Fostek Quoting System

What Is This System?

A quick overview of what the quoting system does and why we use it.

The Fostek Quoting System is where we create, price, approve, and track every quote we send to customers. Think of it as the central hub for everything related to quoting — from the moment a customer asks for a price to the moment we win (or lose) the business.

Here's what you can do:

• Create quotes for new and existing customers
• Review and set line-item pricing when your role allows it, using our cost model (the system suggests costs and margins automatically)
• Route quotes for approval when margins or values need a second set of eyes
• Send quotes to customers as professional PDFs via email
• Track follow-ups so nothing falls through the cracks
• Close quotes as won, lost, or no-response and capture why
• See the big picture on dashboards and reports

User Roles

What you can see and do depends on your role level:

• Viewer (1) — Can see quotes, customers, and dashboards. Read-only.
• Customer Service (2) — Can create quotes, add line items, read customer-facing quoted prices and customer PDFs, and manage follow-ups.
• Customer Service Lead (3) — Everything Customer Service can do, plus edit ordinary quoted prices, create Outlook drafts, and send customer quotes.
• Sales/Quoting Manager (4) — Everything a Customer Service Lead can do, plus approve quotes and override feasibility decisions in the older review (the new feasibility process has no override: a changed decision is a new review).
• Admin (5) — Full access to everything, including user management, margin targets, and system settings.

Pricing visibility: Customer Service (L2) can read customer-facing quoted prices and customer PDFs, but cannot edit ordinary quote pricing or see internal cost, margin, or CPA data. Customer Service Lead and higher (L3+) users can edit ordinary quoted pricing; internal pricing is available only when their pricing scope is all. The Manual Quote flow remains Admin-only during its current launch hold.

Getting Started

The typical flow from "customer asks for a price" to "quote sent."

Here's the normal life of a quote, step by step:

1. A customer requests a quote. This comes in via email, phone, or a rep's conversation. Someone on the team creates a new quote in the system.
2. Add line items. Each product the customer wants is a "line item." You'll pick the product family, dimensions, skin type, production line, packaging, and customer requirements. The ASTM D1056 classification auto-fills based on the product family. Volume break tiers (TL, 1/2 TL, etc.) can also be configured at this stage. Core sizes default to 6" for Line 101 and 3" for Line 2. Pricing fields are hidden at this stage — they appear later.
3. Move to Pricing. Once line items are set, click "Move to Pricing" (green banner below the line items). This advances the quote and a blue guidance banner appears showing how many line items still need pricing. The Pricing breakdown section now shows each line item with a "Set pricing" button. Pricing and feasibility review happen in parallel.
4. Set pricing per line item. Click "Set pricing" on any line item in the Pricing breakdown section. This opens a dedicated Pricing Modal where you can look up the cost model, set the margin and quoted price, add a lot charge, and manage price adjustments. The modal shows a running summary with the effective price, effective margin, and estimated GP/Hr after all adjustments.
5. Submit for approval (if required). Before submitting, the system validates that customer requirements have been reviewed and a follow-up schedule is set. If requirements are non-standard, a completed feasibility review is also required. Quotes with thin margins or high dollar values automatically flag for approval. The approver gets an email and can approve with one click.
6. Send the quote. Once approved, open the Package & Send tab, download the Quote PDF, and email it to the customer from your own Outlook. Then click Mark sent to record it — this stamps the sent date and starts follow-ups. (A Draft email button that creates the Outlook draft for you automatically is coming, pending Microsoft admin approval.)
7. Follow up. The system tracks when follow-ups are due and reminds you. If a quote goes too long without a response, it escalates automatically.
8. Close the quote. When the customer responds, mark it as Won (with a PO number), Lost (with a reason), or No Response.

Dashboard

Your at-a-glance view of how quoting is going.

The Dashboard is the first thing you see after logging in. It shows key numbers for the current year:

• Active Pipeline — How many quotes are currently in progress and their estimated annual value.
• Win Rate — What percentage of closed quotes we won. Green means we're doing great (≥50%), amber means room to improve (30-50%), red means we need to dig in (<30%).
• Won Value — Total dollar value of won quotes this year.
• Average Margin — The average margin across won quotes.
• Days to Close — How long, on average, from quote creation to customer decision.
• Overdue — Quotes not yet sent to the customer that are past their original due date. Already-sent, Follow-Up Needed, and No Response quotes are excluded.

Below the KPI cards, you'll see a win/loss bar, monthly activity trend, and a list of your top pipeline customers.

