The $300K Problem: How Manual FEA Reporting is Draining Your Engineering Budget
- Hichem Djadoudi
- Jun 1
- 3 min read
Manual FEA reporting can quietly cost engineering firms over $300,000 per year. That’s not a typo — it’s a hidden expense buried in repetitive formatting, copy-pasting, and report revisions. Automation solves this problem by saving time, eliminating errors, and freeing up engineers for real work. In this blog, we break down the true cost of manual reporting and how automation delivers massive ROI.
What Is Manual FEA Reporting?
Manual FEA (Finite Element Analysis) reporting refers to the labor-intensive process of exporting simulation results from FEA software like ANSYS, Abaqus, or Nastran into standardized document formats. This typically includes:
Exporting plots, charts, and tables
Copy-pasting screenshots into Word or PowerPoint
Formatting section titles, figure captions, and TOCs
Manually verifying numerical outputs
Writing repetitive report commentary
While necessary, these steps add no engineering value. They're administrative overhead dressed as technical work.
How Manual Reporting Works (and Why It’s Broken)
Here’s a typical manual FEA report workflow:
Simulation Completion: The engineer finalizes the model and runs the simulation.
Result Export: They generate plots, graphs, and tables from the FEA software.
Formatting: These outputs are pasted into a Word template with branding, captions, and annotations.
Rechecking Data: The engineer validates results again to ensure no error was introduced during formatting.
Internal Review: The report goes through review cycles and layout tweaks.
Now multiply that by 5 engineers, 12 hours/week each, and you’re already at 3,000+ hours/year.
The Real Cost: $300K in Wasted Time
Let’s break it down:
Task | Time per Week | Engineers | Annual Cost (Est. $75/hr) |
Manual reporting | 12 hours | 5 engineers | $234,000 |
Admin & error corrections | 3 hours | 5 engineers | $58,500 |
Review cycles due to format errors | 1 hour | 5 engineers | $19,500 |
Total Annual Cost | — | — | $312,000 |
That’s over $300K spent on formatting reports instead of solving engineering problems.
What You Gain with FEA Report Automation
Modern automation tools allow you to:
Auto-generate reports directly from FEA output
Insert consistent branding and formatting templates
Eliminate human error in table/chart updates
Include dynamic content with project-specific variables
Export to PDF, Word, or cloud sharing formats in seconds
Results? What used to take 12+ hours now takes under 5 minutes.
Use Cases: Real Results from Real Teams
✅ Case 1: Aerospace Firm
Problem: 6 engineers spending 60+ hours/week on reports
Solution: Custom automation plug-in for Nastran
Result: Cut reporting time by 92%, saving ~$280K/year
✅ Case 2: Structural Consultant
Problem: Inconsistent report formatting causing client rework
Solution: Automated Word/PDF exports from ANSYS
Result: Zero format errors, faster client approvals, boosted reputation
Pricing: What Does Automation Cost?
Automating your FEA reporting might cost anywhere between:
Package | Price | ROI |
Custom Script or Macro | $1,000–$5,000 | ROI in < 1 month |
Commercial Tool (annual license) | $5,000–$15,000/year | ROI in 2–3 months |
Fully Integrated Solution | Custom Quote | ROI scales with team size |
When compared to $300K annual manual costs, even a high-end solution pays for itself almost immediately.
Alternatives: What If You Don’t Automate?
If automation isn’t adopted, firms often:
Hire more engineers just to manage reports
Delay delivery timelines, frustrating clients
Risk mistakes from manual error propagation
Overpay for non-engineering labor
That’s the cost of staying manual — not just in money, but in opportunity lost.
FAQ
Q: How much time can FEA report automation really save?
A: Most teams report a 90–99% time reduction — from 15 hours to under 15 minutes per report.
Q: Does automation work with all FEA software?
A: Yes, most tools can integrate with ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran, SAP2000, FEMAP, and more via scripting or APIs.
Q: Will engineers need to learn new software?
A: No — automation integrates into your current workflow. Most tools use your existing environment.
Q: Is it secure to use automation for client reports?
A: Yes. Automation ensures consistency and can include access control, versioning, and PDF security options.
Q: What’s the ROI of automating FEA reporting?
A: Typical ROI is 10x to 50x within the first year, depending on team size and report volume.
Conclusion
Manual FEA reporting is an invisible budget drain costing you hundreds of thousands per year. With automation, you not only save money — you also elevate engineering output, client satisfaction, and team morale.
Stop formatting. Start engineering.
📧 Contact WorQuick to see how you can cut reporting time from 15 hours to 5 minutes.
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