Stop Wasting Hours on Manual Data Entry That Slows Down Your Shop Floor
Imagine cutting data entry time by 70% and freeing your team to focus on welding, bending, and assembly instead of spreadsheets. We're talking real ROI from day one, built right into your fabrication workflow.
Join 150+ businesses with streamlined fabrication operations
The "Manual Data Entry" Problem
Error-prone manual entry of cut lists, BOMs, and material specs like steel gauge or weld tolerances, leading to scrap, rework, and delayed fabrication runs
Juggling paper timesheets and digital logs that delay payroll and job costing
Manual inventory tracking of raw materials like rebar, lumber, or sheet metal causing stockouts during tight production runs on job sites or shop floors
Re-entering quality inspection data across disconnected systems, eating into shift time
Overloaded admins pulling skilled fabricators or welders off the shop floor to handle manual order entry updates for custom builds or site installations
Inaccurate shipment manifests from hand-typed data on pallet loads or modular components, risking client disputes over deliveries for on-site assemblies
Our Tailored AI Solution for Your Fabrication Needs
With years of field-tested integrations in manufacturing shops, we've helped dozens of metal fabricators ditch the drudgery.
Why Choose Us
Here's the thing: off-the-shelf software treats every shop like a cookie-cutter operation, but your fabrication workflow— from CNC programming to final assembly—is unique. We build a custom AI system that pulls data straight from your machines, ERP, and shop floor tools. No more typing the same specs twice. It's like having an invisible assistant that knows your tolerances, alloys, and deadlines inside out. Let's be honest, you're probably thinking this sounds too good. But we've done it for shops just like yours, turning chaos into a smooth production line.
What Makes Us Different:
Why This Perfect Fit Boosts Your Bottom Line
Accelerate Production Without Hiring More Staff
Accelerate Production Without Hiring More Staff: Picture this: your welders and carpenters spend less time hunched over keyboards entering job tickets and more on the floor hitting quotas for structural steel or framing. We've seen fabrication shops reduce data entry by 70%, adding 10-15 hours back to hands-on work each week. That means faster turnarounds on custom rebar bending or precast concrete orders, happier general contractors, and more bids you can win in competitive tenders.
Cut Errors and Waste in Material Handling
Cut Errors and Waste in Material Handling: Manual entry is like swinging a hammer without a blueprint—bound to miss on tolerances. Our AI verifies specs like pipe diameters or insulation R-values on the fly, preventing costly scrap from mismatched cuts, bends, or pours. One precast concrete client saved $15K in the first quarter alone by nixing rework on foundation formwork runs.
Unlock Real-Time Insights for Smarter Decisions
Unlock Real-Time Insights for Smarter Decisions: No more waiting on end-of-day reports from disconnected PLC systems. Get live dashboards showing job progress on CNC machines, inventory levels for HVAC components, and bottlenecks in assembly lines. It's field-tested for ROI—fabricators report 25% better on-time delivery after implementation, keeping your schedule as tight as your weld seams or concrete cures.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ, our guys were manually entering weld certs, flange dimensions, and ASME compliance data after every shift on the pipe fabrication line—it was killing productivity and causing delays in refinery installs. Now, the system pulls it all from the welder's digital logs automatically via tablet scans. We cut entry time from 4 hours to 45 minutes daily, dropped our error rate to near zero, and boosted output by 18% in the first two months. It's been a game-changer for our stainless steel runs."
Mike Reynolds
Lead Welder Supervisor, Precision Pipe Fabricators Inc.
"I was skeptical at first—thought it'd be another subscription headache for our structural steel shop. But they built this custom setup that integrates our CNC plasma cutter data directly into quoting and material takeoff processes. No more double-checking inventory for I-beams or angle iron by hand across spreadsheets. Saved us about 15 hours a week on admin, and we just landed a $500K bridge girder contract because we could respond to RFQs 40% faster."
