Case Study: SFI – Steel Fabrication accelerates quoting and wins more business with aPriori

SFI Speeds Response Times and Business Growth with aPriori

SFI (Steel Fabrication Inc.) is a 600‑employee contract OEM parts manufacturer with three U.S. facilities delivering heavy‑gauge welded, machined and assembled components for industries from automotive to defense. Its estimating team struggled with slow, manual quoting—converting 3D models to 2D, juggling spreadsheets and disparate cost tools—so large bids could take weeks, forcing missed opportunities, higher overhead and strained customer relationships.

SFI implemented aPriori’s cost‑modeling software to cost parts directly from customers’ 3D CAD models, enabling rapid prototyping quotes, easy updates and CAD‑independent analysis. The change cut quote turnaround from weeks to days (or minutes for changes), reduced estimating headcount per quote, matched shop‑level accuracy and improved win rates and time‑to‑market—making aPriori a key competitive differentiator for SFI.

SFI-Steel Fabrication

Bill Lerman

President