Estimation & APQP
Quote from engineering, not from optimism.
Two failure modes cost the same money. Quote too high and you lose the work; quote too low and you win it and fund it yourself for the life of the programme. The difference between them is whether the estimate came from a real process route or from a gut feeling scaled by a margin.
What we actually do
Estimates are built up from the process route, operation by operation. Cutting time comes from real feeds and speeds for the material and the tooling; non-cutting time comes from actual rapid rates, tool change times and the loading sequence. Setup, first-off inspection, in-process gauging and tool wear replacement all get their own line rather than disappearing into a percentage.
The result is an estimate you can defend in a commercial conversation, because every number traces to a decision you can point at. When a customer pushes back on price, you can show them which operation is driving it — and often, where a design change would remove it.
On the quality side we produce the APQP deliverables your customer's supplier quality team will ask for: process flow diagram, PFMEA, control plan, and the full PPAP submission pack including first-article inspection reports in AS9102 or PPAP format.
What is included
Cycle time estimation
Built operation by operation from real cutting parameters, not a flat multiplier on part volume.
Cost breakdown
Material, machine hours, tooling consumption, labour, setup amortisation and inspection, itemised.
Process flow diagrams
Customer-submission-ready flow documentation aligned to the actual route.
PFMEA
Failure modes, effects, severity, occurrence, detection and RPN with genuine mitigation actions.
Control plans
Characteristics, specifications, measurement method, sample size, frequency and reaction plan.
PPAP & first article
Complete submission packs including AS9102 or PPAP-format first-article inspection reports.
How we approach it
The same sequence on every job, so you always know where your part is.
Establish the route
An estimate without a process route is a guess — so the route comes first, either yours or ours.
Build up the time
Cutting and non-cutting time calculated per operation from real parameters and real machine rates.
Model the cost
Your rates, your overheads, your tooling costs — the model is yours to re-run whenever they change.
Assess the risk
PFMEA developed against the actual process, with mitigations that change the plan rather than decorate it.
Assemble the pack
Control plan, flow diagram and first-article documentation compiled to your customer's format.
What you receive
Every deliverable is yours outright — native files included. No lock-in, no dependency on us to make the next revision.
| Deliverable | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cycle time estimate | Per operation, split into cutting, non-cutting, setup and inspection time |
| Cost model | Itemised and editable, so you can re-run it against changed volumes or rates |
| Process flow diagram | In the format your customer's supplier quality team expects |
| PFMEA & control plan | Complete, cross-referenced and ready for submission |
| PPAP / FAI pack | Full submission package assembled to AS9102 or PPAP requirements |
Common questions
Accuracy tracks the quality of the inputs. Given a defined process route, a confirmed machine and a real tooling inventory, estimates land close enough to quote against confidently. What we will always give you is a transparent build-up, so when reality differs you can see precisely which assumption moved.
Yes. We document the process as it actually is — which sometimes surfaces gaps between the written route and the floor reality. That is uncomfortable and also exactly the point of the exercise.
We produce documentation to the formats those standards require — AS9102 first articles, PPAP submissions, control plans and PFMEA. We are an engineering supplier rather than a certification body, so the certified quality system remains yours; our job is to make its paperwork correct and defensible.
Send us a drawing. We’ll send back a plan.
Share a 2D print, a STEP file or a scope note. You get a written response with feasibility, approach and an indicative timeline — no obligation, and your data stays yours.