How CNC Solutions Boosted Quote Volume by 50%

Background

CNC Solutions is a modern, ISO certified machine shop in Greece, delivering high precision, complex CNC machined components since 2003. Their floor runs 5 axis CNC equipment and advanced quality control systems to ensure that every part meets rigorous tolerance standards. 

Their values of easy communication, collaboration and leaning into innovation enables them the flexibility to serve start up and established companies for high precision, complex CNC machined parts and components. Beyond manufacturing, they shape the next generation of CNC machining talent as one of the few companies with an in house CNC training center. 

Challenge 

Balancing a high volume of orders and a lean estimation team, CNC Solutions had always wrestled with the critical quoting bottleneck. Their manual quoting took too much valuable time, and they knew there had to be a more efficient and scalable way to generate accurate quotes. 

Their quoting process was riddled with back and forths. From reaching out to the engineers, reaching out to production and coordinating suitable times for them to discuss. Even if they had all the other material costs ready, squeezing in the time to discuss the quote was often the first bottleneck that slowed them down. 

Estimations also took time, “especially in complex parts where you have to involve your CAM system to calculate and have time provisions”. 

Working with complex precision parts, their estimates and quotes needed to consider various factors and required calculations to be extremely accurate. 

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Solution

To address the need for speed while also balancing the accuracy of the estimates, CNC Solutions adopted AMFG. Designed for flexibility, AMFG fit the bill for CNC Solutions as it addressed their two key criteria that they had when considering Estimating & Quoting software: 

• The ability to handle emails from multiple accounts with a ticketing system
• To generate highly accurate calculations that are adjusted to their calculations 

AMFG is able to integrate emails directly into the interface, removing the hassle of downloading and uploading the files in an email chain into the system. Users can then create a ticket directly on AMFG with a clear RFQ trace to the email chain. 

Tickets are stored in an at a glance interface where all active RFQs are visible and enables users to track who the customers are or the status of the work, while also pulling out key specifications out of the PDFs and models that are attached. 

As a solution that is able to cater to both small and large machine shops, AMFG’s flexibility is aligned with CNC solution’s approach and clientele. With the customizability of the estimates based on custom logic baked into how AMFG calculates, it offers them the ability to adjust quotes based on their knowledge and experience to come up with accurate calculations. 

Results 

CNC Solutions saw significant positive development after implementing AMFG: 

• Time Savings
  The estimating department spends significantly less time estimating, with simple parts taking up to 50% less time than it used to. With AMFG generating the estimate and reducing manual input, estimators can focus on fine tuning to get precise quotes in a fraction of the time previously spent. 
• Increased Quote Capacity
  With the time savings, CNC Solutions increased quote turnaround throughput by 50%, with quoting volume increasing from 60 parts a week to about 90 parts a week. This enabled the team to capture more opportunities without adding headcount.
• Boosted Win Rates
  Achieved higher win rates by delivering precise, competitive quotes before the competition. The faster quotes have let them win new jobs that would have been previously lost due to slow response times, equipping them with faster response times.