by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Most quoting workflows are built around one-off RFQs: a customer sends a drawing, you estimate time and material, add margin, and send a price. Recurring batch orders — where the same part ships weekly, monthly, or quarterly — break that model. If you quote every...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Composite parts look simple on paper — fiber, resin, cure. But anyone who has quoted a layup job knows the devil hides in the ply schedule, the bagging consumables, the autoclave cycle, and the tooling amortization. Miss one of those and a healthy margin evaporates...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Most shops still manage quotes through scattered emails, spreadsheets, and PDF attachments. A customer changes a tolerance, another revises a material spec, and a third asks for a rush lead time — all buried in different threads. The estimator chases clarifications,...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
When a customer sends an RFQ for a part that needs anodizing on the exterior, chromate conversion on the interior, and a dry-film lubricant on the threads, most estimators feel a knot tighten in their stomach. Each finish has its own prep, masking, cure time, and...
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
You’ve seen the RFQ: a precision CNC part, tight tolerances, and a note at the bottom — “Full FAI required per AS9102” or “CMM report with every shipment.” The geometry looks straightforward, but that inspection line changes everything....
by Chris Anjel | Aug 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Tooling is one of the most common line items that derails a quote. Whether it’s custom fixtures for a CNC run, molds for injection molding, or progressive dies for sheet metal, tooling costs are often underestimated, buried in overhead, or presented in a way...
