Sheet metal cost estimating gets a lift for better margins

The new version goes beyond keeping track of, and managing costs in, design and manufacturing – now giving users more control over margins at the quotation stage. e2i development manager Dave Caughley explains that central to the new release is a quote nesting feature that uses the Radan True Shape Nester to squeeze the maximum number of parts out of a sheet. Incidentally, he also says that if several parts from the same line of a quote can go on the same sheet, Quote Nester also nests these together when calculating material costs. Caughley says you still have control over how the unused part of a sheet is costed. Also, if you save remnants for future jobs, you can choose to remove the value of the remnant from the cost. What's more, quote nesting also allows for multiple lines in a quote to be estimated separately or quoted together, he says, which increases the number of parts that can be nested on the same sheet, to maximise sheet utilisation. And there is also a completely rewritten Sage Link for the latest version of the Sage accountancy package. "e2i effectively models a manufacturing company's environment, taking into account all aspects of the business such as estimating, sales, purchasing, manufacturing, delivery and accounts," states Caughley. And he adds: "It's likely that the impressive lineup of new and improved features will bring e2i to the attention of manufacturers that don't currently use it, enabling them to take their businesses to the next level."