Engineering Reading Matters

In the last issue of CAD Spaghetti we looked at the work-related reading habits of CAD managers operating within the AEC and electronic engineering sectors (see Reading Matters).  This month we turn our attention to the mechanical and process engineering sectors.

Mechanical Browsing

We interviewed managers of CAD and related functions at 247 companies operating within the mechanical engineering sector.  What type of publication are they are most likely to turn to for a good, work-related read?

Two-thirds of our sample said they read a relevant industry/trade magazine on a regular basis, while 37% read a publication from a professional association.  A quarter are regular readers of an independent CAD/design solution magazine.

Regular e-readers are few and far between - only a very small proportion of the readers for each of the above categories said they read the publication concerned in electronic format (with the exception of the CAD email newsletter).  The 15% of managers who said they have no time/inclination to read any of the above types of publication is higher than we reported last issue for AEC and electronic engineering CAD managers.

Frequent Reads

Each manager was asked to name one work-related publication that they read most frequently.  Only one stood out however, followed by around 7 publications identified by between 3% and 7% of the sample.  The following three received the most mentions:

• The Engineer (23% of the sample)
• MCAD (7%)
• Eureka (6%)

Processing Information

We interviewed a smaller sample of CAD managers from the process engineering sector (95 people) so we should be more wary of the error margins for the proportions reading each type of publication.  Trade magazines were again identified by the highest proportion of managers as their most regular read, followed by CAD/design solution magazines.

Widely Read

When asked to identify their most frequent work-related read, our sample of process engineering CAD managers came up with the widest range of publications out of the four sectors surveyed on this topic.  The forty or so titles included 'Solids and Bulk Handling', 'Plastics and Rubber Weekly', and 'Pipe Line'; but the following two received the most mentions:

• The Engineer (20% of the sample)
• Computer Weekly (9%)

Conclusion

As the advertising industry as a whole struggles to climb out of recession, this survey touches on some of the issues faced by computer aided technology suppliers when planning their advertising spend.   Publications can produce impressive looking reach figures that can mask the realities of what decision makers are actually reading on a regular basis.