Monthly / quarterly
Margin structure, CapEx, dedicated capacity, QBRs and strategic growth.
Know exactly what each shop is good at, and what not to send them.
A partner relationship becomes valuable when capabilities, preferences, quality history and real available capacity are visible enough to make routing decisions quickly.
PORTFOLIO DESIGN
Concentrate attention where RFQ volume and capability matter most.
This is the proposed operating structure from my preparation, to be reconciled with the actual assigned portfolio.
CORE PARTNERS15-20
The partners likely to carry most RFQ volume.
- High responsiveness
- Strong OTD and quality history
- Broad or strategically important capacity
- Daily estimator relationships
- Best candidates for capacity planning
SPECIALTY + GROWTH20-40
Niche capabilities or emerging shops that should be developed into larger contributors.
- Extrusion, die casting, stamping and tooling
- High-end alloys and tight-tolerance work
- ISO 13485, AS9100, ITAR, CMMC and other regulated work
- Additive bureaus and process specialists
- Partners being calibrated for more complex work
CAPABILITY MATRIX
Routing starts with structured shop intelligence.
The machine list matters, but the actual sweet spot matters more.
Partner profile
Process
Machine / cell
Materials
Certifications
Routing intelligence
Precision CNC
3/4/5-axis · Swiss
DMG Mori · Makino · Citizen
Al · Ti · Inconel · SS
AS9100 · ITAR
Tight GD&T, aerospace, medical
Production Additive
DMLS · MJF · DLS · SLS
EOS · HP · Carbon
Ti64 · AlSi10Mg · PA12
AS9100 · ISO 9001
Complex geometry, bridge production
Molding + Tooling
Injection · rapid tooling
Electric / hydraulic presses
PEEK · PC · medical resin
ISO 13485 · ISO 9001
Production plastics, cleanroom needs
Heavy / Forming
Stamping · casting · extrusion
Presses · dies · casting cells
Al · steel · Mg · Zn
Process dependent
High-volume work and tooling economics
Add one field most routing systems miss: jobs the partner wants most and jobs they want least. A technically capable shop is still the wrong route if the estimator will not prioritize the work.
PARTNER DEVELOPMENT
Not every shop starts at the same trust level.
Scale responsibility only after actual delivery proves the capability.
STAGE 1Calibration
3-5 pilot jobs. Test OTD, communication, inspection documentation, packaging and DFM responsiveness.
STAGE 2Capacity allocation
Define the shop's true sweet spot, standardize rate assumptions and identify dedicated machine hours.
STAGE 3Joint business planning
Preferred RFQ routing, capability expansion, technology integration and forward capacity planning.
RELATIONSHIP MAP
Work the right person at the right cadence.
The shop owner and the estimator solve different problems.
Daily
RFQs, cycle assumptions, target pricing, missing drawing details and bid speed.
Weekly
Machine availability, schedule risk, lead times and open spindle hours.
As needed
FAI, NCRs, CMM capability, traceability and recurring defect issues.