Ask manufacturer to requote?

[godofthunder]

Interested in what people with more experience than I have to say on this. A quick backstory, with theoretical numbers for making it easy:

I designed a couple products and have sent them out to quote. This is my first dive in to outsourcing products in my attempt to grow my business, however I am familiar with the process as I'm an engineer that sends things out for quote all the time for my day job. Shop #1 is not local to me, while shop #2 is. I prefer to stay local if possible so I can meet people in person, and work through the prototyping phase together to cut down iterations which in turn keeps costs down.

For item #1:

• Shop #1 quoted $40/ea to my door - price includes one time programming cost and tooling fee, so price will go down after initial order (not by much).
• Shop #2 quoted 50% higher, at $60/ea. Price does not include programming cost and tooling fee, so price will stay the same subsequent orders.

For item #2 (a much more expensive, labor involved product):

• Shop #1 does not have capabilities to manufacture.
• Shop #2 does have capabilities, and is working on quoting the project.

I would prefer to work with shop #2. They are local to me and they are the only shop that is quoting my second item. Should I let them know they are 50% higher than the next closest quote and allow them to requote if they would like? I would like to keep a good working relationship with them, as they may be my only option for item #2 to get produced (unless I bought a 4 axis CNC and tried doing it out of my garage, but that's not an option right now). Their quote gouges a huge chunk in margin for me though, and when I started this project I set a hard stop at $40/ea and told myself if they can't be done for that I won't do it.

 

[Maggot]

Never hurts to ask, just be polite, and make sure you dont close the door if they respond in the negative. Explain why your sending the query. Id think most shops would welcome the business and feedback especially in today's business climate.

 

[Huskydriver]

Never hurts to ask but depending on their work load it may not make sense for them to do the work any lower than 60

 

[2ndamendfan]

You should ask/explain. Shop #2 may want a minimum order to get prices closer to #1.

 

[bribassguy]

It also depends on labour market and location. Could be they labour is more expensive in local area.
I would have thought if your doing RFQ in your day job you’d know the drill.

 

[HeavyAssault]

I'd wait till you get the second pricing quote. Then speak to a better "bundle" price for both parts that meet your terms and theirs.

 

[kcbird]

Is the ease of doing it locally and face to face worth the price? That could justify the price increase, but that's up to you. I would not let them know that shop #1 isn't quoting part #2. I would let shop 2 quote both and tell them they are higher but you would like to spend the money locally. Maybe they will resubmit maybe they will tell you to take it or leave it. Can't hurt to try.

 

[MtnCreek]

Different industry, but I love the opportunity to match or cut a little. Successful High Bidder is my goal.

 

[Jethro3898]

Give shop #2 a chance to go back and look at their pricing for product A. Give them the “I’d prefer to keep it local if at all possible” discussion. Never talk specific numbers, just lead them in the right direction and let them determine what their “best price” is. Give them all the info they may need to give you their best price (e.g. quantities, proposed schedule, etc.).

I’m also a big proponent of not putting all my eggs in one basket. It may make good business sense (not just financial sense) to let shop #1 manufacture product A and let shop #2 manufacture product B.

I have to make similar decisions all the time in my line of work and spreading out your product line over 2 different vendors *could* be a good decision. If one vendor has issues of some kind, it won’t affect your entire product line. There is a huge draw to doing business with one company, but the ease of working with a single source can easily be overshadowed if they run into issues with raw material acquisition, equipment failures, corporate upheaval, or labor increases. Any of those things happen and your entire profit margin could suffer.

Just food for thought.

 

[godofthunder]

Give shop #2 a chance to go back and look at their pricing for product A. Give them the “I’d prefer to keep it local if at all possible” discussion. Never talk specific numbers, just lead them in the right direction and let them determine what their “best price” is. Give them all the info they may need to give you their best price (e.g. quantities, proposed schedule, etc.).

I’m also a big proponent of not putting all my eggs in one basket. It may make good business sense (not just financial sense) to let shop #1 manufacture product A and let shop #2 manufacture product B.

I have to make similar decisions all the time in my line of work and spreading out your product line over 2 different vendors *could* be a good decision. If one vendor has issues of some kind, it won’t affect your entire product line. There is a huge draw to doing business with one company, but the ease of working with a single source can easily be overshadowed if they run into issues with raw material acquisition, equipment failures, corporate upheaval, or labor increases. Any of those things happen and your entire profit margin could suffer.

