Costimator Offers Total Process Improvement

For years, MTI Systems Inc. has touted its Costimator estimating and quoting software as a program dedicated to improving cost estimating and quoting for manufacturers, both suppliers and OEMs.

As it turns out, Gardner Manufacturing Co., Horicon, WI, has discovered this software can be something even better than just a cost-estimating platform – they are saying it is a total process improvement.

"We did things the old fashioned way – like using hand-written routings," says Robert Marschke, estimating engineer, Gardner Manufacturing. "Our enterprise resource program (ERP) needed a true estimating program to enable estimates based on manufacturing time."

Gardner Manufacturing provides custom sheet metal manufacturing in a variety of industries ranging from energy, military, electronics, heavy equipment, and medical. The company's 160,000 square foot facility features a robust array of manufacturing capabilities, including a sheet metal fabrication shop, weld, and paint shop.

In 2007, Gardner began searching for new estimating software when the demand for estimates and quotes had outpaced the company's ability to provide them. Mired in time study charts and converting data, the team found itself struggling to maintain consistency and keep pace with the requests. Costimator became an instant difference-maker; improving Gardner's quote output and their overall decision-making process.

"Costimator is a complete game changer for us," Marschke says. "With this software we can view multiple estimates at the same time, improving our decision-making process making it more analytical instead of relying on guesswork. It's not only helping us manage our quotes and estimates better – it is flat out giving our customers better prices."

In an industry where transparency can be an issue, the Costimator quoting software provides the ability to translate complex data into easy to understand information and has provided an unexpected advantage over their competition.

"The ability to deliver our customers with a breakout of data is a tremendous advantage," he explains. "We're now able to provide a special kind of transparency to customers. While it helps make our decision making easier, it does the same for our customers. There is not a price in the world that you can put on trust."

"At the days end, we haven't found a platform that comes close to what Costimator can do," he concluded. "It is not only helped solve our existing problem, but its impact throughout the periphery of our business has been profound and afforded us the opportunity to capitalize on a lot of unforeseen opportunities. It is a total process improvement."