Nesting integration
Automated transfer of nest layouts and cut times to improve time and material estimates.
Centralized quoting reduces manual errors and accelerates response times for customers while giving managers visibility into margins, capacity, and backlog to support operational decisions.
A Shop Manager uses the software to review quoted jobs, allocate machine time, and approve production schedules. They rely on reporting to assess throughput, identify bottlenecks, and adjust staffing or shift patterns to meet delivery dates.
An Estimating Specialist creates detailed quotes from CAD and nesting outputs, applies standardized cost rules, and manages revision history. They focus on accuracy, repeatability, and maintaining material price lists to protect margins.
Production and estimating teams use quoting software to streamline price generation and align shop schedules with customer commitments.
Managers and operations staff use aggregated reports to monitor profitability and prioritize orders based on capacity and lead time.
Automated transfer of nest layouts and cut times to improve time and material estimates.
Support for assemblies with multi-part BOMs and roll-up costing by component.
Track quote revisions, capture approver identity, and maintain audit trails for changes.
Different price visibility and approval thresholds for sales, estimators, and managers.
Multi-step approvals with notifications and conditional routing for exceptions.
Historical quote data used to forecast workload and identify pricing drift over time.
Reusable quote templates ensure consistency for commonly produced parts and assemblies, reduce repetitive entry, and speed response times while preserving required fields and legal terms.
Rule sets allow distinct markup, waste factors, and labor rates per material or customer class, supporting tiered pricing and margin targets without manual recalculation.
Connectors to CAD, nesting, ERP, and CRM minimize duplicate entry, enable automatic job creation after quote approval, and maintain single-source truth for part data.
Operational dashboards provide visibility into quoted vs. won ratios, machine utilization, and backlog to support capacity planning and pricing adjustments.
| Setting Name | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Approval timeout | 72 hours |
| Reminder frequency | 48 hours |
| Auto-release on approve | Enabled |
| Revision retention period | 3 years |
| Notification channels | Email and in-app |
Verify that quoting software supports the devices and browsers your team uses to avoid workflow interruptions across desktop and mobile contexts.
A mid-size fabrication shop integrated quoting with nesting to automate cutting time estimates
Resulting in faster customer responses and improved on-time delivery performance.
A manufacturer of electronics enclosures standardized material and labor rules inside quoting software
Leading to clearer pricing for sales and fewer costly underbids.
| Criteria | signNow | Lantek | SigmaNEST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quoting templates | Limited | ||
| Nesting integration | |||
| ERP synchronization | API available | ||
| Role-based pricing controls |
Retain signed quotes for at least seven years for commercial records.
Review material and labor rates quarterly to reflect market changes.
Keep audit trails for a minimum of three years for dispute resolution.
Review and validate templates annually.
Daily backups retained for 90 days and monthly archives for three years.
| License model | signNow subscription per user | Lantek perpetual or subscription | SigmaNEST subscription or perpetual | ProNest perpetual plus maintenance | Shoptech E2 perpetual license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment options | Cloud and on-premises where applicable | On-premises and cloud | Cloud and on-premises | On-premises | On-premises |
| Typical customers | SMBs and enterprises for eSignature workflows | Fabrication and sheet metal shops | Industrial nesting and fabrication | Cutting and nesting for industrial users | Job shops and manufacturers |
| Support and maintenance | Email and phone support in plans | Annual support contract | Annual maintenance available | Support included with maintenance | Support via maintenance plan |
| Integration approach | APIs and connectors for document workflows | Native CAD/CAM integrations | Native nesting integrations | Integrates with Hypertherm ecosystem | ERP and shop floor connectors |
| Billing cadence | Monthly or annual subscription | Perpetual license plus maintenance | Perpetual or subscription | Perpetual with yearly maintenance | Perpetual with optional support |