“I wouldn't be able to go back to Excel and my old caveman way of quoting”
- Nick Heys, Owner, Valence Precision
Valence Precision, a high mix, low volume machine shop, faced a critical challenge: a time-consuming process for quoting that led to missed opportunities and uncertain profit margins. Uptool was integrated to streamline this process, resulting in a dramatic reduction in quoting time and a significant increase in accuracy, revenue, and profitability.
The Challenge: Judgment Fatigue & Uncaptured Costs
As owner Nick Heys explained, Valence Precision handles a wide range of capabilities: including five-axis CNC milling, CNC turning, water jet, and CNC press brake. Valence Precision serves high-value tech customers and national labs. For a small shop with a high volume of unique jobs, accurate quoting is a key driver in Valence Precision’s success .
Like many small, custom manufacturers, Valence's previous quoting method utilized "homebrew excel sheets”, emails, and a heavy reliance on tribal knowledge . A familiar system to many machine shop owners, one that frequently fails to account for essential considerations, resulting in:
Lost Time and Opportunities: The manual process was lengthy and uncertain, causing quotes to take longer and often leading to missed job opportunities.
Uncaptured Costs: Small but critical items, like packaging and shipping time, were often overlooked, leading to thousands of unbilled minutes per year.
Judgment Fatigue: Quoting complex assemblies with many repetitive tasks, like installing inserts, was painful and error prone.
The Solution: Uptool Integration
Uptool provided a robust, customizable software solution that addressed the core pain points of the manual quoting process.
Key Features Driving Success:
The Results: Faster, More Accurate, and Profitable Quoting
Since implementing Uptool, Valence Precision has seen immediate and transformative results in their operations:
Time Reduction: "My quotes take roughly half the time they used to."
Increased Accuracy and Profitability: Quotes are "more accurate," leading to an increased likelihood of hitting expected profit margins.
Competitive Edge: Faster quotes mean Valence Precision can respond to customer RFQs sooner, securing jobs that were previously lost to competitors due to lag time.
Growth: Valence has seen strong, steady revenue growth since implementing Uptool, and just opened up a satellite manufacturing facility in Oregon.