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5 January 2010

Laserquote is proving a huge success

It’s now six months since the launch of the UK’s first, instant on-line laser cutting quotation service and its operator hasn’t looked back. Laserquote is the brainchild of Midlands laser cutting specialist Microkerf and although the service took about 3 months to become commercially viable it is now a vital strand of its business.

Subcontracting companies need to differentiate themselves from one another, now more than ever. The recession has resulted in many such manufacturers chasing a diminished body of work. “Just like the airlines and the superstores Microkerf has taken a long hard look at how best to make it easier for customers to access our products and services,” explained Director, David Gattward. “Laserquote is a response to that need.”

This service represents an operational cost saving for Microkerf too. It is a far quicker process as the quotation is generated automatically and isn’t subject to the workload of the in-house estimator. And its scalability is considered to be the greatest long term advantage for the company.

David does however emphasise that Laserquote doesn’t cover every aspect of Microkerf’s work. Indeed it was introduced to complement and not to replace its traditional quotation methods. The automated service includes only the most popular choices of material and does not make provision for secondary operations such as bending … at the moment.

Laserquote however is very much a work in progress. The next generation of the service will incorporate several new automated features and greater application scope.

Following in the footsteps of the supermarket home shopping services Microkerf has also introduced a minimal fee delivery service for its Leicestershire customers. David Gattward concludes, “This is proving highly popular for our local clients and we will soon be introducing swift-delivery, laser cut shims to this door to door service in the very near future.”


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