Just food for thought.

Great input, thanks! I hadn't thought about potential supply chain issues going with one single shop.

 

[godofthunder]

It also depends on labour market and location. Could be they labour is more expensive in local area.
I would have thought if your doing RFQ in your day job you’d know the drill.

The things I send out for RFQ are in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single item, it's a bit different than getting small consumer products quoted.

 

[...]

it cant hurt to ask.....if the shop needs the work they may work with you...however most shops ive dealt with are jammed right now, so they may tell you to pound sand.

i mean, you arent buying a car from a shady dealer....so rather than say "hey this guy is giving me a cheaper price, can you match it?"....a more tactful way to approach it would be to call the shop, and talk to one of their quoters, and tell them your ideal Price per part, and work with them to see if they can help you out.....sometimes a simple part redesign can save you a lot of money.

also, with machine shops....you DO get what you pay for......chances are that first shop is cheaper for a reason.

 

[jg6.5]

In my day job, we do this all the time with subcontractors and vendors - customer service and performance with some is better than others, so we like to give them an opportunity to sharpen their pencil. We don't ever throw hard numbers around, just something like "Hey man, do you want to take another look at your number? I've got a quote from [insert vendor here], but we've never used them before and they don't know us from Adam. If we can get close enough to budget, we'd prefer to use you guys." ...or something of that nature. If they can, they can - if not, well at least we tried and they usually appreciate the chance at a second look.

Playing the "your competitor can do it for $x, beat it and the PO is yours" game is usually frowned upon in my world.

 

[bribassguy]

Also, you can ask them if a particular feature or tolerance is driving part cost... maybe they are grinding something b/c you defaulted to CAD 1.000 when you really just needed 1.0

 

[HeavyAssault]

Logistics.....It's the game to win.
Request status on their on-hand materials to complete the project ( both items in this instance).
Request their shipping choices, maybe you don't have good history with (insert shipper) in your area.

Maybe that horse blanket was good for something after all. LOL

 

[godofthunder]

In my day job, we do this all the time with subcontractors and vendors - customer service and performance with some is better than others, so we like to give them an opportunity to sharpen their pencil. We don't ever throw hard numbers around, just something like "Hey man, do you want to take another look at your number? I've got a quote from [insert vendor here], but we've never used them before and they don't know us from Adam. If we can get close enough to budget, we'd prefer to use you guys." ...or something of that nature. If they can, they can - if not, well at least we tried and they usually appreciate the chance at a second look.

Playing the "your competitor can do it for $x, beat it and the PO is yours" game is usually frowned upon in my world.

That's why I asked here, I don't want to play the "your competitor can do it for $x, beat it and the PO is yours" game. I've gotten good feedback on how to approach this.

Also, you can ask them if a particular feature or tolerance is driving part cost... maybe they are grinding something b/c you defaulted to CAD 1.000 when you really just needed 1.0

Already did, they asked if I could open up a few tolerances to increase ease a manufacturing and lower cost (I said yes).

 

[LuvDog]

I'd wait to get quote #2 back.

Then go back and let them know that you had multiple RFQs out for part #1 and that they were high. Ask them if they could bundle a new quote.

 

[THEIS]

Hi,

So neither of these shops asked you what your target price was?
That is the first thing we ask for as it can save a lot of work and headache from the very beginning.
IF your target price is abc and my machine cost per minute is xyz then I use that to determine IF we even want to go through the quoting process.



Sincerely,
Theis

 

[godofthunder]

Hi,

So neither of these shops asked you what your target price was?
That is the first thing we ask for as it can save a lot of work and headache from the very beginning.
IF your target price is abc and my machine cost per minute is xyz then I use that to determine IF we even want to go through the quoting process.



Sincerely,
Theis

No, neither asked target price. I thought about offering it, but also don't care to miss out on a deal because a shop sees my target price and it's higher than what their quote would have been.

 

[jg6.5]

That's why I asked here, I don't want to play the "your competitor can do it for $x, beat it and the PO is yours" game. I've gotten good feedback on how to approach this.

