A wave of relief crashes into you as you finally press the Get Your Free Quote button on the request a quote page.
Weeks, months, or even years of product development have brought you to this moment, but as the reality sinks in, you find yourself scrolling aimlessly.
What now?
Strouse inspects quote requests daily, yet your quote could take days or even weeks to complete depending on the project's complexity. Learn how to prepare for the upcoming steps of our quoting process and how you can speed up the timeline.
What Happens After I Request a Quote?
Requesting a quote from us is the tip of the iceberg.
Although you’ve started your journey toward production, we still need to understand the problem you’re trying to solve the product’s details, define materials, create a process, and estimate the cost.
A simple quote typically takes 2-3 days to complete, whereas a complex quote might take over 2 weeks. These are all the steps that can affect your timeline after you request a quote:
STEP 1: DISCUSSING YOUR PROBLEM AND THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
Having finished your development phase, you’re already looking forward to getting your part all set up on a die press.
Before issuing a quote, your converter might ask questions about your part application: Does it need tabs? Should it have an extended liner? Do you want it sheeted or rolled?
With this many inquiries, you might see how this conversation can build into a vast chain of emails. Yet, these follow-up questions about your product purpose are essential to clarifying the final aspects of your design and spare you the trouble of repeating details later.
Notably, this is also around the time we exchange a mutual NDA to protect the privacy of both parties. You'll receive a quicker and more accurate quote if you provide upfront background information about your product.
STEP 2: DEFINE OUR MATERIALS
If you haven’t defined your part materials, we might have to send rolls or samples to see which are compatible with your part application.
Based on the solution we’ve designed to run your product, we can calculate the material quantity your project should need, including the material used to make the part and the machine setup waste.
Assuming you HAVE chosen your part materials, we will still likely suggest alternatives based on the price and the material lead time. Most materials have a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), which makes it harder for us to complete smaller orders. If your chosen material had a lead time of over 50 weeks, we would search for an appropriate substitute you could get in a shorter period.
Even though each material has its own cost and lead time, many vendors hesitate to confirm material prices due to fear of change. Although some vendors offer upfront material information, others take longer to respond, which is how our suppliers’ response time can significantly affect the time it takes us to complete a quote.
Finally, if you plan to take matters into your own hands, consider the pros and cons of supplying your adhesive material.
STEP 3: CREATE A PROCESS
Every part we make is custom, with a unique design and machine process.
To create your product, our engineers must decide what that process will look like for your part based on the design measurements. We’ll look at your tolerances to define which production methods are possible and which make the most economic sense for you.
Planning a process includes confirming your final materials and any support materials used on the machine press to achieve the desired results. In addition, we will draw up a process diagram for our operators to follow.
Other aspects of creating the process include defining how long it will take to set up the press, run your desired quantity, then “tear down,” A.K.A clean it up once the job is done. Lastly, we discuss packaging and supplying your parts for their end purpose.
All of these diagrams, processes, and plans are newly made for each quote we send.
STEP 4: CREATING YOUR QUOTE
All of the above data is combined in an estimate, which generates a cost for the total product.
Your quote will include the project lead time, quantity, unit price, total price, and more. For a better idea of how this works, see how to compare different custom quotes.
Once you have received a quote you’re satisfied with, we’ll begin ordering the adhesive material and putting together a project timeline.
Looking at Your Quote Timeline
As previously mentioned, a quote can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to complete.
Knowing that your quote can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, you may have some questions. Whether it’s questions about the process or an update on a previously submitted quote, our team can help you with any clarification.
If you’re looking to speed up the quoting process, the best thing you can do is provide as much information about your product as possible so we can plan a rapid but effective solution.
Originally published: January 27, 2023
