New version increases quote throughput for manufacturing

MTI Systems, Inc., the leading developer of cost estimating software solutions for discrete manufacturers, is excited to release Costimator 2019. This latest version addresses the need of manufacturers to shorten the quoting cycle, while improving cost estimating accuracy and consistency.

Our company's vision when setting out to develop the newest version of Costimator were threefold," commented David LaJoie, VP of Sales at MTI Systems, Inc. "First, we wanted to add functionality that would enable our customers to generate accurate estimates faster than ever before. Second, we sought to make the system practical to use for those individuals who have minimal manufacturing experience. Finally, we set out to create a tool that would allow Costimator to be easily integrated with other software products, such as ERP systems.

Costimator 2019 supports the estimating of hundreds of different manufacturing processes, including all forms of machining, fabrication, assembly, molding, castings, forgings and electronics. The company's 3DFX feature recognition tool, which supports all the major CAD file formats, enables users to automatically import part feature and dimensional data found within a 3D model into Costimator, drastically reducing the time and manufacturing knowledge required to produce a consistently accurate cost estimate.

3DFX now contains a new, rules-based Template Editor tool, which enables the system to determine which work centers and/or processes are required for a given part feature. "The tool is completely configurable," adds LaJoie. "So customers can either use the many out-of-the-box templates that come with the system, edit them, or easily create their own. By utilizing these rules-based process templates, the system becomes easier to use than ever before, even by individuals with minimal manufacturing experience."

A new XML script was added to Costimator 2019. The script will export part and assembly data into an XML format, which can be used to export data from Costimator into a 3rd party application, such as an ERP system.

"We're very excited about the latest in a long line of new Costimator releases over the past 37 years," adds Thomas Charkiewicz, CEO at MTI Systems, Inc. "Costimator 2019 will allow our customers to increase their quoting throughput while at the same time, enable less experienced, lower cost personnel to perform that function."