LMB Machine Owner Quits Day Job to Kickstart Aggressive Shop Growth with Help of Paperless Parts

Background

LMB Machine, established in 1997, is a small, family-owned contract manufacturer based in Orion, IL. They operate with a clear mission: to provide their customers with the highest level of service imaginable. LMB Machine treats every project as a partnership opportunity, with transparency and collaboration at the core of its operations.

Brad Goddard, co-owner of LMB Machine, recalls a few years ago when his sister took over operations from their father: “My sister started working nights and weekends all by herself, just making random stuff for different people,” Brad shared. “She did that for about seven or eight years just completely on her own.”

Driven by a similar vision, Brad offered to help grow the business. He began helping out from time to time in 2020, and as of Spring 2023, Brad and his sister are running LMB Machine full-time. “Over the past three years, we’ve been on an upward trajectory, attracting new customers and expanding our capabilities,” said Brad.

Challenge

As a custom manufacturer specializing in medium-low volume production, LMB Machine faced unique challenges when quoting and estimating projects. The need for a reliable quoting solution became even more evident as the business grew.

Brad knew that LMB Machine needed a modern technology solution to drive the efficiency and growth he was looking for. Still, he couldn’t help but hesitate: “I’ve been involved in some pretty big software purchases previously in my career, and unfortunately, it’s common to be sold this great thing, only to have it not do all the things that you were promised.”

The image Brad had in his mind of implementing new software was of a daunting and often disappointing path; often, promises made during the sales process fell short. The software would fail to deliver as advertised or require extensive and costly efforts for even minor adjustments. If Brad wanted to successfully scale LMB Machine and protect the legacy of the family business, he couldn’t afford to choose the wrong partner.

Solution

In his pursuit of a quoting solution that would save him and his sister time, improve accuracy, and support their ambitious growth plans, Brad discovered Paperless Parts. “Paperless Parts helps me get time back in my day, and I’m confident that those quotes are more accurate than what I’ve done in the past,” says Brad. “It’s almost cliche, but I can work on the business rather than in the business—that’s a challenge for me right now being a 2-person operation—so any time that I can save using Paperless is very welcomed.”

With Paperless Parts, LMB Machine can quickly upload CAD models, which the software then interrogates to derive essential information for accurate quoting. “I come from a design and engineering background, so this is my favorite part of the platform,” says Brad. “The software’s ability to automate calculations and generate accurate quotes has significantly reduced the time required for quoting.”

Paperless Parts meets Brad’s need for speed and accuracy, and the implementation and onboarding process surpassed all previous experiences with software providers.

“The onboarding process was great. I felt that the person I was onboarding with really understood what made the platform work for my business…they were knowledgeable enough to ask the right questions and suggest the right things to do,” reflects Brad. “It was a really enjoyable process, and those calls were one of the highlights of my week.”

Now that Brad has been up and running on his own with the platform, he’s been able to leverage its flexibility to optimize his workflows and maximize efficiency. Recently, he leveraged Zapier to integrate Paperless Parts with Airtable, which he uses as an ERP. Now when Brad wins a job in Paperless Parts, our platform automatically shoots over all relevant quoting information for him to reference in Airtable and better manage his shop’s resources to complete the job.

Brad views his investment in Paperless Parts to be a cost-saving measure rather than an expense; the significant time savings achieved justified the monthly subscription fee. “It was a no-brainer decision,” Brad reflected. “Gaining back even 3-5 hours a month on quoting alone covered the expense of the platform.”

Results

With Paperless Parts, LMB Machine has seen direct business benefits:

• Significant Time Savings. Before using Paperless Parts, it took LMB Machine approximately 2 hours to complete a 20-part quote package. With the automation and advanced features provided by Paperless Parts, that’s been reduced to just 30 minutes. This 75% time-saving allows them to respond to customer inquiries faster, giving them a competitive edge and allowing them to focus on other critical tasks.
• Enhanced Customer Experience. LMB Machine’s customers have been delighted with the digital quote experience provided by Paperless Parts. The ability to check out online, upload purchase orders, and receive digital quotes has streamlined customer communications. “I’ve received numerous compliments from customers who love the convenience and ease of use of the digital quote,” said Brad.
• Scalability. “By putting the logic and rule book in place with Paperless Parts, I see a future where less experienced team members could confidently quote parts by importing models and answering questions,” Brad says. “The ability to scale our operations efficiently and effectively will be critical to allowing us to grow our business.”