by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Every digital manufacturer knows the feeling: a customer needs parts yesterday, and they’re willing to pay a premium. The question is — how much premium? Price too low and you eat the overtime, expedited shipping, and schedule disruption. Price too high and you...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Customer-supplied material (CSM) shows up in RFQs more often than most shops expect. A customer wants to use their certified bar stock, their consigned powder, or their specialty filament. On paper it looks like a win: lower material cost, faster quote turnaround. In...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You know your machines. You know your materials. You know your people. But if your quoting process lives in spreadsheets, email threads, and someone’s head, you’re almost certainly leaving money on the table — often without realizing it.Digital...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You sent the quote. The customer said thanks. Then silence. Two days later they award the job to a competitor who quoted in twenty minutes. Sound familiar?In digital manufacturing, quoting speed is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between winning...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Ask any shop owner where their biggest headaches come from, and you’ll hear the same story: the quote says one thing, the work order says another, and the floor does something completely different. By the time the part ships, nobody’s quite sure what the...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You quoted the part at $45 each based on material and machine time. The customer ordered 50 pieces. You ran the job, shipped it, and realized you lost $800 because the setup took 6 hours — not the 90 minutes you estimated.Setup costs are the silent margin killer in...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
If your quotes feel competitive but your margins keep shrinking, the problem often starts with an underestimated machine hour rate. Many digital manufacturers use a simple formula — purchase price divided by expected hours — and stop there. That approach misses the...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You sent the quote. The customer said they’d review it. Three days later — silence. You’re busy, they’re busy, and the job sits in limbo. Multiply that by twenty open quotes and you’ve got a pipeline full of maybes instead of purchase...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Every shop knows the feeling: a customer needs parts yesterday, they’ll pay a premium, and the order looks like easy money. But rush orders have a habit of turning profitable jobs into margin killers once you account for the real costs.The problem isn’t...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You know the drill. A new RFQ lands in your inbox. You open the STEP file, spin the model, glance at the material, and a number pops into your head. “Call it $450 and 3 days.” You hit send.Two weeks later the job ships. Actual cost: $620. Actual time: 5...
