How to use win/loss ratios to keep your laser cutting job shop competitive and profitable
For laser cutting job shops, staying competitive is essential to running a profitable business. But how do you measure that? How do you know where you sit compared with other job shops in your area, with a similar laser power, or with a similar service offering? One way to understand your position in the marketplace […]
Tips For New Laser Owners
So you’ve just bought a new laser cutting machine… what next? A laser cutting machine is a big investment. Depending on the features included, they can be north of $1 million, so you want to be gaining maximum value from your investment. But how do you know what to charge? What are your expenses vs […]
5 Features Of A Good Quoting System
Automated sheet metal quoting is based on the data present within a 3D CAD model, combined with user-inputted, non-geometric information. It cross-examines the model in order to withdraw geometric data that is applicable to sheet metal manufacturing, such as the number of bends, the thickness of the material, and the length of the cut. With […]
Types of Sheet Metal Estimating Software Available on the Market
Sheet metal estimating and quoting can be a very time-consuming task, which can play a role in determining a job shop’s profitability. Have you found it difficult to respond to a customer’s Request For Quote (RFQ) quickly? Do you want to find a solution to minimise the necessary administrative steps when it comes to estimating […]
Is Your Brake Press Breaking The Budget? Save Costs And Operator Time With Front-End Quoting
Most laser job shop owners will agree that a brake press operator is one of the most expensive people in the jobshop – and is often the hardest to find. With bending being an essential component of most job shops’ processes, having the right brake press (and operator) is a must. So, if you’ve finally […]
Inefficient quoting is holding back jobshop competitiveness
Industry-specific, sales-focused quoting software means you spend less and sell more Most laser, plasma, waterjet, oxy cutting, folding (and secondary processes) jobshops are using inefficient estimation methods, because they are not aware that industry-specific software exists. The lack of a streamlined and inexpensive estimating procedure may be one of the biggest roadblocks for jobshop growth, […]
Getting around the spike in steel prices
Steel prices have been on a steady climb from August of last year, going from an average price of $473 USD to the current $1,770 per ton of HR steel in North America. Given the last major high even remotely close to this in the past decade was $915 per ton in July 2018, fabricators […]
How much is nitrogen costing your job shop?
Like all consumable materials, nitrogen is an ongoing cost that must be included in the budget of any laser cutter. It can account for as much as 60% of the total laser running costs. Several cylinders of gas can be used every hour that the machine runs, and depending on the size of the job […]
Forklift Theory: How to make the most of the fabricator’s best friend.
Published via LinkedIn by Bruce Thomas, May 2021 Depending on the size of your workplace, you likely have one or more forklifts or other industrial trucks at your disposal in order to keep your profit centers running efficiently. Even if you only need the one, there are some rules that prove universal when it comes […]
Turning your scrap metal into an increasingly valuable profit center
Published via LinkedIn by Bruce Thomas, April 2021 Although a byproduct of the manufacturing process, scrap metal is most likely the only revenue generator a manufacturer has besides the products it makes. Last year, we saw a laser cutting job shop and Tempus Tools customer gain $144k in revenue from selling their scrap metal. They […]
