Part 2 of 2
By Sevan Titizian
Many point to the lure of inexpensive labour costs overseas as the main reason behind Canada’s inability to sustain a large-scale manufacturing sector. However, Tony Leung, owner and principal designer at E2 Jewellery in Markham, Ont says CAD can help keep some manufacturing local, since designers can tweak renderings quickly without the worry of distance, time, or language barrier.
“CAD helps local manufacturers if they have an understanding of CAD design,” he says. “Take stone setting, for instance. Having someone local to discuss details of stone placement and setting style on a ring designed with CAD software is easier than dealing with someone overseas.”
Chris Cicero, regional sales manager at Roland Canada, says CAD can encourage local manufacturing, though not on a mass-production scale. Most designs created with CAD technology, he says, are done in-house, especially for custommade pieces. However, the growing popularity of the technology has added another level of service to the industry, he adds. A manufacturer who does not have the software in-house can use CAD modelling businesses that take the design of a piece from an idea to a wax model.
One such operation is 3D Tech Designs located in Toronto. Owner John Tarabay says he’s noticed a significant increase in the number of businesses like his over the past few years, which he credits to having close proximity with clients. “The majority of the relationships with my customers extend beyond business and become personal, since we interact constantly over phone, e-mail, and in person,” Tarabay said. “Most importantly, we speak the same language. How can I make the same connection with someone overseas?”
According to Shele Letwin—sales and training manager at design software firm Gemvision—there is a demand for local versus foreign. “I remember even two years ago at the JCK Toronto jewellery show, there were a lot of people looking for local manufacturers because of the trouble they were having with overseas production,” she says. Communication is a major issue, she notes, and more and more companies have turned to local design. “In the past year alone, numerous companies have purchased our matrix software and no longer depend on overseas production for the design of their pieces.”
Cicero says there is certainly a market for CAD-designed jewellery, as more and more consumers want to personalize what they wear through custom design. “CAD won’t transform the industry, but it will keep it alive.”