Already did, they asked if I could open up a few tolerances to increase ease a manufacturing and lower cost (I said yes).

My apologies - I just re-read what I posted, and didn't mean to imply you were headed down that path if that's the way it came across. Was mainly just using it as a juxtaposition against the other example conversation that pretty much just echoed what others have said.

 

[striped1]

another possibility is that they quoted it not actually wanting the job but that it would be worth it at the quoted price.

 

[THEIS]

No, neither asked target price. I thought about offering it, but also don't care to miss out on a deal because a shop sees my target price and it's higher than what their quote would have been.

Hi,

I understand that but lets be honest here (For item 1 at least)..we are talking a $40 part. No shop is going to provide you with a quote cheaper than your target price. Just not going to happen...not in the USA anyways.

What is the PO quantity you had them quote for them to know how to "roll in" their NRE into the cost per unit?
Or
NRE is a separate quote?

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[pmclaine]

RFQ is the start of the negotiation.

If the shop is big enough to have an "estimating" department Id expect that there is room to speak, confirm specs. discuss changes that might allow for better product/realizing efficiencies.

If the guy that owns, programs, maintains, and runs the production there might not be any discussion other than "That is my price...take it or leave it"

 

[1moaoff]

You have been given great guidance so far. Running your own business is very different than working for one. There are advantages and disadvantages to combining into 1 supplier.

Is there a 3rd shop available? Sometimes its a long road to find the right shop for a specific product or product mix.

Its journey!

 

[godofthunder]

Hi,

I understand that but lets be honest here (For item 1 at least)..we are talking a $40 part. No shop is going to provide you with a quote cheaper than your target price. Just not going to happen...not in the USA anyways.

What is the PO quantity you had them quote for them to know how to "roll in" their NRE into the cost per unit?
Or
NRE is a separate quote?

Sincerely,
Theis

I asked them to quote in quantities that made sense for the raw material they would be buying. Example - don't quote 100 pieces when you can get 120 out of that stock.

One shop rolled the NRE in to the first production run part pricing, the other quoted it separately.

 

[godofthunder]

RFQ is the start of the negotiation.

If the shop is big enough to have an "estimating" department Id expect that there is room to speak, confirm specs. discuss changes that might allow for better product/realizing efficiencies.

If the guy that programs, maintains, and runs the production there might not be any discussion other than "That is my price...take it or leave it"

The higher priced shop (local to me) is a small place. I'm sure the guy quoting is also the one doing the CAM and running machines when necessary.

You have been given great guidance so far. Running your own business is very different than working for one. There are advantages and disadvantages to combining into 1 supplier.

Is there a 3rd shop available? Sometimes its a long road to find the right shop for a specific product or product mix.

Its journey!

Currently working on finding more shops to quote. I originally sent out to only local places and only heard from two - one is quoting and the other is so busy with their own stuff they declined to quote.

 

[Baron23]

Interested in what people with more experience than I have to say on this. A quick backstory, with theoretical numbers for making it easy:

I designed a couple products and have sent them out to quote. This is my first dive in to outsourcing products in my attempt to grow my business, however I am familiar with the process as I'm an engineer that sends things out for quote all the time for my day job. Shop #1 is not local to me, while shop #2 is. I prefer to stay local if possible so I can meet people in person, and work through the prototyping phase together to cut down iterations which in turn keeps costs down.

For item #1:

• Shop #1 quoted $40/ea to my door - price includes one time programming cost and tooling fee, so price will go down after initial order (not by much).
• Shop #2 quoted 50% higher, at $60/ea. Price does not include programming cost and tooling fee, so price will stay the same subsequent orders.

For item #2 (a much more expensive, labor involved product):

• Shop #1 does not have capabilities to manufacture.
• Shop #2 does have capabilities, and is working on quoting the project.

I would prefer to work with shop #2. They are local to me and they are the only shop that is quoting my second item. Should I let them know they are 50% higher than the next closest quote and allow them to requote if they would like? I would like to keep a good working relationship with them, as they may be my only option for item #2 to get produced (unless I bought a 4 axis CNC and tried doing it out of my garage, but that's not an option right now). Their quote gouges a huge chunk in margin for me though, and when I started this project I set a hard stop at $40/ea and told myself if they can't be done for that I won't do it.

