Engineering is a complex field and an engineering directory would be a great help to practitioners. Before we look at the specifics, let us first understand what engineering means.

What Is Engineering?

Engineering could mean several things:
Design and development of Structures, Machines, Apparatus, Manufacturing Processes and any combination of these
Construction or operation of the machines, apparatus or processes with a full awareness of their design
Forecasting the behavior of these under different operating conditions

The objective of the engineering activity could be to carry out some function, improve economics of operation or ensure safety to life and property.

Engineering activities would involve developing designs to meet the objectives, testing to check whether the product or process performs as intended, without causing any harm to persons or property, and finally constructing the product and/or organizing production facilities.

The complexity of the engineering function would be evident even from the brief discussion above.

How Does an Engineering Directory Help?

Let us take a look at an engineering directory to see a typical approach.

* Engineering Categories

** Automotive

*** Paint & Finishes, Parts & Accessories, ...

** Building & Civil

*** Consulting / Design, Materials, ...

** Chemical

*** Pumps, Measurement, ...

** Electrical

*** Lighting, Cables, Motor Control, ...

* Industry Categories

** Architectural

*** Consulting / Design, Structure, ...

** Communications

*** Networking, Connectors, ...

** Food & Beverage

*** Conveyors, Hoses & Fittings, ...

** General

*** Docs & Translations, Signage, ...
....
(Source: http://www.engnetglobal.com/ )

Engineering section of the Yahoo Directory has sections like Quality Management, Reliability Engineering and Journals, in addition to several Industry Categories.

What is significant is that there is an attempt to match the engineering directory listings with the complexity of the field. There are major sections, like Building & Civil, supported by more specific sub sections like Consulting/Design, Materials and so on.

A harried engineering practitioner would indeed find the engineering directory a high value resource. With its help she or he can locate urgently needed services or components to complete the task in hand. The practitioner can also explore the alternative solutions available in the market, which is also an important part of her or his work.

Regional Directories

Listing only the suppliers in a particular region often reinforces the niche character of an engineering directory. This enables buyers to locate sellers near them. The user needs to go global only if a nearby supplier is not available.

In addition to helping local buyers find nearby sources, regional engineering directories also showcase the engineering talent available in a particular region. This could help businesses in the region to get orders from other regions.

Conclusion

An engineering directory is a high value resource for the harried engineering practitioner working to meet target dates. The practitioner could explore the solutions available in the market, and also locate sources for essential components and services.

Regional engineering directories could tell the world about the engineering talent available in a particular region, in addition to helping local businesses to find nearby suppliers.

About the Author:

Daniel Frency is with businessmagnet, an award winning business engineering directory listing over 70,000 businesses offering over 20,000 products and services. The directory indexes listings by company, town, postcode and product, making it very user-friendly.