Manufacturing & Engineering
Workflow automation for manufacturing and engineering businesses
The daily reality
What the work actually looks like
- An RFQ arrives with drawings and a specification, and someone has to work out material, labour and machine time before quoting.
- Costing is done in a spreadsheet, then the quotation is typed separately in a different format.
- A confirmed order is handed to production on a printed job card, disconnected from the original quotation.
- The production schedule is tracked on a whiteboard or in someone's head, so priorities shift without anyone downstream knowing.
- Quality checks are recorded on paper and filed, with no easy way to trace a defect back to a batch or supplier.
- Dispatch paperwork (delivery note, packing list) is prepared again from scratch at the end of the job.
- Invoicing waits until someone remembers the job is complete, and collections are chased manually afterwards.
Where it breaks down
Costing and quoting are disconnected
Material and labour costing lives in one file and the customer-facing quotation in another, so margins are estimated rather than tracked.
Production loses the context of the order
Once a job reaches the shop floor, changes to specification or quantity often do not make it back to the original quotation or order record.
Quality data is not connected to anything
Inspection results are recorded but rarely linked to the batch, the supplier or the customer, so recurring issues are hard to trace.
Dispatch to invoice takes too long
A completed job can sit for days before it is invoiced, simply because dispatch and accounts are not working from the same trigger.
The connected flow
How the operation runs once it is connected
RFQ logged
Incoming RFQs are captured with drawings and specification attached to one record.
Costing built
Material, labour and overhead costing is calculated and stored against the RFQ.
Quotation issued
The quotation is generated from the costing, not re-typed separately.
Order processed
A confirmed order creates a job card that carries the original specification forward.
Production tracked
Job status moves through production stages that are visible beyond the shop floor.
Quality recorded
Inspection results are logged against the batch and linked to the order.
Dispatch prepared
Delivery note and packing list are generated from the completed job.
Invoice and collection
The invoice is raised on dispatch, with reminders scheduled automatically.
Systems that fit
What we usually build first in this industry
Quotation & Sales Automation
Costing accuracy is the first thing that affects margin, so connecting costing directly to the quotation comes first.
02Workflow & SOP Automation
Production and quality steps need defined owners and handovers so a job does not depend on one supervisor's memory.
03Management Dashboard & Business Intelligence
Once production stages are tracked, owners get one view of what is in progress, delayed or ready to dispatch.
04Invoice & Payment Follow-up Automation
Tying invoicing to the dispatch step removes the delay between a completed job and a raised invoice.
Questions we usually get asked
Map your RFQ-to-collection flow
Book an AI business audit and we will show you where costing, production and dispatch are losing time to re-work.