For machine shops, fabricators and assemblers
About two minutes.
Practical AI for manufacturers, from RFQ to order
See which part of your quoting and order work AI could take on first, and what it costs you now.
For a machine shop handling 200 RFQs a month, with time costed at £19.67 an hour
- Reading and logging RFQsStart here33.3 h, £655
- Chasing missing information30.0 h, £590
- Entering accepted orders17.5 h, £344
- Estimating stays with your estimators120.0 h
Settle first
One inbox for enquiries, and a named person who approves every quote.
- First three jobs
- 80.8 hours a month
- What those hours cost
- £1,589 a month
You know AI could help. The hard part is where to start.
Your estimators are good at pricing. The hours go on everything around it.
What the check gives you- Before the price
- Reading the enquiry, finding the right drawing revision and chasing the quantity or date nobody sent.
- Around the price
- Typing up the quote, attaching your terms and checking a revised drawing against the last one.
- Once the order comes in
- Keying the purchase order in and checking it matches the quote.
Six steps between an RFQ and an order
The check times each step: how many a month and how long each takes. For a machine shop handling 200 RFQs a month, that's 242.5 hours.
What the free check gives you
A one-page plan to print or save.
- The job to hand over first
- Ranked by the hours it takes each month.
- What it costs you now
- Your hours times your hourly cost, without guessing at savings.
- Who approves, and where drawings go
- The two or three things to put in place before any AI.
- Four weeks on one job
- Time it before and after, and carry on only if it's quicker.
Templates for the quoting office
Free in Word, Excel and PDF, for made-to-order work.
Word, Excel and PDF
Quotation template
A quote set out for made-to-order work: price breaks, lead time, tooling and terms.
Word, Excel and PDF
RFQ template
The details every enquiry should arrive with, so estimating starts without chasing.
Excel, Word and PDF
Bill of materials template
Parts, quantities and costs on one sheet, ready to price from.
Word and PDF
Price increase letter
A plain letter telling customers about a price change, with the notice and dates.
Plain guides
For the people who quote and take orders.
Start small and keep control
A pilot on one job, using your own enquiries.
Stays with your people
- The price
- Approving the quote
- Contract terms
- What goes to the customer
Drawings stay where you choose
The plan says which jobs can run inside the systems you already use.
A person signs off every output
Nothing goes to a customer until someone you name has checked it.
Your answers stay with you
Nothing bought until it saves time
The pilot runs on what you have. Software comes later, if at all.
What directors ask before they start
Other questions can go in a review request after the check.
Start the free checkWill AI set our prices?
No. Pricing stays with your estimators and whoever approves the quote. AI can find similar past quotes and draft the quotation, and a person checks it before it goes.
Do we need new software?
Not to start with. The pilot runs on your email, quoting spreadsheet and ERP or MRP system. Anything new comes after it shows the job gets quicker.
Can customer drawings go into AI?
Only where you decide. Some drawings and prices are confidential under customer agreements, so the check asks what can leave your systems. If nothing can, the plan picks jobs that run inside tools you control, or from the enquiry text alone.
What does the check cost?
Nothing. You get a one-page plan, and you can ask for a review of it if you'd like a second opinion.
Does this replace our ERP or quoting system?
No. Your ERP, MRP or quoting spreadsheet stays as the record. AI works on the jobs around it, such as reading the enquiry, drafting the quote letter or checking a purchase order against the quote.