There is nothing wrong in going back to shop #2, telling them their pricing is high compared to competition, and that you would like to give them a chance to sharpen their pencil and come back with an improved best and final quote.

Don't you see that in your day job frequently?

 

[godofthunder]

Don't you see that in your day job frequently?

No. I don't make the purchasing decisions anyways. Purchasing typically just goes to whoever is cheapest, unless it is time sensitive. In which case they go with whoever is fastest.

 

[Baron23]

No. I don't make the purchasing decisions anyways. Purchasing typically just goes to whoever is cheapest, unless it is time sensitive. In which case they go with whoever is fastest.

Ok, well giving a vendor a chance at best and final is quite common.

I would not feel good about sharing the exact price from competition.....but just tell them their pricing is not competitive and perhaps give some particulars like added cost for programming, etc.

It is not rude at all and in most cases vendors view it as a kindness rather than just awarding it to another lower cost source.

 

[THEIS]

I asked them to quote in quantities that made sense for the raw material they would be buying. Example - don't quote 100 pieces when you can get 120 out of that stock.

One shop rolled the NRE in to the first production run part pricing, the other quoted it separately.

Hi,

Gotcha!!! It didn't dawn on me you were talking about "order as we go" type of machine shops in terms of alloys.

Unless it is some rare specified alloy type then pretty much every "job shop" has alloy laying around.

There seems to me a lot of behind the scenes assumptions are being made by you unless you are dealing with super super small shop that actually has let you know what they have and do not have type of things.

RFQs do NOT go out with the quantity stipulation of "make what the alloy order can make"....that is not how any of that works.
They are the JOB SHOP...they make what you tell them to make, nothing more, nothing less.

They could tell you the stock they HAD to order for the minimum order makes 300 pieces and you would have to cover that because of the terminology.

Sorry for being negative nancy on the information you have provided.
I wish you well on your venture. I will bow out of this thread.

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[godofthunder]

Hi,

Gotcha!!! It didn't dawn on me you were talking about "order as we go" type of machine shops in terms of alloys.

Unless it is some rare specified alloy type then pretty much every "job shop" has alloy laying around.

There seems to me a lot of behind the scenes assumptions are being made by you unless you are dealing with super super small shop that actually has let you know what they have and do not have type of things.

RFQs do NOT go out with the quantity stipulation of "make what the alloy order can make"....that is not how any of that works.
They are the JOB SHOP...they make what you tell them to make, nothing more, nothing less.

They could tell you the stock they HAD to order for the minimum order makes 300 pieces and you would have to cover that because of the terminology.

Sorry for being negative nancy on the information you have provided.
I wish you well on your venture. I will bow out of this thread.

Sincerely,
Theis

I know, the RFQ didn't. However both places I have spoke to said the material I requested is not one they have or ever keep on hand and that they would have to order it. I don't want to pay for an entire piece of stock only to get parts from part of it.

 

[1moaoff]

Can we ask... is this some special material?
That can make a huge difference!

 

[Hobo Hilton]

You stated your position:
....when I started this project I set a hard stop at $40/ea and told myself if they can't be done for that I won't do it.

Now, let's put the shoe on the other foot......
When the machine shop owner opened his doors he may have said "...when I started this project I set a hard stop at $________ /ea and told myself if they can't be done for that I won't do it."...................

The comments above reflect time spent in the "business"..... Great comments.

Looking at the Big Picture (world wide). Perhaps now is not a good time to be getting a start up going. The big players in manufacturing are cutting back on their second line manufacturing, slimming down and focusing on their old primary line of production.

Best of luck with your adventure.

Hobo

 

[FjallJager]

I wouldn't let personal attachments to the local dudes sway your thoughts.

The problem with the little guy is that he is much more apt to unintentionally screw you by not delivering target goals when you need them. He or a family member might have come ill, or had another issue that might keep production down.

This will end up biting you in the ass later on.

A story of two gunsmiths:

My local guy is in his 70's, and he was a product engineer and smith for Numerich gun parts a long time ago, but wanted warmer weather and moved here to New Mexico.

He quite literally can build anything, he has several CNC machines and has his own products he sells online. I have been using him for a lot of different work, but I have learned he really only works on what he wants to work on. Anything else he will drag his feet on, and do ok but not amazing work. His prices are low, and if it is something he is set up for on the CNC and he has the material it will be done in a couple of days.

