The Client
Thomas Precision Technologies is a precision machine shop located in Monroe, NC and serves the aerospace, aircraft, electronics, medical, chemical, military and nuclear industries. The company utilizes the latest state of the art machine technology and equipment used to assure speed, precision, and quality in all parts. Their CNC equipment is complemented by a variety of other equipment including engine lathes, horizontal and vertical milling machines, surface grinders, and various types of finishing equipment. The shop also has complete assembly and test capabilities.
Thomas Precision Technologies has a broad knowledge in the machining of titanium, hastelloy, monel, all types of stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon steel. We also have a great deal of expertise in the machining of plastic including teflon, delrin, plexiglass, polyprolylene, PVC, rulon, phenolic, and UHMW.
The Problem
Prior to implementing Costimator, the estimators at Thomas Precision Technologies were estimating machine time labor hours manually, primarily based on experience. This process was very time consuming and subjective, leading to difficulties meeting RFQ deadlines and inconsistencies between estimates and estimators – resulting in both lost sales and profits.
How Costimator Helped
Thomas Precision Technologies purchased Costimator with the system's 3DFX (feature recognition) add-on module. 3DFX allows estimators to generate a cost estimate directly from a 3D CAD model.
According to Louis Goins, Estimating Engineer at Thomas Precision Technologies, the addition of Costimator with 3DFX was a "game changer for us." He adds, "Costimator with 3DFX helps us to produce quotes faster and with more consistency, without worrying if we've missed something."
When asked what advice he would give to other companies that may be looking to purchase Costimator, Goins responded, "Don't wait, it is a wise investment."
Estimating Software
