In many workshops, cost estimation is still manual; this guide teaches you how to define machining phases and times with professional accuracy using Fabriqer.
In many machining workshops, the daily management of tasks, quotes, materials, and production times still depends on Excel sheets, improvised templates, or generic software that isn’t designed for the machining world. Although these tools have helped get the job done for years, today they represent a clear limit to growing, optimizing, and professionalizing the operation.
The transition to a specialized SaaS solution is not only a technological leap, but also an operational improvement at every level of the workshop.
In this article, we break down why it’s time to move past improvised tools — and what real benefits a technical management software designed for custom manufacturing workshops can bring.
Excel is flexible, easy to use, and widely known. But in an industrial manufacturing environment, where every part is different and processes require traceability, precision, and speed, its limitations become increasingly clear:
This reliance on improvised solutions slows the workshop’s ability to provide fast responses, control margins, or adapt to demand. It also makes it impossible to scale the business without multiplying administrative effort.
Adopting a SaaS software like Fabriqer, designed specifically for build-to-print machining workshops, allows you to automate and centralize key tasks in the quoting and management process:
Automatic analysis of 3D files: volumes, geometries, weights, and dimensions are extracted directly from the model.
Guided material selection: with updated prices, alloys, formats, and supply conditions.
Work phase definition: programming, machining, setup, quality control… with automatic calculation of times and costs.
Automatic PDF quote generation: customized, with logo, part image, and a complete breakdown.
History of quotes and parts: with the ability to reuse data or detect cost patterns.
Quantity comparison: automatically calculates unit prices based on order volume.
All of this without relying on macros, linked sheets, or complex formulas. Just upload the 3D file and the system guides you step by step.
Switching from Excel to a SaaS platform results in a drastic reduction in quote preparation times (from hours to minutes), fewer calculation or data-omission errors, and a much more professional presentation to the client.
In the mid-term, it also allows you to identify real margins, improve profitability, train the team consistently, and make data-driven decisions. And all of this from anywhere, without relying on a local file or a specific person.
In an increasingly competitive market, where online manufacturing platforms are transforming the relationship with customers, workshops that continue working with Excel are at a disadvantage.
Switching to a SaaS system doesn’t mean losing control — it means gaining agility, transparency, and responsiveness. It’s a step toward more modern, scalable, and professional management, putting technology at the service of the workshop’s expertise.
Want to see how Fabriqer can help you move beyond Excel and transform the way you create quotes?
Request a demo and discover the difference.
In many workshops, cost estimation is still manual; this guide teaches you how to define machining phases and times with professional accuracy using Fabriqer.
.jpg)
We review the most common mistakes when digitalising a workshop and how to avoid them to achieve an efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable transition.
.jpg)
We analyse why it’s necessary to move beyond makeshift tools and the real benefits that technical management software designed for custom manufacturing workshops can provide.