Then I gave him some non-standard stuff and of course we are 3 or 4 months into it, and broken promises and eventually finally I get what I dropped off. It looks good, but he works on what he wants to.

I can not get annoyed by a 70 year old who does what he wants when he wants when I give him a harder job. Even if it isn't the best customer service in the world. He is good enough and cheap enough that it isn't worth switching, but if I was paying him to manufacture something for me on a large scale I wouldn't be happy. Even with my long relationship with him, I wouldn't pick him to manufacture a product for me, because I know we will have problems.

Then you had people like Chad Dixon, send chad a box of parts and he sends you a gun a week or two later. He is 1200 miles from here, but if I had a big job, I'd pick someone like Chad to do it.

I would not let emotion tie me to anyone if it ends up costing me money in the long run.

 

[godofthunder]

Can we ask... is this some special material?
That can make a huge difference!

It is a common stainless steel alloy, especially in the industry this is for.

 

[brianf]

First step and only step...you need a third quote

Currently you do not have enough information to make a decision.

Shop 1 could be raping you and shop 2 could be double raping you.

never try to get in the mind of a supplier.

they could be bringing in every job off the street because the company is being sold and they are pumping up the books, giving you incorrect pricing ...you have no idea.

in a new procurement I always have my purchasing department bring me 3 quotes at a minimum.

In addition plan on loosing money on the first 2 order cycles...that’s just the way it goes.

the old saying is more correct than many people know;

“the first order is the easiest to fill the second order can put you out of business”

Just some advice who’s company buys more than a few items.

 

[Not a Clue]

I've quoted more parts in a machine shop than I can count. I'd personally call vendor #2 up, explain you had multiple quotes and his quote for part #2 was considerably higher and it concerned you that one of two things has happened. Either vendor #1 missed something important, or, perhaps he (vendor #2), saw something that concerned him on the part and you'd like to know what that was.

Often times we, as people quoting, will see something others don't. Something like "that slot is deeper than any endmill made, so we're going to have to have something made as well as go very slow). That often leads to a great conversation where you, the designer, can say "Oh, that part concerns you? It's not that important, we can do X, Y, or Z" which makes it easier to manufacture.

It's also worth noting that one person might have substantially more invested in their machines. There's a big difference in a guy quoting on a retrofitted bridgeport vs a $500,000 machining center. The burden on that is going to run the hourly rate up.

One other point is machine shops often see flash in the pan customers. First time customer, promises if you take care of them on this order, their product is going to take off and they'll be giving you zillions of them. That most always ends in you never seeing the customer again because they didn't sell anything or they hit it big, get a huge order, and never give you the opportunity to quote it again. Let that happen to you about 100 times and you'll make sure you recover every penny from a new customer job.

As you come back for more, and establish you are there for the long haul, you'll find yourself with my better options and pricing.

Just have an honest conversation with vendor #2.

 

[godofthunder]

Often times we, as people quoting, will see something others don't. Something like "that slot is deeper than any endmill made, so we're going to have to have something made as well as go very slow). That often leads to a great conversation where you, the designer, can say "Oh, that part concerns you? It's not that important, we can do X, Y, or Z" which makes it easier to manufacture.

It's also worth noting that one person might have substantially more invested in their machines. There's a big difference in a guy quoting on a retrofitted bridgeport vs a $500,000 machining center. The burden on that is going to run the hourly rate up.

One other point is machine shops often see flash in the pan customers. First time customer, promises if you take care of them on this order, their product is going to take off and they'll be giving you zillions of them. That most always ends in you never seeing the customer again because they didn't sell anything or they hit it big, get a huge order, and never give you the opportunity to quote it again. Let that happen to you about 100 times and you'll make sure you recover every penny from a new customer job.

As you come back for more, and establish you are there for the long haul, you'll find yourself with my better options and pricing.

Just have an honest conversation with vendor #2.

Good feedback. Some comments in return:

I did openly state "hey if there is something I can change that will help manufacturability and pricing, please let me know." I was asked about opening up a few tolerances and agreed to do it.

It is my understanding when talking to both companies that they have very similar capabilities and machining centers. Perhaps I misunderstood one, which is quite possible. This did cross my mind though. Having a 5 axis HMC vs a 3 axis vertical are very different animals, for example.

