Good design makes the difference in a company that serves other businesses well and stands out above the crowd. Computer-aided design, or CAD, is one way B2B companies can improve their services, becoming more productive and better meeting the needs of their customers.

By 2023, experts predict the CAD market to reach $11.2 billion globally. The number of businesses using CAD, especially 3D technology, grows annually. CAD is changing the way we design, and, in particular, the way B2B companies do business. Here are five ways CAD is making an impact.

1. Offer Innovation

Computer-aided design allows you to test out a variety of situations before they occur. It saves you from having to create expensive prototypes or develop a product and suddenly realize it doesn’t have the strength or ability to carry out a given task. When businesses use CAD, they can stretch their skills more than ever before.

Hensley Industries creates parts for equipment for construction. So, imagine a new bucket for a piece of excavation equipment or parts to swap out when the current ones wear down. With computer-aided design, engineers can push the limits of the function, while still making sure the equipment is stable.

Since their specialization is attachments and wear parts, figuring out how operators can replace a tooth on the bucket of an excavator quickly is a major concern. CAD allows engineers to run simulations while designing parts. They can see how the part will perform in a real-world situation and figure out a consumption ratio that works both for the businesses they serve and for their bottom line.

2. Personalizing Productions

CAD makes it easier to test minor changes and personalize products to meet the individual needs of clients. In a world where people expect things to fulfill their needs perfectly, this gives your business an edge over competitors. Instead of somewhat meeting the needs of businesses, you can exactly meet their needs.

In one report, 75 percent of consumers reported they want to buy from someone who knows them by name and tracks past purchases to make specific recommendations. It isn’t as easy to accomplish with B2B business, but CAD allows the ability to at least try different features to meet the specific needs of your customers.

3. Presenting a Solution to Clients

Working with other businesses often requires coming up with a solution to a client’s problem. You’ll need to present various answers until you find one that fixes things for the business owner or meets a definite need.

With the use of CAD, you can present the solution in a three-dimensional format, so the client sees exactly how the answer will look in real life. Even better, these solutions are digital, so you can present them via a virtual meeting, saving both of you time and effort.

Playworld creates playground equipment and uses CAD to come up with designs that work in a variety of settings. The company uses what they call their SketchUp 3D Warehouse to bring design ideas to life. They also have a library of CAD files if you want to see what other people have done creating play zones for children.

4. Improving Collaboration

Digital designs make it much easier to present your ideas to collaborators by uploading to the cloud and using a shared workspace. Imagine your client wants a few changes to the design. You make the changes in your software and upload some screenshots or a three-dimensional image or video to the workspace. The client then approves or asks for additional changes.

Gone are the days where you had to painstakingly create prototypes, only to be told they wouldn’t work and you had to start from scratch. CAD saves designers time and money. You’ll be able to take on more projects than before and manage them all seamlessly and efficiently.

5. Accessing Universal Data

Because many companies post their data to the cloud, future project managers benefit from the ideas that have succeeded in the past. If something didn’t work, you’ll be able to avoid that scenario easily. And if something does work, you’ll be able to build on those ideas and take them to the next level or higher.

Whether the information is only within your company from work with the client at hand or past clients, or different companies are sharing information, CAD allows storage of ideas and the ability to pull up specific files for adjustments.

Eagle Engineering uses CAD to help their engineers become increasingly efficient over time. In one step instead of multiple steps, their engineers can create a project by accessing information stored in the system. Then they can use a “streamlined package” to make modifications or correct an error. Other advantages include more precise designs and the ability to test a design before building it.

CAD Is Changing B2B

CAD is just one of the things changing the way businesses serve other businesses. The world is advancing by leaps and bounds, and computer design technology is only one component of creating new products. As CAD continues to develop and improve, expect to see even faster design capabilities and finely tuned features, unlike anything that was possible even a few years ago. If your business isn’t already using CAD, this should be the year you shift over to it.