Sarah Patel
Production Operations Director, ForgeSteel Manufacturing LLC
"Manual data entry was bottlenecking our sheet metal shop, especially during peak seasons for HVAC ductwork fabrication. AIQ's solution scans incoming orders via barcode and updates our ERP with routing and nesting data without anyone lifting a finger. In three months, we reduced overtime by 20%, cut scrap from mis-nested sheets by 12%, and got our month-end weld inspection reports done in half the time. Solid work—keeps us competitive on commercial builds."
Tom Garcia
General Manager and Owner, Apex Sheet Metal Works
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and Mapping
We dive into your shop's workflow—talking tolerances, machine integrations, and pain points—to design a solution that fits like a custom jig.
Custom Build and Integration
Our engineers code the AI to handle your specific data flows, linking everything from plasma cutters to inventory racks without disrupting production.
Testing and Rollout
We test on a small run, tweak for accuracy, then go live shop-wide, training your team so it's seamless from the first weld.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this handle data from different machines in my fab shop?
We customize the AI to interface with whatever you've got—whether it's older Haas mills or modern Trumpf lasers. It pulls telemetry like cut paths and cycle times via APIs or even serial connections if needed. For example, in one shop, we integrated data from five different CNC brands into a unified feed, reducing entry time by 60%. You're not locked in; we map it to your exact setup during discovery, ensuring no machine is left out. This means your workflow stays fluid, from programming to final inspection, without anyone rekeying numbers.
What's the timeline for implementing this in our metal shop?
Typically, we wrap discovery in 1-2 weeks, build the core system in 4-6 weeks, and roll out with testing in another 2 weeks—totaling about 2 months for a mid-sized fab operation. We've done it faster for urgent bottlenecks, like a client who needed inventory sync live in 5 weeks during a busy season. It depends on your current tools, but we prioritize quick wins, like automating cut list entry first, so you see benefits early. No long waits that halt production; it's designed to layer in without downtime.
Will this integrate with our existing ERP like Epicor or JobBOSS?
Absolutely—integration is our bread and butter. We create secure, two-way connections that push fabrication data like job statuses and material usage straight into your ERP, eliminating double entry. For a steel fabricator using JobBOSS, we synced shop floor logs to update costs automatically, saving 10 hours weekly on reconciliations. It's not superficial; we handle the nuances, like custom fields for alloys or tolerances, so your ERP reflects real shop reality. If it's not a direct fit, we build adapters that scale with updates.
How secure is the data in a high-stakes fab environment?
Security is non-negotiable, especially with proprietary designs and client specs. We use end-to-end encryption, role-based access (so only welders see shift data), and comply with standards like ISO 9001. In one case, a defense contractor fab shop integrated our system without a single breach over two years. Data stays on your servers or our secure cloud, with audit logs for every entry. You're probably thinking about IP risks—we audit everything upfront and build in safeguards like anomaly detection to flag unusual access. It's built tough, like your best weld.
Can this scale if we add more lines or take on bigger projects?
Yes, it's designed for growth. The architecture handles increased volume seamlessly— from 50 jobs a week to 500—without performance dips. We saw a client double their throughput after expanding to structural steel, and the system just adapted by auto-scaling data processing. We include modular updates, so as you add robotic welders or new materials, we tweak the AI rules without rebuilding. Long-term, it's an asset that evolves with your shop, delivering ongoing ROI as complexity ramps up. No cap on jobs or users; it's flexible like your bending brake.
What kind of ROI can a fab company expect from this?
Expect payback in 3-6 months through direct savings. Shops typically see 20-40 hours freed up weekly at $25-50/hour labor costs, plus 15-30% less waste from errors—that's $10K-$50K quarterly for a 50-person operation. One fabricator recouped the full build cost in four months by faster quoting and reduced overtime. We track metrics like entry time and error rates pre- and post-launch to quantify it. It's practical, field-tested ROI: more parts out the door, tighter budgets, and bids you win because your data's always spot-on.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.