Prototek Case Study
Market: Manufacturing Services
By leveraging Spatial SDKs to launch our Instant Quoting software, we achieved our goals efficiently and successfully launched within just seven months of signing the contract— a testament to the smooth and well- coordinated integration process.
The Company
Founded in 1987, Prototek is an American provider of rapid prototyping and low-volume production services, specializing in precision machined and sheet metal fabricated parts. Prototek’s mission is to be the leading full-service digital manufacturer providing a one-stop shop for high-mix, low-volume production and prototyping. Prototek is committed to delivering high-quality solutions with unmatched speed, ensuring their customers receive the best value, superior technology, and unwavering quality.
Their comprehensive services include on-demand 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, casting, and molding. With a fleet of over 140 machines and multiple facilities across the United States, Prototek caters to a diverse customer base in industries such as aerospace, defense, medical, robotics, electronics, consumer, and general industrial sectors. The company stands out from the competition by offering instant and engineer-assisted quotes, 100+ choices of metal and plastic materials, 40+ surface finish options, and quality prototypes and end-use solutions
The Challenge
Implementing a robust automated quoting tool to meet industry and customer demand
As the manufacturing industry shifts to a digital future, Prototek recognized the need for digitization, automation, and speed in quoting, ordering, and production. With increasing requirements for on-demand manufacturing, customers expect seamless digital experiences. Prototek aimed to position itself as a modern, customer-centric company by developing Prototek IQ, an Instant Quote tool.
Dealing with customizable and technical components, Prototek sought to automate complex quoting processes to ensure accurate pricing based on material, design complexity, and production methods. Traditional manual quoting was slow and inefficient, often requiring back-and-forth communication. The Instant Quote feature focused on faster turnaround times, transparency, and accuracy to enhance customer satisfaction.
With competitors offering similar tools, Prototek wanted to develop its own Instant Quote feature to remain competitive and meet market expectations for convenience and speed. To accomplish their goals, they knew they needed a solid foundation of 3D software components to power their dynamic quoting tool
Key Insights
Comprehensive SDKs empower accelerated development
By leveraging Spatial SDKs, Prototek demonstrates its commitment to innovation and excellence in digital
manufacturing, delivering seamless and efficient solutions to meet the evolving needs of its clients. Spatial’s all-in, comprehensive CAD kernel provided the robust base needed for Prototek to accelerate the development of the Prototek IQ platform. By using Spatial, in combination with Prototek-developed Machine Learning models, Prototek can accurately estimate pricing for hundreds of materials and finishes for customers’ custom-manufactured parts.
Prototek customers can now instantly procure custom manufacturing quotes online through the Prototek IQ platform, while still being able to submit traditional engineer-assisted RFQs. Getting an instant quote through Prototek IQ now takes seconds, compared to hours when done through traditional quoting methods. Customer wait time for quotes has continued to decrease dramatically, allowing customers to make quicker decisions and get their products to market faster.
The 3D modeling, interoperability, and visualization components from Spatial are part of the formula for Prototek IQ’s success as a best-in-class leader in Digital Manufacturing.
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