I understand building rapport will help, especially as a new customer. It is a two way street though, and it would be unwise to make a decision now based on potential pricing in the future.

 

[Porksboy]

another possibility is that they quoted it not actually wanting the job but that it would be worth it at the quoted price.

Ive been know to do this. Im very specialized and customers in my specialty will want me do go outside my norm and repair a cheper made product. They dont realize that both items needing repair, while they do basically the same thing, are engineered entirely different. I quote based on I can do the norm in a time, I can do the ouside my norm but at maybe x time. My time is money and more time for a repair on a cheaper product is still my time.

 

[Not a Clue]

Good feedback. Some comments in return:

I did openly state "hey if there is something I can change that will help manufacturability and pricing, please let me know." I was asked about opening up a few tolerances and agreed to do it.

It is my understanding when talking to both companies that they have very similar capabilities and machining centers. Perhaps I misunderstood one, which is quite possible. This did cross my mind though. Having a 5 axis HMC vs a 3 axis vertical are very different animals, for example.

I understand building rapport will help, especially as a new customer. It is a two way street though, and it would be unwise to make a decision now based on potential pricing in the future.

It's somewhat of a catch 22. I had a guy call from another state a couple years ago and asked if we could do something. Sure, we can do it. I'm traveling through your state, going to a convention, can I stop by and go over this? Sure. Asks if I can make one quickly so he can take it to his convention. We do, and charge him for it. He says it's amazing and we're all going to be rich. About a week goes by, he calls, says he's back in the area on the way home from the convention and wants to talk business.

The new product was well received at the show. It's going to be huge. We're all going to be very rich together.

Calls a few days later and wants to know if I'll order the material for the job. A special material that has to be made and it's a $50,000 minimum to order it. I couldn't put $50,000 of it in our shop. We're talking shipping containers of material. Wants us to front the material cost with no P/O, no contract, no nothing. Politely tell him we're not interested in financing his creation, we're not a bank, we are a shop, we make things.

Calls back about a week later, wants us to reconsider. Wants to come work for us and we give him a company car. We're all going to be really rich together.

5 years later, his product never took off.

One of our customers was on Shark Tank. We were going to make a lot of money together. We did a fair amount of work for them. As soon as Shark Tank aired, we never heard another word from them. Never got to quote any higher quantities of things we were already making.

It wears on you after a while and you just learn to make sure you get your money up front so if you never see the customer again, you still did okay.

Or, maybe vendor #2 is a bit slower on the job. A higher rate a bit slower will drive the cost up.

 

[godofthunder]

@Not a Clue I've dealt with similar things. I provide engineering services on the side along with making my own products. Had a guy that wanted to meet up, gave this huge presentation on this super awesome product that would make millions but "didn't have the money to pay for my services" but promised me that if I was given part of the company it would repay me in wonderous ways. Told him I'm here to grow my business, not his, and never heard back from him.

I've been transparent with everywhere and told them my intentions and that if the product didn't sell, I wouldn't be ordering again, and if it did I would be. I'm definitely not trying to do as you described in your experience above.

 

[Major Wader]

I have been a procurement professional for over 30 years. You have been given some excellent advice in this thread.

 

[kortik]

Price is important, however, parts quality must the primary consideration. If you're a "small guy", your chances of getting "per drawing" and CONSISTENT, from order to order, quality parts from typical U.S. manufacturer are not that great. I've had situations when delivered parts were 100% defective, because, per typical explanation from the U.S. supplier, they "got a new guy" who made these parts and who had no idea about anything...

So, choose somebody local, go there, inspect everything in a shop, figure out how they do QC, talk to both the boss and machine operator, etc.
Only then, start thinking price and stuff....

 

[godofthunder]

Price is important, however, parts quality must the primary consideration. If you're a "small guy", your chances of getting "per drawing" and CONSISTENT, from order to order, quality parts from typical U.S. manufacturer are not that great. I've had situations when delivered parts were 100% defective, because, per typical explanation from the U.S. supplier, they "got a new guy" who made these parts and who had no idea about anything...

So, choose somebody local, go there, inspect everything in a shop, figure out how they do QC, talk to both the boss and machine operator, etc.
Only then, start thinking price and stuff....

