I have been tasked with reworking our CAD management system.  We have three designers/engineers (and growing), a few low volume product lines and a lot of one-off projects, many of which are derivative of other projects.  We make industrial machinery, so our parts are typically gears, motors, machined components, bearings...etc.  We don't make any small derivative components like resistors that warrant a fully intelligent part system, but I would consider a semi intelligent system. Our current part base is in the 1000-5000 range.

I would like to preface all of this with we will not be getting a PDM program, and I ask anyone commenting to leave PDM out of this discussion as it is not an option now, despite its potential for efficiency.  This is why this isnt posted in the File Management section, as there isnt an non-pdm category.

Here are my questions:

1. If you like your current Part Number, Part Description and/or CAD folder structure, please can you share how it works and why you think it works.
2. If your part number structure is project based, how do you handle common parts between projects.
3. If your folder structure is project based, how to do you handle common parts between projects.\
4. If you use part numbers based on class, what are your class breakdowns (mfg parts, purchased parts, fasteners, assemblies, top level assemblies, parts...?)
5. If your folder structure is based on class what are your class breakdowns. 
6. Does anyone have a good list of typical part description abbreviations (bracket=brkt, hydraulic=hydr), that we can use as a guide to make sure we all use the same system.
7. I have heard of companies using one folder for all designed parts, even if there are 1000's.  This takes care of the issue of parts being used in multiple folders, but how is it to work with.

Thanks for your input, and my applogies if some of the info is repeated from other blogs.  All examples suggested, I will summarize into a new blog post for future users.

Cam