Use the quick-link buttons at the top to jump directly to filtered views of your quotes (Active, Sent, Won, Lost, etc.).

Quote Board

A visual kanban view of all active quotes moving through the pipeline.

The Quote Board shows every active quote as a card, organized into five columns. While data is loading, you'll see shimmer placeholders that fill in once the data arrives.

1. In progress — Quotes being worked on: new requests, pricing, and feasibility review (pricing and feasibility happen in parallel).
2. Awaiting approval — Pricing is done and the quote needs someone to sign off.
3. Ready to send — The quote has been approved but not yet sent. Download the Quote PDF from the Package & Send tab and email it yourself.
4. Sent — The quote has been sent to the customer and marked sent. Ball is in their court.
5. Follow-up needed — It's time to check back with the customer.

Each card shows the quote number, customer name, a brief description, who's assigned, and the due date. Quotes not yet sent to the customer and past their original due date are highlighted as overdue; already-sent, Follow-Up Needed, and No Response quotes are excluded.

What you can do here

• Click any card to open the full quote detail page.
• Search by typing in the search bar (searches quote number, customer name, and description).
• Filter using the buttons: "All" shows everything, "My quotes" shows only yours, "Overdue" shows quotes not yet sent to the customer that are past their original due date. Already-sent, Follow-Up Needed, and No Response quotes are excluded; customer follow-ups use a separate date and column.
• Create a new quote by clicking the green "+ New Quote" button in the top right.

Creating a New Quote

1. Click + New Quote.
2. Optionally attach a Source email first — search your Outlook mail or upload a .msg file, then run AI extraction to pre-fill fields from it.
3. Start typing the customer name — it will auto-suggest from your customer list. If the customer is new, type their name and the system will create them.
4. Set a due date and describe the product. (Assigning the quote to someone happens later, from the quote detail page.)
5. Add at least one line item — click Add line and set the product family and thickness.
6. Optionally enter a Program name and the customer's Customer RFQ #. These are separate fields: the program name can appear in the quote email subject and PDF, while Customer RFQ # keeps the customer's own reference with the quote.
7. Optionally add Internal notes for the team — never shown to the customer. If you type something here, it's automatically posted as the first comment on the quote, so the team has context from the start.
8. If you select a spec that contains "ASTM" (e.g., ASTM D1056), an ASTM Classification dropdown appears. Choose the specific callout (1A0, 2A0, 2A1, etc.) and the system will show which Fostek products match that classification.
9. Once customer, product description, a line item, and a due date are filled in, click Request Quote Number — it's the last field before saving. The app controls Fostek quote numbers; do not type or reuse one.
10. Click Save draft to save without handing off to the estimator, or Finish & hand off to validate the required fields and route the quote to the estimator.

Quote Log

A searchable, sortable table of every quote in the system.

The Quote Log is your go-to for finding any quote, current or historical. Unlike the Board (which only shows active quotes), the Log shows everything.

Columns

The log table includes:

• Line Items — Shows a summary of part descriptions (e.g., "10mm x 54" x 70' S2S").
• SOP — Shows the SOP label or date if set. Won quotes without an SOP display an orange warning badge to flag that an SOP is still needed.
• Dates — Received and Sent dates are collapsed into a single column with icons to save space.
• Duplicate — A copy icon on each row lets you duplicate the quote (see Quote Detail for details on what gets copied).

Searching and Filtering

• Search box — Type a quote number, customer name, or description. Results filter as you type.
• Status filter — Narrow down to Active, Sent, Won, Lost, No Response, Reference, Reference · Future program, or Won — Missing SOP (shows won quotes that still need a Start of Production date).
• SOP period filter — Filter dated SOPs by quarter, or choose Immediate for quotes using the Current / Immediate state.
• Date range — Set a start and end date for when the quote was received. Defaults to the last 2 months.
• Clear filters — Remove every filter, including the default date range, to show all quotes you are permitted to view.
• Customer filter — Pick a specific customer from the dropdown.
• Assigned to — Filter by who the quote is assigned to.
• Thickness / Width — Find quotes by product dimensions.

Click any column header to sort (click again to reverse). Click a row to open that quote's detail page.

Exporting

Click the Export CSV button to download the current filtered view as a spreadsheet. Useful for reports or sharing data outside the system. The last column, Reference Type, says Future program for future-program references.

Reports

Line-item, quote-summary, and customer-comparison reporting for managers.

