Case Study:
From “Gut Feel” Estimating to Data-Driven Quotes Delivered 60% Faster
Camcor replaced manual estimating with AI-driven geometry analysis and is now often the first quote on the customer’s desk.
QUOTE RESPONSE TIME
NUMBER OF RFQs PROCESSED
INCREASE IN HEADCOUNT
Camcor Industries is a high-precision CNC machining company serving mission-critical industries including aerospace, energy, and scientific instrumentation.
Known for producing complex, tight-tolerance components, they’ve contributed to high-profile programs like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)—manufacturing critical parts such as waveguides and optical mounts.
THE CHALLENGE:
Camcor’s quoting process relied heavily on manual review and estimator experience:
- Estimators spent hours analyzing drawings and programming parts
- Pricing varied depending on who quoted the job
- Risk of underquoting due to missed geometry
- Slow turnaround times limited competitiveness
In a high-mix environment, this created bottlenecks and margin risk.
Two different estimators might look at the same parts and arrive at two different prices based on their individual experiences. We were spending hours manually reviewing drawings and programming CAD models...calculating cycle times instead of focusing on production. If a quote was too high, we lost the job; if it was too low (due to missed features in a CAD file), we won the job but lost money on the shop floor.
THE SOLUTION:
Camcor is quoting 60% faster, with more consistent pricing and greater confidence in their margins.
We have always invested in top-tier hardware and software. Integrating Machine Research was the logical next step of that investment.
It ensures that the front-end office is as precise as the back-end spindle. By removing the manual guesswork, we are better able to protect our margins and provide customers with transparent, defensible pricing that reflects our actual shop-floor capabilities
Instead of relying on an estimator to review a 2D PDF and manually count features such as holes or deep pockets, the Machine Research software enables them to analyze the 3D CAD model directly. The system evaluates geometric complexity, volumes, and surface areas, enabling them to accurately calculate material removal rates and generate reliable manufacturing cost estimates without programming the part in CAM software.
Machine Research's automated analysis has significantly improved our quoting efficiency, reducing response times by approximately 60%. In today’s modern supply chain, speed is a key competitive advantage. By automating geometry analysis, we can deliver professional and accurate quotations much faster, often becoming the first quote on the customer’s desk, while also allowing our technical team to process a higher volume of RFQs without increasing headcount.
