Custom Injection Molders & OEM Buyers Meet on the JobQuote Network.If you run a custom injection molding injection molding n. A manufacturing process for forming objects, as of plastic or metal, by heating the molding material to a fluid state and injecting it into a mold. shop, you know how hard it can be to keep a steady load of the right kind of work running through your plant. Or, if you buy injection molding services, you know how hard it can be to find a reliable vendor at the price you're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. . The same can be true if you buy tooling, design, and prototyping services, or even fabricated fab·ri·cate tr.v. fab·ri·cat·ed, fab·ri·cat·ing, fab·ri·cates 1. To make; create. 2. To construct by combining or assembling diverse, typically standardized parts: metal parts for use in assemblies. Molders and parts buyers too often have trouble seeing beyond their existing relationships. You know there are alternatives out there. The problem is, how do you find them? That's exactly what the new JobQuote Network in PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY Online is designed to do. Created in cooperation with ManufacturingQuote.com of Smyrna, Ga., JobQuote Network is a subscription-based service being launched this month that brings together buyers and sellers of injection molding, mold/die-making, design, prototyping, engineering, and finishing services. It's an efficient and cost-effective way to connect OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and parts buyers to molders all over North America--and molders to tool makers and other vendors. What is the JobQuote Network? First, a word about what JobQuote isn't: It's not a "reverse auction" that isolates price only as the driver in the request-for-quote (RFQ RFQ Request For Quote RFQ Request For Quotation RFQ Request for Qualifications (part of a potential client's preliminary selection process) RFQ Radio Frequency Quadrupole (accelerator technology) ) process. There's too much of that around already. PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY'S new JobQuote Network is an online marketplace consisting of buyers and molders who are seeking a more efficient approach to the procurement process and who want to reach beyond the geographical limits that typically constrain customer relationships. Buyers post RFQs with detailed job requirements--including part drawings, CAD files, and other documentation--and molders search those jobs for work that best suits their capabilities and capacity. It works the same way when plastics molders, extruders, and thermoformers post RFQs for design, prototyping, finishing, inspection, or testing services. The JobQuote Network is not entirely new. It is an extension into plastics processing Plastics processing Those methods used to convert plastics materials in the form of pellets, granules, powders, sheets, fluids, or preforms into formed shapes or parts. of the ManufacturingQuote network, which has served the custom manufacturing market for the last two years. Over 1100 jobs totaling more than $31.5 million have been posted on the ManufacturingQuote network over the last six months alone. They span a range of processes, including general and precision machining, die and mold making, other metalworking, rapid prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. , painting/plating, and engineering services. But the JobQuote Network is not just about connecting buyers and sellers. It is also designed to facilitate the two-way communication Two-way communication is a form of transmission in which both parties involved transmit information. Common forms of two-way communication are:
Mail User Agent allows buyers and suppliers to communicate one-on-one, or buyers can post messages for all shops to read. JobQuote also provides tools for both custom shops and buyers to organize and manage their outstanding quotations. RFQs can be grouped and sorted in a variety of ways, and job-status or engineering-change notifications can be distributed automatically. Buyers can release RFQs to the entire supplier network or to a smaller group of suppliers of their own choosing. They can even target a single shop. What does it cost? Custom molders and vendors of other services subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; JobQuote for a flat annual fee with no additional "per-transaction" charges. Buyers of parts and services can post RFQs for free once they've filled out the online buyer-registration form. Suppliers and buyers are free to use any combination of online/off-line communications that they feel is appropriate to manage their business relationship. As an introductory offer, custom molding shops can obtain a free three-month subscription to the network by signing up on the PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY website (www.plasticstechnology.com). Buyers' tools For the buyer, JobQuote provides an easy means to put out jobs for bid to multiple suppliers, and to get all quotes back in a common format. The "RFQ Wizard" steps the buyer through the process and allows one to attach graphic documentation such as CAD files, PDF files, other image scans. (Proprietary information may be displayed only to approved suppliers.) Once a job is posted, the buyer is automatically notified via e-mail when quotes are received. RFQs can be managed individually or organized by project or by other logical grouping. Find the right kind of job For the custom molder, the first step of the JobQuote process is to create a "Job-Bot," which is a filter that identifies the kinds of work the molder is looking for. Through menu-driven settings, the molder programs the Job-Bot to search for RFQs from a specific industry or for specific types of molding, lot-size ranges, delivery windows, and so on. The Job-Bot collects only RFQs that meet those criteria and notifies the molder by e-mail. Subscribing shops can create as many Job-Bots as they please. Once a suitable RFQ has been identified, the Quote Wizard guides the estimator through the quoting process. Some elements of the quote are entered automatically based on the buyer-specified RFQ information. Fields are provided for processing costs, tooling costs, material costs, and shipping. Total job costs are automatically calculated. A dialog box A movable window that is displayed on screen in response to the user selecting a menu option. It provides the current status and available options for a particular feature in the program. within the Wizard allows molders to ask for additional information. Once submitted, the quote is automatically inserted in the buyer's RFQ folder, and an e-mail notification is sent. If a buyer accepts or rejects a bid, the molder is notified via e-mail. Or, the buyer may ask the molder to rebid re·bid v. re·bid, re·bid·den or re·bid, re·bid·ding, re·bids v.tr. 1. Games To bid (a previously bid suit) again in bridge. 2. based on new information. The process works the same way when the plastics processor is the buyer. Molders manage quotes in the "Job-Bot Management List." The list identifies which Job-Bots have grabbed new RFQs and new messages, as well as which quotes have been accepted or rejected or are outstanding. It also gives a quote summary so that a molder can analyze won-vs.-lost jobs. Moreover, the system gives feedback on the dollar range of all quotes posted for an RFQ. NOT JUST FOR INJECTION MOLDERS Who Can Use the JobQuote Network? Connect with Buyers If You Sell Any of These Services Connect with Sellers If You Buy Any of These Services Custom Injection Molding General Custom Molding Insert Molding Multi-Material/Multi-Color Molding Thermoset A polymer-based liquid or powder that becomes solid when heated, placed under pressure, treated with a chemical or via radiation. The curing process creates a chemical bond that, unlike a thermoplastic, prevents the material from being remelted. See thermoplastic. Injection Molding Metal-Powder Injection Molding Rubber Injection Molding Rapid Prototyping Services Stereolithography The first 3D printing technology, which was pioneered by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems. See 3D printing. Selective Laser Sintering See laser sintering and 3D printer. Fused Deposition Modeling See 3D printing. Drop-on-Demand Modeling Decorating/Finishing Services Plating on Plastics or Metal Painting on Plastics Engineering Services Product Design Services Tool Design Services CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) See numerical control. CNC - Collaborative Networked Communication Programming Finite-Element Analysis Reverse Engineering Mold/Die Making Services Injection Molds Blow Molds Thermoforming Molds Rotational Molds Transfer Molds Extrusion Dies Steel-Rule Trim/Cut Dies Inspection/Testing Services Dimensional Inspection Materials Testing Articles on Materials testing include:
Custom Metalworking Services Machining Stamping Wire Forming Casting Welding Forging Heat Treating Engraving (e.g., Rolls) Custom Rubber Parts Pour-Molded Rubber Die-Cut Rubber Injection Molded Rubber |
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