Mesh Connector
← All use cases · Manufacturing
Stop losing RFQs to email chaos
Your shop runs around the clock, but quoting still lives in phone tag and inbox searches. We build customer portals where buyers upload their specs, get an estimate, and track the job from design through production — without a single phone call.
The Problem
The hidden cost of manual quoting
A vertically integrated shop — design, machining, tryout, production under one roof — selling to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers whose procurement teams run lean and expect supplier portals. But the website has a “Request A Quote” button that dumps everything into email.
Every RFQ triggers a manual handoff: sales digs through attachments, engineering estimates hours, a PM checks capacity, and someone calls the customer back three days later.
Meanwhile that customer sent the same RFQ to four competitors — and two of them have portals that replied in twenty minutes. You are losing work before you ever see the specs.
A shop running dozens of simultaneous programs has more than enough volume to justify automating this. It just needs someone to build it.
- RFQs arrive as email attachments with no tracking number
- Incomplete submissions are only discovered after someone opens them
- “Where’s my order?” calls interrupt the people running the jobs
- Faster-responding competitors win the work by default
What We’d Build
A branded portal that quotes and tracks jobs in real time
A custom web application where your customers manage the whole lifecycle — RFQ submission to final delivery — without picking up the phone. Priced at our published rates.
RFQ submission module
$4,500–$7,500. Secure upload for CAD files (STEP, IGES, DXF), part specs, and delivery requirements. Auto-validation flags incomplete submissions before they reach your queue. Customers get a confirmation with a tracking number and an estimated review time.
Automated quote estimation
$6,000–$10,000. Rule-based logic prices standard work instantly. Complex jobs — hybrid tooling, engineering changes, large-format work — are flagged and routed to the right PM, with the customer told a response is coming within 24 hours.
Real-time job tracking
$5,000–$8,000. Customers log in and see live status by stage: design, machining, tryout, production, shipping. Fed by your shop-floor system, so the dashboard is the same truth your team is working from.
ERP / MES integration layer
$4,000–$6,500. Two-way sync between the portal and your shop-floor system — a manufacturing execution system, Prophet 21, or a custom database. New RFQs create job records; floor updates push to the customer dashboard. No double entry.
Users & permissions
$2,000–$3,500. Role-based access: procurement sees all their company’s jobs, engineers see technical specs, finance sees invoices. Your team gets admin views to approve quotes, update status, and attach inspection data.
Mobile-responsive & branded
$2,500–$4,000. Fully branded to your identity, and built for desktop, tablet, and phone — because your customers’ engineers are on the shop floor, not chained to a desk.
Example Data
What it looks like in action
A sample RFQ dashboard as a buyer would see it. These rows are illustrative samples, not real jobs.
| Job ID | Part description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RFQ-2847 | Progressive die, steel bracket | Quote approved — design in progress (45%) |
| RFQ-2851 | Stamping run, aluminum housing | Machining — scheduled, ETA next week |
| RFQ-2839 | Die repair, Class A surface | Tryout scheduled — awaiting approval |
| RFQ-2801 | Production stamping, stainless | Shipping — partial delivery, balance in transit |
Every customer sees only their own jobs. Every job shows the current stage, the responsible team, and the next milestone. No phone calls required.
What it costs
Total scope $23,500–$39,500, billed 50% to start and 50% on delivery. Typical timeline is 8–12 weeks from kickoff to launch, depending on integration complexity and how much data has to migrate.
You do not have to buy all six pieces at once — the RFQ module and tracking dashboard stand on their own, and the integration layer can follow.
- Free discovery session — we audit your quoting workflow and spec the integration points before you commit a dollar.
- You own all code and IP. No licensing fees, no vendor lock-in.
- No long-term contract. Pay for the build, then run it yourself or hire us for maintenance.
- We reply to every inquiry within one business day.
Your competitors are still quoting by email
Be the shop that replies in twenty minutes with a live tracking link. Buyers consolidate their vendor lists around suppliers who make procurement easy — tell us how your quoting works today and we’ll scope the build in one free session.
Scope this use case