Small laser cutting and metal fabrication job shops face big challenges. With a limited number of staff on the roster, each person is performing multiple roles, from estimator, to customer service, to accountant, to production manager, and more.
According to the World Bank, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) “represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide,” so it’s a significant proportion of the market.
In demanding industries like laser cutting and metal fabrication, SMEs need to capitalise on available tools, resources, and software, to make their jobs more efficient and productive, and to stay ahead of the competition.
To further enhance the efficiency of small-to-medium job shops, Tempus Tools has introduced accounting integrations with Xero and QuickBooks to its ToolBox multi-functional laser cutting quoting software.
“ToolBox is designed to provide fast, accurate, and consistent laser cutting quotes that are professionally presented, ready to send back to the customer. It was a logical next step to integrate this process with common accounting systems, to provide job shops with additional capability and efficiency,” says Bart Jesman, CEO, Tempus Tools.
“Additionally, by using a Software as a Service (SaaS) model with a monthly subscription, SMEs aren’t lumped with large up-front set-up costs and annual fees,” he adds.
With more than 100 years of combined experience in its leadership team – extending from the job shop floor to the formation of entire laser cutting enterprises – Tempus Tools designed ToolBox to not only increase laser cutting quoting efficiency, but to integrate with other software programs, and to perform a range of functions in one, saving the need to purchase multiple subscriptions or programs.
New features help SMEs
In addition to simple, fast, and accurate quoting, ToolBox has a large range of useful features for SMEs, and the development team is consistently adding more features to meet market needs.
Secondary processes
ToolBox uses simplified folding and custom secondary process algorithms, to make quoting these processes straightforward and user-friendly for fabrication job shops.
Production documents
Where larger job shops often utilise dedicated floor management software, ToolBox has a production documentation feature that allows small to medium job shops to print work orders, part labels, and delivery dockets to better manage the shop floor. The production documents provide useful and relevant information and include a thumbnail for an easy visual reference to the part.
Web Store
“And we’ve got a growing Web Store feature for online orders,” says Jesman.
“Web Store allows SMEs to run their own online shop without having to build it themselves. It connects directly to their existing ToolBox settings, with additional options related to an online ordering experience, such as branding and shipping. With Web Store, a job shop’s customers can log in and get instant pricing or place orders 24/7, opening up the opportunity to win work around the clock.”
Quote miscellaneous items
In response to customer feedback, Tempus Tools has also introduced an option to quote miscellaneous items, not just sheet metal parts.
“Sometimes jobs have non-sheet metal parts that you’d like to include in the quote. It could be things like CAD drawing time, delivery, assembly charges, nuts and bolts, or a huge range of items – now you can simply enter a price and a description, to include it in the overall quote,” says Jesman.
Fixed price parts
Another new feature is the ability to optionally lock the unit price of parts for a customer, in that customer’s part library.
“Fixed price parts is great for returning customers, where you have agreed on a set price for parts. Rather than the price varying each time with changes in quantity or settings, it can be locked in, to ensure the consistency the customer is expecting,” says Jesman.
Features that benefit all laser cutting companies
The features of ToolBox are not just for SMEs, though, and the software has a range of advanced features to help larger job shops streamline their laser cutting quoting processes, too.
For companies with multiple software solutions in place, ToolBox offers exports of quote data and cleaned drawing files for importing into other systems.
“Our ToolBox customers serve a hugely diverse range of industries, and the demand for fast quotes and responsive service is what drives success,” says Jesman. “Our customers have found innovative ways to streamline their operations with ToolBox, and that’s giving them a competitive edge in the marketplace.”
To learn more about ToolBox, by Tempus Tools, please click here.
Author: Bruce Thomas, Executive (Product)
