The drawing is only the beginning.
A model may show the shape, while the drawing specifies the tolerance, finish or inspection requirement that changes the production route. Missing information should become a question, not an invisible assumption.
Solution 01 · Estimation & quoting
The next quote should not have to wait for the owner.
Drawings, specifications, product knowledge and pricing rules. We connect the information behind a good estimate so your team can prepare the quote, and your experts can focus on the decisions that matter.
Where work gets stuck
The difficult part happens before anyone presses “generate quote”.
Your best estimator is also the bottleneck.
Setup allowances, difficult materials, preferred suppliers and customer exceptions sit in experience and old spreadsheets. Everyone waits for the same person to translate an RFQ into a credible price.
A fast quote can still be the wrong quote.
An old revision, an expired supplier price or a delivery promise made without checking capacity can remove the margin before the job starts. Reusing a previous quote needs a comparison, not a blind copy.
How we would build it
From enquiry to an estimate you can stand behind.
We separate extracting the request, calculating the cost and approving the offer. Each step has a clear owner.
RFQ, drawing or equipment specification arrives
System · preparation
Collect the latest files, quantities, delivery requirement and customer history. Flag conflicting revisions or missing details.
Check before proceeding. Incomplete specification? Create a clarification task. Keep the estimate pending until the missing requirement is confirmed.
What needs pricing?
Custom manufacture
- System
Prepare the estimating pack
Extract requirements and match approved materials and processes.
- Your team
Confirm the production route
Check tooling, tolerances, subcontract work and inspection.
- System
Run the costing method
Use the configured estimating engine or approved cost model.
If the path stopsUnfamiliar geometry or process: route to the estimator before using a cost.
Configured equipment
- System
Assemble the configuration
Base unit, compatible options, attachments and supplier pricing.
- Your team
Resolve commercial exceptions
Validate trade-in assumptions, finance dependencies and availability.
- System
Prepare the offer
Keep exclusions, validity and delivery assumptions visible.
If the path stopsUnverified compatibility or stock: leave the promise unconfirmed.
Repeat parts & consumables
- System
Find the right catalogue items
Match aliases, customer history, pack sizes and quantity breaks.
- Your team
Confirm any ambiguous match
A similar description is not proof of an interchangeable part.
- System
Refresh costs and terms
Apply current authorised prices and customer agreements.
If the path stopsNo reliable item match: ask the rep, never invent a product code.
Confirmed handoff
Estimator or sales owner approves the quote
Check margin, scope, freight and promised date. Send the approved version and retain its source files, assumptions and next action.
Built around your business
The same discipline.
Different operating realities.
For fabrication and machining
Sheet-metal estimates may depend on nesting, pierces, cutting time, bends and finishing. CNC work adds setups, tooling, tolerances and inspection. We map those inputs to your specialist software and validated shop rates. AI prepares and checks the information; the costing method must reflect how your shop actually makes the part.
For equipment suppliers
A machine quote may involve a base configuration, attachments, lead time, trade-in and delivery. A repeat consumables order may need only a verified SKU and account price. We build separate paths so a simple reorder does not inherit the approval burden of a capital-equipment sale.
Start with the systems you own.
Specialist platforms such as Quotation Factory already support sophisticated manufacturing estimates. We assess that fit first. Where your estimator, CRM and ERP already work well, we keep them and connect the intake, rules, approvals and handoffs around them. A general-purpose language model should not invent cycle times or selling prices.
A useful result is measurable
Agree the baseline.
Then improve it.
We define the measures before the build, then review them with the people using the workflow.
- 01Quote turnaround
- Track time from a complete RFQ to an approved quote, separately from time waiting for customer details.
- 02Estimator effort
- Compare preparation and review time for similar job types, not a mixed average of easy and complex work.
- 03Commercial quality
- Review revisions, missing-cost corrections and estimated versus actual margin after the job.
Before we begin
Practical questions.
Can you estimate directly from drawings?
We can build a drawing-to-estimate workflow where the file quality, supported formats and estimating tools make it viable. We first test representative jobs with your estimator. Unsupported geometry, unclear dimensions and unusual processes go to review. We do not promise reliable pricing from any drawing.
Will we need to replace our quoting software?
Usually the first question is how much of the process your current software can already handle. We may configure it, integrate a specialist product or build a narrow missing step. The audit establishes which option is justified.
What do you need to assess this?
A few representative RFQs, their final quotes, your current estimating method and, where available, actual job costs. Include one routine job, one awkward job and one that went through several revisions.
Start with the audit
Show us where
the work slows down.
We trace the process with your team, check what the current tools can do, and agree which improvement is worth building first.
Talk to us about your process