How WERIX Is Using Technology to Rethink Sheet Metal Manufacturing

Sheet-metal fabrication has historically been a craft-driven industry — skilled operators, manual quoting, and paper-based production tracking. That model works, but it introduces variability: different estimators quote the same part differently, production schedules rely on tribal knowledge, and quality data lives in binders rather than databases. At WERIX, we have been investing in digital tools to give our engineers and operators better information, faster. The idea is straightforward: technology should support the people who know the work — not replace them.

In 2018, WERIX built its first in-house quotation system to standardize how we calculate cost and lead time. In 2025, we upgraded that system with AI-powered capabilities built on a knowledge base of 11 years of production data — laser cutting speeds, bend cycle times, material utilization rates, setup patterns, and thousands of completed orders with verified cost outcomes. The system uses a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecture with a fine-tuned AI model: it finds the most relevant historical production data for each new part geometry, then generates pricing calibrated to our actual equipment performance. When you upload a CAD file, the system draws on actual production records from parts with similar geometry, material, and complexity — then calculates cost based on how our specific machines performed. Every quote is then reviewed and validated by a senior engineer who checks DFM feasibility, confirms material availability, and adjusts for project-specific nuances. This two-layer approach — production-data AI plus senior engineering judgment — is how we deliver accurate, verified pricing within 24 hours, consistently.

• Self-developed system — trained on 11 years of WERIX production data, not a third-party license
• AI generates accurate, data-driven pricing on the first pass — calibrated to our actual equipment performance
• Every quote reviewed by a senior engineer: DFM verification, material check, and project-specific adjustments
• Result: faster turnaround, more consistent pricing, and fewer back-and-forth iterations on standard parts

Beyond quoting, WERIX is building digital systems that connect our production floor — from job scheduling and machine monitoring to quality data collection and shipment tracking. These tools help us maintain our 98% on-time delivery rate by giving production managers real-time visibility into every active order, and help us maintain our 98%+ first-pass yield by ensuring inspection data is captured and traceable for every batch.

• Digital job scheduling: production orders tracked from cutting through finishing in a single system
• Quality data capture: CMM readings, inspection reports, and FAI data stored digitally — available to you on request
• Shipment tracking: packing, labeling, and dispatch confirmed through the system before goods leave our facility
• These systems are evolving — we invest incrementally, testing each tool on the floor before rolling it out fully

We do not adopt technology for its own sake. Every tool we build or implement has to answer one question: does it help our engineers and operators do their jobs better? If the answer is yes — faster quotes, fewer errors, better traceability — we invest. If a tool adds complexity without clear value, we skip it. This pragmatic approach means our technology stack is focused, not flashy. It also means we are always iterating: the quotation system we run today is the third version, and it will keep improving as we accumulate more production data.

• Build vs. buy: we develop core tools in-house (quoting, production tracking) because they need to fit our specific processes
• Incremental rollout: new tools are tested in one workshop before expanding to the full floor
• Engineer-first design: every digital tool is designed to assist the engineer, not to automate them away
• Continuous improvement: our technology roadmap is driven by feedback from the shop floor, not by market trends