep control of your processes and standards, your core team stays focused on what they do best, and your costs track your actual workload.