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Home » Newsroom » Press release - ESI

FabTrol MRP produces Electronic Steel Inquiry

FabTrol MRP now produces an XML export of steel fabrication nest results and part details for service center import

EUGENE, OR - FabTrol Systems’ integrated steel fabrication management software now features the Electronic Steel Inquiry (ESI), an XML file export that includes material to be purchased based on results from FabTrol MRP’s optimization engine. This XML export can be emailed to a service center and imported by the supplier to expedite material inquiries.

During development, FabTrol Systems worked closely with the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and service center software providers to ensure that the XML export meets the needs of fabricators and service centers, facilitating a quick response by the service center to the steel fabricators’ material inquiries.

Without the ESI export, a service center might require hours, even days, to respond to an RFQ with hundreds of line items. Sometimes, just to get a quick response to the critical items on a list, a fabricator with a schedule problem or a bid due might resort to splitting his RFQ into several smaller inquiries.

According to Rex Morgan, a FabTrol Systems’ implementation consultant with hundreds of company implementations and trainings under his belt, those days are gone: "Now, with ESI, the service center can easily import even the longest and most complex RFQ, even down to a detailed list of thousands of parts to be nested by the vendor."

The ESI export function provides three options based on the nesting method used in FabTrol MRP’s nesting engine to generate the material requirements:

A purchasable-bars option that provides the fabricator’s requested material lengths without part details so the service center can quickly respond with the availability and cost of materials to match the fabricator’s desired cutting solution.
A parts-to-cut option that provides part details, allowing the vendor to generate a nesting solution and provide the fabricator with a quote for uncut raw material.
A cut-to-size option that allows the vendor to generate a nesting solution and provide the fabricator with a quote for cutting the material to length.

ESI offers advantages to both the fabricator and the service center. Both benefit from the time savings and increased accuracy when manual entry is eliminated. The fabricator can feel confident that he will not overbuy since frozen or stock items on the nesting solution will not be included in the ESI export. On the vendor side, electronic inventory interrogation allows the vendor’s system to consider all appropriate material for the parts the fabricator needs to cut, rather than generate a solution based solely on purchasable lengths.

Fabricators familiar with FabTrol MRP’s ability to fill a purchase order directly from a nesting solution will appreciate the way the new ESI export uses nesting information to streamline the quote request process. For steel fabricators considering the purchase of FabTrol MRP’s integrated steel fabrication management software, they can expect to gain additional efficiencies with this time-saving link between nesting and quote activities.

For more information about FabTrol MRP Version 3.0, visit www.fabtrol.com or call 541-485-4719.

FabTrol Systems, a proud member of the Dowco Group, has been the leading supplier of steel fabrication management software for 25 years. In one modular integrated solution, FabTrol MRP provides management tools for estimating, drawings, materials, production, and shipping. Founded by steel fabricators, and still built around a core team of former steel fabricators, the company continues its commitment to the industry by actively seeking feedback from its customer companies—over 1,000 globally—and by working with other industry leaders to address existing and future needs.

FabTrol Systems | Software for Steel Fabricators Since 1984
1025 Willamette Street, Suite 300, Eugene, OR 97401, USA
(888) FABTROL | Support: (541) 345-1494 | info@fabtrol.com

FabTrol Systems UK Ltd. | Serving the UK, Ireland, South Africa
2 Ashley House, Commercial Mills, Wharf St. Shipley, BD17 7DW
ENGLAND | Phone: +44 (0) 1274 590865 | info@fabtrol.com

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FabTrol Systems, Inc.
Sales: (888) FABTROL
Support: (541) 345-1494
E-mail: info@fabtrol.com

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