Use the Family filter to select one or more product families at once. Choose individual checkboxes for a focused comparison, use Select all to include every listed family, or Clear to return to all families. Family selections combine with the customer, received-date, and status filters.

The Line Items, Quote Summary, Customer Comparison, and CSV export all use the same filters.

Quote Detail Page

This is where you do the real work — pricing, approvals, and communication.

The Quote Detail page is the heart of the system. When you click into a quote, the content is organized into four workflow tabs that guide you through the quoting process:

Mandatory Field Indicators

Certain sections must be completed before a quote can move forward. These sections — Line Items, Requirements, Packaging, Pricing, and Follow-up — display a visual indicator on their left border:

• Amber border + badge — The section has missing information and needs your attention.
• Green border + badge — The section is complete.

These indicators update dynamically as you fill in data, so you always know what's left to do.

Header Area

At the top you'll see the customer name, quote number, revision number, and who created it. The action buttons change depending on where the quote is in the process:

• PDF — Download the formal quotation as a PDF.
• Package — Download the product information package (packaging photos + technical bulletins).
• Duplicate — Create a copy of the quote with the same line items but no pricing. Useful when a similar quote is needed for a different customer or scenario.
• Mark sent — Once you've downloaded the Quote PDF and emailed it to the customer from your own Outlook, click this to record it. It stamps the sent date and starts follow-ups. See the Package & Send tab below for the full flow, including the automatic Draft email option that's coming once Microsoft admin approval is granted.
• Submit for approval — Submit after every line is priced, packaging is selected, and requirements are reviewed. Each submission starts a new approval round.
• Withdraw submission — The creator or assignee can withdraw a pending quote with a reason to make corrections. A manager can withdraw any quote they can access. Old approval links stop working.
• Safety hold — Record a reason to stop approval and further sends while feasibility is reviewed. Available on open quotes (draft through sent / follow-up due), not on won, lost, no-response, reference or historical quotes. A safety hold does not start a feasibility review by itself: use Start review in the Feasibility section (a manager, L4+, may instead release a hold that has no review, with a recorded reason). After every section is complete and the production gates are clear, release the hold: a quote that had not been sent returns to In Progress (finish preparation, then submit explicitly); a quote the customer already had returns to Sent or Follow-up due; a quote that was Approved returns to In Progress and its approval no longer applies (create a new revision and submit it). If the review cannot pass, close the quote as Lost or Reference with a reason.
• Approve as is — Review the priced summary and full PDF, then approve with an optional note. If you own, created or submitted the quote, a self-approval reason may be required.
• Send back with notes — Say what needs to change. Optionally suggest a base price ($/BdFt) or margin for each eligible line, then review the summary and confirm. Suggestions never change quote prices; the owner makes the changes and resubmits. Describe volume-tier and value-add changes in your notes.
• New revision — Create a revision when the customer asks for changes.
• Close — Mark the quote as Won, Lost, or No Response.

Saved Customer Names

A notice beneath the quote header explains whether the customer name was saved with the issued document. Issued customer name saved means that changing the customer link will keep that saved name on the document. Payment terms already saved with the quote remain unchanged.

Issued customer name not recorded means an earlier name was not saved separately; the document uses the current customer name or the quote's name override. If the notice says Customer identity needs review, ask a manager to review the quote before sending it. The quote remains available for investigation, but a document with an unreadable saved identity cannot be generated.

Entering an Existing Number on an Old Quote

This is only for an eligible old quote that already had a Fostek number outside the app and still has no saved Fostek number. An L4 Sales/Quoting Manager with access to the quote will see Enter existing Fostek number; lower roles see that manager entry is needed.

1. Open the old quote and select Enter existing Fostek number.
2. Enter the already assigned number, such as 26-6459 Rev.1, and a Reason / source showing where it was confirmed. Do not put the customer's RFQ here; Customer RFQ # is a separate field.
3. Select Preview number and revision and review the normalized result.
4. Select Save existing number. If the quote is already numbered, is not eligible for old-number entry, or the number conflicts with another quote, the app will refuse the change.

Status Bar

A visual progress bar shows where the quote is in the pipeline: New Request → Pricing → Feasibility → Awaiting Approval → Sent → Follow-Up → Won/Lost. The current stage is highlighted.

Tab 1: Quote Setup

This is where you build the quote. It contains:

Line Items

Change line order: Customer Service and higher can use the up/down arrows beside each line, drag its dotted handle, or focus the handle and press Arrow Up/Down (Alt+Arrow Up/Down also works). The saved order is used on the customer PDF and preserved when revising or duplicating the quote. Withdraw a pending approval before reordering; issued or imported quotes require a new revision. Press Escape to cancel a drag.