I'll agree to disagree. Knowing pricing is an easy way to put a hard stop to something that won't be competitive in the marketplace. Why bother spending hours of my time going over their QC before knowing what they can make it for? Also, that is exactly what part drawings are for. Parts don't meet print? Okay, I'm not paying for them and you can make new ones that do. QC expectations should/will be discussed before any order is placed. Your stated reasons for staying local are a huge part in why I would like to stay local.

I work in manufacturing at my day job, if our parts don't meet customer drawings we can ask them to accept as-is (if non critical defect) or remake the order.

 

[Alan Warner]

The things I send out for RFQ are in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single item, it's a bit different than getting small consumer products quoted.

No, it's a lot different!

 

[Alan Warner]

I'll agree to disagree. Knowing pricing is an easy way to put a hard stop to something that won't be competitive in the marketplace. Why bother spending hours of my time going over their QC before knowing what they can make it for? Also, that is exactly what part drawings are for. Parts don't meet print? Okay, I'm not paying for them and you can make new ones that do. QC expectations should/will be discussed before any order is placed. Your stated reasons for staying local are a huge part in why I would like to stay local.

I work in manufacturing at my day job, if our parts don't meet customer drawings we can ask them to accept as-is (if non critical defect) or remake the order.

When we quote a job/part that meets gd& t tols. It's very specific and set in stone. Others, not so much. Prints without tols go in the trash. I dont have time to deal with you. Deal with it or shut TFU.

 

[308pirate]

@godofthunder

This is also my lane but I'm late to the party. I can't add anything over the excellent advice you've received.

All I can underline is don't get hung up on local guys. At least consider people one day's drive away.

 

[kortik]

It is the

I'll agree to disagree. Knowing pricing is an easy way to put a hard stop to something that won't be competitive in the marketplace. Why bother spending hours of my time going over their QC before knowing what they can make it for? Also, that is exactly what part drawings are for. Parts don't meet print? Okay, I'm not paying for them and you can make new ones that do. QC expectations should/will be discussed before any order is placed. Your stated reasons for staying local are a huge part in why I would like to stay local.

I work in manufacturing at my day job, if our parts don't meet customer drawings we can ask them to accept as-is (if non critical defect) or remake the order.

Good designer already knows a thing or two about cost of manufacturing and availability of standard components which can be used. It is called "value engineering". This is how good designer MUST approach it. I bet you've seen insane designs, with bunch of zeros in tolerances, a lot of stupid "cosmetic" machining and custom fasteners which nobody needs for function. When my parts are quoted, I already know what to expect and can smell the rat right away. To the O.P. - just get somebody with both manufacturing and design experience to review your parts design for function and manufacturing costs.

 

[Alan Warner]

It is the

Good designer already knows a thing or two about cost of manufacturing and availability of standard components which can be used. It is called "value engineering". This is how good designer MUST approach it. I bet you've seen insane designs, with bunch of zeros in tolerances, a lot of stupid "cosmetic" machining and custom fasteners which nobody needs for function. When my parts are quoted, I already know what to expect and can smell the rat right away. To the O.P. - just get somebody with both manufacturing and design experience to review your parts design for function and manufacturing costs.

It amazes me how many " engineers" who design parts dont know squat about manufacturing. Decimal point desperados!
I've actually asked owners of cos we work for if there new hire actually has a degree!. Sad state of affairs should we need to kill 10 million chinks right now!
AND 50 MILLION TOMORROW.

 

[godofthunder]

It is the

Good designer already knows a thing or two about cost of manufacturing and availability of standard components which can be used. It is called "value engineering". This is how good designer MUST approach it. I bet you've seen insane designs, with bunch of zeros in tolerances, a lot of stupid "cosmetic" machining and custom fasteners which nobody needs for function. When my parts are quoted, I already know what to expect and can smell the rat right away. To the O.P. - just get somebody with both manufacturing and design experience to review your parts design for function and manufacturing costs.

I have that experience and I have a good idea on what it should cost. The whole reason I started this is because someone I want to work with came back high and I wanted to know how to appropriately approach that. I’ve done my due diligence on the design and manufacturing side of things. I know material costs, I’ve run the part through CAM to see approx how long it should take to make.