Development of an Automated Estimation and Quoting Platform for Manufacturing Operations

The client has outgrown their manual and semi-automated estimation processes, which rely on spreadsheets and legacy in-house software. This approach hampers collaboration among departments, makes updating quotes inefficient during raw material price fluctuations, and increases risk of errors. The lack of seamless integration with their ERP system results in redundant data entry and delays in quote generation, affecting responsiveness and profitability.

A mid-sized manufacturing company specializing in custom production with extensive product options requiring efficient and collaborative pricing and order management.

• Reduce quote preparation time significantly to enhance sales responsiveness.
• Enable simultaneous access and collaboration across multiple departments and sales representatives.
• Automate updates for raw material price changes across existing quotes to minimize manual effort.
• Integrate the estimation software seamlessly with the existing ERP system to prevent duplicate data entry.
• Improve workflow efficiency with digital work queues and copy-paste functionality for estimate components.
• Achieve measurable labor savings, aiming for an approximate improvement of 30% in quote-related time and effort.
• Realize a return on investment of at least 30% through increased operational efficiency.

• Multi-user access allowing department and remote sales team collaboration.
• Integration with existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to sync data and eliminate double entry.
• Automated business rules to generate preliminary quotes quickly, with override options for special case adjustments.
• Batch processing to update quotes automatically with raw material price fluctuations.
• Digital work queue replacing manual or paper-based inboxes for quote approvals and modifications.
• Ability to attach PDF drawings and supporting documents to each estimate.
• Functionality to copy sections from one quote to another for efficiency.

• ERP system for data synchronization and order processing
• Document management or PDF attachment system
• Material pricing databases or APIs for real-time updates

• System must support multiple concurrent users with minimal latency
• Secure access controls for different user groups
• Reliable automated batch processes with error handling
• Scalable to accommodate growth in order volume and data

Implementation of the proposed system aims to reduce labor hours spent on estimates by approximately 30-35%, enable faster quote turnaround times, and improve collaboration across departments. The automation and integrations are projected to yield an ROI of at least 30%, significantly enhancing overall operational efficiency and profitability.