Each line item represents one product configuration. The table shows pricing per unit, per BdFt, per roll, minimum release, and ~GP/Hr with color coding.

Adding or Editing a Line Item

1. Click "+ Add line" (or click an existing row to edit it).
2. Pick the Product Family (e.g., 3996 EPDM, XB41 V/N).
3. Enter the thickness in mm and width in inches.
4. Choose the skin type (S1S = skin one side, S2S = skin two sides) and production line (101 or 2). Core sizes default to 6" for Line 101 and 3" for Line 2.
5. Enter the EAU (Estimated Annual Usage in rolls/year) and minimum release.
6. Optionally enable Volume Breaks to generate multiple price tiers on the PDF. Select a volume break profile (the system auto-selects based on production line when possible), then choose which tiers to include (TL, 1/2 TL, 1/4 TL, 1 HU). Roll counts per tier vary by profile:
   • Line 101 Gaylord — 4 rolls/gaylord: TL = 104, 1/2 TL = 52, 1/4 TL = 26, 1 HU = 4
   • Line 2 Gaylord — 8 rolls/gaylord (double-stacked): TL = 208, 1/2 TL = 104, 1/4 TL = 52, 1 HU = 8
   • 1-Roll Box — 6 boxes/skid: TL = 66, 1/2 TL = 36, 1/4 TL = 18, 1 HU = 6
   Profiles are configurable in Settings → Volume Breaks.
7. For roll products, enter a roll length. The system shows standard roll lengths for the selected line and gauge as clickable suggestions. If you enter a non-standard length, an orange warning appears — this doesn't block anything, it just flags it for review.
8. Click Save. Pricing is done separately via the Pricing Modal (see below).

Skin Optional

Choose Skin Optional (S1S or S2S) when production may supply either skin. This remains the production and customer-facing choice; it does not silently become S1S or S2S when pricing is added.

No Skin

Choose No Skin on a normal roll or sheet line when the material must have no skinned faces. Use a separate line for each skin option. A blank skin means it has not been specified.

An authorized internal pricing user must enter the explicit production cost in the Pricing Modal, then set the selling price. No automatic cost or two-times multiplier is applied. Until both are saved, the line is unpriced and approval or issue is blocked. Changing its specification clears its cost, selling price, CPA and tier prices so it can be priced again; tier quantities are retained.

The customer PDF says No Skin. Use normal quote lines for this workflow; the separate manual quote wizard cannot create a No Skin line. Confirm AI-extracted skin choices in the line editor.

Sheet Products

To quote sheet products instead of rolls, use the Roll/Sheet toggle at the top of the line item modal (two buttons with Roll and Sheet icons).

When Sheet mode is selected:

• The roll Width field is hidden (sheets use their own dimensions).
• Sheet Width and Sheet Length fields appear.
• A Sheets Per Box field appears.
• An Inch/Meter toggle lets you switch between inches and meters for sheet dimensions. Values convert live when toggled, but are always stored internally as inches.
• A green banner auto-suggests the standard sheets per box based on the selected thickness. Click the "Use standard" link in the banner to apply it.
• Stack height is validated against packaging configurations.
• The EAU label changes to "sheets/yr" and Min Release changes to "boxes."

SOP (Start of Production)

Use the calendar field for an exact SOP date, including dates after 2028. If no calendar date applies, choose Current / Immediate or TBD / Unknown. These non-date states are stored as labels; they are not converted into invented January 1 dates. Won quotes without either a date or state are flagged with an orange warning badge in the Quote Log.

Approver requests

Users with access to the quote and internal pricing can read the Approver requests history on the quote page. It shows the notes, original values and suggested changes from each send-back. Earlier requests stay visible after edits; Line changed since marks a line that no longer matches the recorded original. The panel is a read-only record: use the usual pricing tools to make changes.

Technical Bulletin Approval

Technical bulletins included in the Quote Package may require approval before release. Bulletins not yet "approved for release" can be individually approved or rejected per quote through the existing approval workflow. Each bulletin shows a status badge:

• Orange "Needs approval" — The bulletin has not been reviewed yet.
• Green "Approved" — The bulletin has been approved for this quote.
• Red "Rejected" — The bulletin was rejected and will not be included.

