Unfortunately, sometimes you only see what you need when there is a need. But often it is already too late. If it suddenly becomes a crisis, you think I should have continued that innovation. But at that point there was no need. That requires accelerated innovation. Something that you often see in times of crisis or war.
Everything was already on edge because of Covid, but the war in Ukraine suddenly exposes very well where the bottlenecks lie within the metal industry. The entire supply chain is disrupted by raw material shortages and transport costs are skyrocketing. By the time you have a quote ready and it has been returned for approval, the purchase prices can suddenly have doubled.
This requires the necessary adjustments and flexibility within the metalworking sector, which is already subject to major changes and innovations.
Multi-supplier purchase is a big challenge
Where the biggest pain point now lies, is that before you could arrange your purchases with 1 or maybe 2 parties. But if everything is no longer in stock, you are forced to look further. This new supplier works with different item numbers and prices, which makes the purchasing process very cumbersome. A mistake is easily made and that requires care. But due care takes time and whoever submits a quote first will certainly receive the order in these special times.
Automate the entire quotation process before it’s too late
The solution is simple and very lucrative. Especially in these times of crisis and scarcity. Automate the quotation process and link the quotation software with the portals of different suppliers. With the Quotation Factory, CAD files can be read and the price of materials and purchased parts is automatically estimated based on market availability. In addition, the lead time becomes transparent, so that promises can be kept.
What used to take days can now be done in minutes. Simply through a simple automation step. Because remember what Winston Churchill once said: “Never waste a good crisis!”