Precision estimating from real performance
Quoting relies on theoretical standards and manual entry of speeds and feeds. The ERP defaults — a standard scrap rate, a standard milling time — miss the hidden costs the shop actually incurs: setup-time creep, cooling requirements, the higher scrap a specific bore geometry produces on a specific machine. Quotes drift below the target margin.
Quotes built on theoretical standards, not actual performance; hidden costs erode margin job after job; the same estimating error repeats.
Mispriced work is unstable work — a risk to continuity of supply on their programme.
The agent bridges engineering drawings and real shop-floor costings. Quoting a high-tolerance aerospace bracket where the ERP assumes a 10% scrap rate, it intervenes: "parts with this internal bore geometry have historically run at 22% scrap on Machine 4; I have adjusted the quote to protect £1,200 of margin." It refines the next quote from the last five similar jobs.
Quotes anchored to actual performance; target margins protected; estimating that learns from every completed job.
A financially stable supplier — the foundation of reliable long-term supply.
