Frequently Asked Questions

Product Support is a term used to describe the processes and analyses conducted during the equipment development phases that are focused on the optimizing the future support of that item. Analyses conducted during the design phase include reliability and maintainability, which provide an initial assessment of predicted failures and repair times. Testing provides insight into maintenance tasks, both preventive (inspection, cleaning, etc.) and corrective (repairs and replacements). Prior to fielding, final identification of spare parts and consumable materials needed are addressed. It is important to note that while commercial industries also develop manuals and training material, Product Support is a term and function primarily associated with military projects.

We believe there are very few companies that have the knowledge and experience that we do when it comes to development of technical documentation. Specifically, our understanding of the Product Support function allows our customers to have one company to turn to for a litany of analyses, reports and deliverables, including technical manuals, training material and the spares identification (Provisioning) process. Additionally, our 30+ years experience in the transit industry, developing manuals and training material, has provided us with unmatched levels of industry knowledge that eliminates any learning curve, with the requirements and the equipment.

No! Despite the initial gap in specific knowledge about your equipment, you writing your own documentation is not the best choice, all things considered. Just as you specialize in building your specific equipment, and build it better than anyone else, we specialize in creating quality documentation that is accurate, concise and highlights what is important. Additionally, we do this while minimizing the time needed from you, so you can continue to focus on your work, and allow your engineers to engineer.

A few minutes of your time for an initial discussion, and any technical data you can provide (specs, drawings, models, etc.). We’ll take it from there.

Absolutely. Over our 35 year history, our percentage of repeat business is extremely high, and we believe that is a testament to our work ethic, our core values and our integrity. We are partners with our customers, and provide them with clear lines of communication to our team, and direct access to our managers and executives to discuss any concerns.

Yes. We often need to convert legacy information in the course of creating new publications, and we can convert and update many legacy documents, from many different formats, including hardcopy.

We are ISO 9001:2015 certified, and are audited annually in order to retain that certification. Those recertification efforts are dependent on us proving that we have repeatable processes in place, which are documented, monitored, and updated as necessary. Departments, projects and processes are all subject to internal audits. Our commitment to delivering quality products is a prime directive at D & R.

Absolutely. As we’ve stated, the Product Support scope is extensive, and as a result, we’ve seen the CDRLs for Product Support dwarf the number of CDRLs for the actual equipment. On most defense projects, we are called upon by our customers to help them sort through the Product Support scope, identify what will be required of them, and ultimately help them price the effort.

Yes, we can help analyze the Product Support requirements, prepare the proper response, and ensure it aligns with the engineering development, test, and fielding activity.

a. We prioritize data security from the start by reviewing or establishing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before any data exchange.
b. We are fully compliant with NIST 800-171.
c. Customer Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is stored on secure, in-house servers—never in the cloud. Data is backed up every five minutes to a warm site, with weekly off-site backups.
d. Our internal network is isolated behind firewalls, with all remote access restricted to secure VPN connections. We maintain audit logs of all stored files.
e. All employees complete annual cybersecurity and CUI-handling training to ensure continued protection of customer data.