How Absolute Machine and Tooling, a ReNEW Manufacturing Solutions Company, Transformed its Quoting Process with Paperless Parts

Background

Established in 1994, Absolute Machine and Tooling (AMT) has earned its place as one of the leading CNC machining service providers in Texas and beyond. They deliver precision machining services to industries ranging from healthcare to aerospace, semiconductors, oil fields, and more.

In July 2023, ReNEW Manufacturing Solutions acquired AMT, helping to expand its operations, continue its legacy, and facilitate superior quality services.

Challenge

Cres Ferrell, CEO of ReNEW Manufacturing Solutions, became aware of a key challenge during the companies’ partnership: AMT was struggling with its quoting process. They were relying solely on their ERP to quote, which lacked flexibility and created duplicative work, causing inefficiencies throughout their quoting workflow.

Cres noticed that critical management personnel often found themselves overwhelmed with dual responsibilities. “The general manager told me that there were some days he just had no time to get to quotes,” Cres recalled. “That was a red flag—it wasn’t his fault, but we needed to find a solution as soon as possible. Without timely quotes, business growth would stagnate.”

Customer demands underscored the need for fast quote turnaround times; RFQs submitted by Tier 1 OEMs often required quotes to be ready in four hours or less.

Solution

The inefficiencies riddling AMT’s existing quoting process prompted Cres and his business partners to search for a more effective solution. The team discovered Paperless Parts through an article detailing how another multi-site manufacturing organization, Consolidated Machine & Tool, had successfully streamlined its operations and grown its businesses using Paperless Parts.

Implementing Paperless Parts revolutionized AMT’s quoting process. “Paperless Parts has helped streamline the quoting process in a big way,” says Eric Anderson, AMT’s Lead Engineering Estimator. He attributes the software’s user-friendly interface and automation capabilities to his ability to generate quotes more quickly and efficiently. Paperless Parts also integrates seamlessly with AMT’s ERP system, JobBOSS², eliminating manual data entry, duplicative work, and human error from the front office through to the shop floor.

“Paperless Parts can and should be the center of communication. There should be a team mentality before a quote reaches the customer, where everyone has skin in the game. The more people who are utilizing Paperless, the better the results.”

Eric is enjoying the flexibility Paperless Parts has introduced to AMT’s quoting process: “I gave a customer a quote yesterday—which I completed in about 17 minutes—and they came back and asked me to revise the quote. All I needed to do was add expedite fees, which I was able to do in under 5 minutes.”

The streamlined quoting workflow not only saves the AMT team time and energy, but demonstrates their expertise to clients. “I get more ‘thank you so much for the quick turnaround’ emails from my customers more than probably anything else,” Eric says. “The second most common email I get is, ‘Wow this quote looks great!’” Customers particularly appreciate the fair, transparent prices offered. “I had a potential new customer send me a smiley face in their email; that’s not something you really see in the business world from someone who you’ve never interacted with before. It feels pretty good to get those reactions.”

The Paperless Parts team ensured a smooth implementation process and is actively working with AMT and its sister company, TIW Machine & Fabrication, to help them optimize its enterprise-wide workflow. “The Paperless Parts team is incredible to work with,” says Eric. “They design our system to identify things as a machinist would. It’s not like implementing an out-of-the-box ERP software; it’s flexible and adapts to our unique needs.”

Results

With the help of Paperless Parts, AMT has been able to:

• Set the business up for growth. Before Paperless Parts, AMT was struggling to return quotes at all, let alone in the 4-hour window required by many of its Tier 1 OEM customers. Now that they’re able to often be the first quote back to its customers, their in a better position to grow the business. “Our goal over the next three years is to double the size of the company,” says Cres. “We know that automation is a big part of doing that, and Paperless Parts is a huge piece of our strategy.
• Drive more revenue. Paperless Parts’ customizable system offers Eric and his team flexibility that has allowed them to adapt to evolving customer needs in a way that benefits their business. Eric frequently leverages the ability to add expedite options directly to a quote, allowing him to capitalize on opportunities where customers value speed over price.
• Build a connected workflow. Paperless Parts’ integration with AMT’s ERP system, JobBOSS², has allowed them to quote through a connected, centralized system with a single source of truth. This helps reduce human error and drives consistency and standardization across their quoting workflow.