• TOPICS
    • Design
    • Manufacturing
    • Inspection
    • Heat Treating
    • Lubrication
    • Materials
    • The Gear Industry
    • Gears by Type
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Departments
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Subscribe
  • VIDEO
    • Gear Technology TV
      • Ask the Expert Live
      • Revolutions
    • Industry Videos
  • BLOGS
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • NEWS and EVENTS
    • Product News
    • Industry News
    • Events
  • ADVERTISING
    • Brand Awareness
      • Print: Display Advertising
      • Online: Web Banners & Keyword Banners
      • Online: Native Advertising (Sponsored Content)
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
    • Response & Lead Generation
      • Online: Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: Newsletters
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • Online: Buyers Guide
    • Print Advertising
      • Print: Display Advertising
      • Print: MPT Expo Showstoppers
      • Print: Buyers Guide
      • Print: Manufacturing sMart
      • Print: Specifications
      • MPT Expo Show Guide Advertising
    • Online Advertising
      • Online: Web Banners & Keyword Banners
      • Online: Native Advertising (Sponsored Content)
      • Online: Buyers Guide
      • Online: Specifications
    • E-mail Advertising
      • E-mail: E-Newsletters
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: AGMA Industry News
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • E-mail: Specifications
    • Special Promotions
      • Print: MPT Expo Showstoppers
      • Print: Buyers Guide
      • Print: Manufacturing sMart
      • MPT Expo Show Guide Advertising
  • CONTACT US
  • AGMA
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Education
    • Emerging Technology
    • AGMA Media
    • Standards
Subscribe
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Home » Blogs » Gear Talk With Chuck » The Task No One Enjoys

Gear Talk With Chuck
Gear Talk With Chuck RSS FeedRSS

Manufacturing / Processes / Forging
Charles schultz
Chuck Schultz is a licensed engineer, Gear Technology Technical Editor, and Chief Engineer for Beyta Gear Service. He has written the "Gear Talk with Chuck" blog for Gear Technology since 2014.

The Task No One Enjoys

November 3, 2015
Charles D. Schultz
No Comments
What task has to be done at every gear shop that no one enjoys? If you’ve followed this blog with any regularity you know how much I admire the unsung heroes of custom manufacturing: the estimators. Why is such an important activity so neglected at so many companies? Recently I undertook a big project for a client, i.e. — resurrecting a product last made 20 years ago. In typical post-“manufacturing age” fashion, the companies previously involved in making this gearbox have each been bought and sold multiple times. And every one of them — the design activity; the foundry; the forging house; the gear shops; the platers; and all the sub-contractors had between two and five ownership changes since this device was last made in quantity. Few had any employees who even remembered what once, for five years or longer, was a big portion of their annual sales. I’m blogging about this because — even with good detective work — the tooling could not be found. Every bidder was in basically the same starting point on estimating the cost of this project. With almost a month’s notice, less than half were able to tender a quote by the client’s deadline. It is very difficult to defend American manufacturing when so many companies are unable to complete a relatively simple assignment on a deadline. Quoting is a huge part of custom manufacturing. To stay in business, you have to know your costs and how to apply them to your activities. I consider myself blessed to have worked for people early in my career who not only understood this problem but actually enjoyed the intellectual challenge of figuring out what to charge for a part. They demonstrated that there is no single “right” way to do it — that often “cost” was fairly disconnected from price if the project was unique enough. In response to this recent disappointment I will be using this blog to share some of the lessons these giants of estimating taught me. For some readers these posts may be old news, for others they may seem so far removed from your duties that you see no need to read them. All I can say is that we’re all in this together. Your job depends on happy customers, too. And customers aren’t happy when they can’t get a price quote in a timely manner.

Recent Comments

Thank you for this - Happy Saint Patrick's...

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Free Gear Technology Subscriptions
Subscribe
Free Gear Technology Subscriptions
Subscribe
FEATURED VIDEO
  • Helios1
    Forest City Gear Taps Helios Gear for Custom Cutting Tools
January 18, 2023
RECOMMENDED
  • 2022 Gear Technology Buyer's Guide

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122-buyers-guide.jpg
  • Reigniting the Educational Infrastructure

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Profile: Continuing Education and Training with the AGMA

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_26_Image_0001.jpg
  • Polished Up!

    February 13, 2023
    gt0123_Page_38_Image_0002.jpg
  • Remaining Competitive

    February 13, 2023
    gt0123_Page_42_Image_0001.jpg
  • Polished Up!

    February 13, 2023
    gt0123_Page_38_Image_0002.jpg
  • Remaining Competitive

    February 13, 2023
    gt0123_Page_42_Image_0001.jpg
  • 2022 Gear Technology Buyer's Guide

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122-buyers-guide.jpg
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • AGMA
Powered byAGMA
Copyright © 2023 Gear Technology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact