Quoting Software and AI-powered Platforms Are Redefining Manufacturing Workflows
Software and AI-powered platforms allow metalworkers to quickly respond to market demands while improving overall their shops operational performance. Those tools enhance efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making so that metalworkers minimize supply chain risks, and gain yet another strategic advantage.
Streamlining Workflows and Empowering the Workforce
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence’s (North Kingstown, RI) Nexus Connected Worker is a transformative platform that digitizes and optimizes shop floor operations. By capturing data from both new and legacy equipment, this solution empowers manufacturers to make informed decisions, improve efficiencies, and enhance workforce productivity. With pre-built workflows for work order management, scheduling, and reporting, businesses can be up and running in as little as four weeks — without breaking the bank. Nexus Connected Worker eliminates the need for paper-based processes, promoting sustainability and reducing errors. Real-time data access enables shift managers to optimize production and make informed decisions, while the platform’s integration capabilities facilitate seamless data flow across every part of the manufacturing process.
AI-powered Sales Operations Platform for Industrial Automation
American manufacturers have never needed robots and industrial automation more than they do today. ReshapeX from Reshape Automation Inc. (Moraga, CA) addresses this urgent need by integrating AI-driven configurators and agents, pricing logic, and digital customer experiences to accelerate quoting, reduce risk, and drive operational efficiency.
ReshapeX is the first AI-native end-to-end sales-acceleration platform designed specifically for automation OEMs, system integrators and distributors. The software aims to eliminate commercial friction so manufacturers can deploy 10x more robots and automation. By combining product configurators, real-time pricing and quoting, and AI agents in a modular customizable suite, ReshapeX helps sales teams generate quotes 80% faster, cut admin time by 60%, reduce quoting errors by 90%, and drive 3x more qualified opportunities.
ReshapeX replaces the patchwork of spreadsheets, legacy CPQ systems, and manual 3D workflows that slow down most automation sales cycles. offering a specialized collaboration platform tailored specifically for industrial automation deployments. Unlike generalist collaboration tools, ReshapeX serves as a centralized system of record that uses AI to enable vendors, integrators, distributors, and end-users to easily audit and reference historical agreements and commercial decisions.
Advanced Inventory Management Tools for Manufacturers
Cetec ERP, LLC (Austin, TX) offers advanced tools for flexible inventory management through a fully integrated platform that centralizes inventory control, eliminates redundant processes, and enables real-time coordination across teams. Disconnected software systems are a persistent challenge for manufacturers. Inventory data is often split across spreadsheets, outdated legacy tools, and standalone accounting systems that require extensive manual entry. These rigid workflows introduce inefficiencies and make it difficult to maintain accurate, up-to-date visibility across quoting, production, purchasing, and finance.
With Cetec ERP, manufacturers have access to:
- Live inventory data: Stock levels, locations, and availability are tracked and updated in real time as inventory is moved to WIP and then consumed on a completed order.
- Sales visibility: Quoting teams have tools to see inventory and incoming supplies without waiting on status checks to provide accurate promise dates and the ability to easily switch between and compare sales price and actual cost.
- Forecasting tools: Usage data is captured and projected based on actual bookings or sales forecasts with historical inventory consumption reporting.
- Margin control: Actual inventory costs are tied directly to quotes and invoices for accurate margin tracking and estimates vs. actual reporting.
- Material planning: Automated reorder points and MRP-driven workflows streamline purchasing and scheduling.
- Accessible records: A modern and flexible system of record that removes access barriers between departments and seamlessly merges data.
The software is designed for small and mid-sized manufacturers and combines depth of functionality with accessibility — offering enterprise-grade tools without enterprise cost or complexity.
Quoting Software Transforms Manufacturing Procurement
CADDi (Chicago and Tokyo, Japan), a leader in digital solutions for manufacturers, announced the launch of CADDi Quote, a quoting solution designed to reduce costs by improving supply chain performance and creating efficiencies. By using data-driven insights, CADDi Quote surfaces cost-effective alternatives, empowers agile supply chain pivots, and manages procurement processes in a convenient, one-stop location. 
CADDi Quote employs AI-powered drawing analysis, identifies price trends from past purchases, and enables efficient cost estimation — allowing any user to arrive at an accurate quote quickly. It empowers businesses to make smarter, more efficient sourcing decisions, helping organizations reduce costs while improving operational efficiency by:
- Strengthening the supply chain and lowering procurement expenses through intelligent automation.
- Minimizing dependency on tribal knowledge, ensuring consistent and objective decision-making.
- Leveraging data from the quotation process to optimize supplier evaluation and drive long-term strategic sourcing.
With CADDi Quote’s centralized management capabilities, procurement teams gain a holistic view of supplier performance and cost structures.
Software Optimizes Efficiency and Quality in Bevel Cutting
Lantek Sheetmetal Solutions USA (Mason, OH), a global leader in software solutions for the sheet metal industry, and ZINSER, a renowned German manufacturer of state-of-the-art sheet metal and pipe cutting systems, have jointly developed an innovative solution that revolutionizes bevel cutting in pre-cut parts. This collaboration allows customers to improve precision without interrupting production, achieving greater efficiency and higher-quality finishes.
Lantek’s contribution to this development has been key to enabling seamless integration between software and machines. Through a custom-developed postprocessor for ZINSER machines, Lantek’s software uses sensory data to accurately calculate each part’s position and orientation, automatically adjusting the cutting parameters to ensure precise execution.
By integrating Lantek’s software into ZINSER machines, customers can manage bevel cutting more efficiently, particularly for parts with complex geometries. Separating this process from the initial cutting results in a smoother production flow and eliminates unnecessary downtime.
