We’ve all heard the phrase “Help me, help you” from the Jerry Maguire film, and at Sirois Tool, we’re often reminded of it whenever we receive a Request for Quote (RFQ) from a new customer.

Why?

Because more often than not, the initial RFQ doesn’t contain all the information we need. By omitting important details, manufacturers make it difficult for us to help them.

For example, we still receive only 2D Drawing files with many RFQs. While they were sufficient 30 years ago, they aren’t nearly as useful in today’s 3D manufacturing environment. What we really need are your Solid Model CAD files, along with the 2D Drawing Files and any other information or specifications that we might need. We also need to know what level of Inspection you need and if DPAS Ratings apply.

Additional information we find helpful includes:

• What you are doing with the fixture or gage
• Which dimensions are critical
• Quantities needed
• Which dimensions can be changed
• Desired Delivery timeline
• Performance criteria if applicable
• Required dimensions & tolerances
• Prototype/Model, if available

The more details you provide, the better we’re able to efficiently respond.

The same logic applies when requesting a Design for Manufacturing (DFM) meeting, or when asking us to review your drawings.

While Sirois Tool doesn’t offer design services beyond our Dow Gage tooling, our decades of experience making tooling, fixtures, and gages have made us very knowledgeable about what is – and isn’t – needed when designing for manufacturing.

That’s why we’re happy to offer DFM suggestions, with the understanding that whether to implement them or not is our customer’s decision.

In this role, we’re often asked to help customers find ways to reduce costs or lead time. To effectively do that, we need to know how the product will be used, as well as how often. This is because the manufacturing process and materials we recommend will depend heavily on this data.

Providing all the information we need when requesting our services expedites your project and results in the most beneficial outcome.

In other words, you’ll “help us help you.”

And helping you is why we exist.

Contact Us to learn more.