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Department Profile – Estimating Team

“Building an exceptional company is the result of building exceptional teams with exceptional people.”

Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the transportation industry, has been and continues to be a successful company because of our exceptional teams. Today, we will introduce one of these exceptional teams, the Estimating Team, as we continue a series of articles profiling our departments.

Department Name: Estimating Team

Department Manager: Dave Seedorf

Estimating Team Members:
(Left to right in photo)
Engineering Manager Dave Seedorf
Estimator Michele Warner
Sales Support Technician Donn Briskie

How does the Estimating Team support Team 1 Plastics as a whole?
Team 1 Plastics’ Estimating Team supports the company in three ways: reviewing/processing requests for quotes from customers, projecting future sales, and processing new awards (jobs).  When reviewing and processing requests for quotes, the Estimating Team compiles anything regarding pricing, from materials to molds and everything in between, with input from other departments.  Once a quote is submitted and the job is awarded, the Estimating Team processes the new award and alerts the larger team.  All data collected gets inputted into the company database, which drives future projections; allowing Team 1 to make the best company decisions moving forward.

How does the Estimating Team support Team 1’s customers?
Although the Estimating Team does not interact with or support any customers directly, their work helps to support internal departments.  This “behind-the-scenes” work assists internal departments to then support Team 1’s customers.  For example, the Estimating Team works closely with the Sales Department to provide quotes to the customers in a timely manner.

Briefly describe a typical workday for the Estimating Team.
Engineering Manager Dave Seedorf serves as Manager for the Estimating Team.  Dave explains, “I am involved with the team, but they are very independent.  I meet with Michele every other week to talk about challenges, catch up on progress with certain projects, and give guidance as needed.”

Every day can serve to be somewhat unpredictable for Estimator Michele Warner. Michele explains, “My typical day is less predictable.  I may have a plan and never get to it that day because so many other things pop up.  A lot of times it is based on the hot topics of that day.”  A lot of Michele’s daily responsibilities are customer-driven, such as emails on pricing, revisions, etc.

On the other hand, Sales Support Technician Donn Briskie’s typical workday can be more predictable than Michele’s.  Donn handles incoming Request for Quote (RFQ) emails, processing those RFQ’s for internal team review, and putting costs together timely for the customer.

Describe how the Estimating Team has solved a specific problem at Team 1.
Once Production runs a new part for a bit, the Estimating Team will re-quote the job with actual processing conditions.  Michele explains how these re-quotes are utilized to help Team 1 make continued accurate quotes in the future.  “We look at these re-quotes on an annual basis and see what was missed the most and where we need to tweak some things that may stand out.”  Donn adds, “This is part of a continuous improvement program.  We fine-tune and make things better, so we keep winning work.”

What is a recent noteworthy accomplishment of the Estimating Team?
The Estimating Team has been working to automate and optimize what they call the “ABC Quote Model,” Team 1’s proprietary costing model.  This large spreadsheet considers many cost factors, ultimately assisting the Estimating Team in developing accurate quotes.  “Donn has spent a lot of time to automate this, which allows us to be as efficient as we can,” shares Michele.  Donn explains further, “As we automate and optimize the ABC Model, it will make creating a quote faster and easier, allowing us to make a profit and keep our pricing low.”  The Estimating Team is confident that the ABC Model is an effective tool, helping Team 1 to add more customers in the future.

What are the Estimating Team’s current goals?
It is important to the Estimating Team to continue striving for efficiency, especially as Team 1 Plastics grows.  “We need to continue to focus on cross-training each other for backup coverage, just in case one of us is out,” explains Michele.  “This will allow us to stay a two-person department.”

Department Random Poll:
A tale as old as time: Cats or Dogs?
Dogs are certainly the preferred animal with this group, as all three chose dogs over cats.  Michele shares, “I currently don’t have any dogs, but do enjoy watching my daughter’s dog, Raven when they are out of town.”