From Chaos to Faster, More Strategic Quoting

Between gathering all of the relevant RFQ information and adjusting pricing estimates for tens of quotes per day, it’s easy for job shop owners to lose track of where each quote stands. Read on to find out how Metalmite has been able to organize their quoting process and guarantee a 48-hour quote delivery for customers through strategic quoting.

Like many job shops, Metalmite knew the chaos of quoting all too well: the gathering of relevant RFQ information and working with imperfect pricing estimates, multiplied by a few hundred times every month. This, added to the pressure of delivering quotes on time–and tracking them all, all the time.

Founded in 1968, Metalmite is a family-owned, full-service precision CNC shop specializing in prototype to production CNC milling, as well as turning and wire EDM parts for a variety of industries.

For years, Metalmite had been down the ERP road but found it cumbersome and lacking adequate quote management and client communication. So, Tom, the President of Metalmite, did what many shops do–he continued to track quotes manually using a spreadsheet.

Chaos Brings Constant Challenge

To handle the hundreds of RFQs that arrived on Metalmite’s doorstep every month via phone calls, emails, and walk-ins, several people had been receiving and reviewing the RFQs: Tom, his executive assistant, the shop foreman, and members of the sales team. Everybody involved had a different way of gathering, summarizing, and delivering the details of each RFQ, so managing all of this through a spreadsheet became difficult. Then it grew pretty much impossible.

Metalmite needed a centralized, standardized view of the RFQs, their status, missing information, what needed review, and what was accepted. Misplaced quotes lead to missed deadlines and lost revenue opportunities. Too much time spent managing the front end of this process then leaves even less time to quote the job, let alone manufacture the product.

From Chaos to Faster, More Strategic Quoting

Without a comprehensive and centralized repository for the requests and the quotes, identifying and prioritizing the strategic, high-value jobs was a constant challenge for Metalmite.

Tom knew that every inefficiency was costing the shop. With occasionally irate customers, jobs lost to missed details or dates, and the potential reputational damage that can occur within the industry, Tom knew Metalmite needed to transform its quoting process. The question was how he was going to do it.

Tom heard about Paperless Parts through a friend, and what he heard intrigued him. Paperless Parts’ Smart RFQ Form enables customers to request a quote online, ensuring correct and complete RFQs so shops like Metalmite can start quoting immediately.

This welcomed process automation means that all requests are now submitted to the Paperless Parts repository. Tom and his team know which quotes are on or behind schedule, and which quotes have been won or lost. This centralized view gives Tom the tools to analyze which jobs are worth his focus while saving him the time he needs to do so.

Through a web-based process for receiving and accepting quotes, Metalmite transformed its quoting efficiency by being able to concentrate on the most strategic jobs and leverage the digital process to manage many of the smaller ones. When Metalmite mailed customers to introduce the Smart RFQ form, they provided a 48-hour turnaround time guarantee.

“Paperless Parts is more modern than ERP solutions and so much easier to use,” Tom said. “The best part is that I can look at our queue of work and organize my day. It keeps us on track and allows us to focus on more strategic work.”