Customer Requirements & Packaging

Also in this tab:

• Customer Requirements — Review and confirm the customer's requirements for each line item.
• Packaging — Select packaging photos for the quote. Photos are organized into collapsible groups by packaging type — click the chevron to expand or collapse each group. Groups are collapsed by default to keep the page tidy, and each group header shows a count of how many photos are selected.
• TL estimate — Once a line has a packaging type, the packaging table shows roughly how many truckloads a year its EAU is (for example 4.4 TL/yr), along with that packaging's rolls per truckload. The EAU is first converted to rolls: Rolls are used as-is, LF is divided by the roll length, and SF or SqM is divided by the roll's area (width × length). If the EAU is in Sheets or Pieces, has no unit, or the line is missing its width or length, the table shows N/A with the reason instead of a number.

Special notes, quote package attachments, and quality vault documents have moved to the Package & Send tab (below) — see there for details.

Tab 2: Pricing

Shows a per-item pricing table with the fields your role is allowed to see. Customer Service (L2) can read customer-facing quoted prices; cost, margin, and ~GP/Hr are available only to L3+ users with an all pricing scope. Customer Service Lead and higher users can edit ordinary quoted prices. For L3+ users with an all pricing scope, each row has a "Set pricing" button that opens the dedicated Pricing Modal. Users with customer-price-only access see a read-only table. The section header shows the count of priced vs total items. The ~GP/Hr column includes a historical average based on the prior year's actual production data for that line.

Pricing Modal

Pricing is done through a dedicated modal, separate from the line item editor. Open it by clicking "Set pricing" (or "Edit" if already priced) on any line item in the Pricing breakdown section.

1. Click "Lookup cost" to search the cost model. The system finds a matching (or interpolated) cost and displays:
   • The modeled cost (preferred) or actual cost if no modeled cost exists
   • A warning if only actual cost is available
   • An interpolation note if the thickness was estimated
   Click "Apply" to load the cost model values into the base pricing fields.
2. Review the modeled cost, margin %, and quoted price. Changing margin recalculates the price and vice versa. Set a lot charge if applicable.
3. Add price adjustments to explain why the price differs from the standard cost model. Each adjustment has a type, description, and either a percentage or $/BdFt amount. Adjustments stack cumulatively on top of the base price.
4. The running summary at the bottom shows the effective price (after all adjustments), the effective margin, and the estimated ~GP/Hr with color coding vs. 2025 averages.
5. Click "Save Pricing" to save and close.

Price Adjustments

Choose a production cost source: When both the 2026 cost basis and a cost model apply, L3+ users with internal pricing access see both costs and their available source details in Set pricing. Choose a source and give a reason, then click Record / refresh source. The choice applies only to that line; selling prices stay unchanged. A source override badge appears on the line. If source data changes, review and refresh the decision before approval or issue. Choose Automatic to restore the existing basis-first lookup. Skin Optional uses its already selected costing skin; No Skin and manual-cost lines keep their separate workflows.

Adjustments explain why a price differs from the standard cost model. Common adjustments include:

• Volume Commitment — Discount for large annual commitments
• Strategic Account — Special pricing for key customers
• New Customer Premium — Markup for first-time customers
• Complexity — Premium for unusual specs or packaging
• Market/Competitive Pressure — Discount to match a competitor
• Short Run Premium — Markup for small-quantity runs

Each adjustment has a description and a percentage or dollar amount. Adjustments stack cumulatively on the base price, and the running summary updates live to show the final effective margin.

Sending a Quote to the Customer

1. Make sure the quote has at least one line item priced.
2. If approval is needed, submit for approval first. The approver will get an email with the cost/margin breakdown and can approve with one click.
3. Once approved, open the Package & Send tab, use Preview PDF to check the assembled package, then download the Quote PDF.
4. Send the PDF to the customer from your own Outlook.
5. Back in the app, click Mark sent (or Mark as sent on the Package & Send tab) to record it. This stamps the sent date and starts the follow-up schedule.

Closing a Quote

When the customer makes a decision, click Close and choose the outcome:

• Won — Enter the PO number. The quote moves to "Won" status.
• Lost — Pick a reason (price too high, competitor won, spec issue, etc.). If you lost to a competitor, you can record who and their price.
• No Response — We sent the quote and the customer never got back to us. This option appears only on a quote that has been marked Sent (Sent or Follow-up needed, with a sent date). An approved quote that was never sent cannot be closed as No Response — mark it sent first, or close it as Lost or Reference. A quote on a safety hold cannot be closed as No Response either; release the hold first. Nothing closes a quote as No Response automatically — a person always decides.
• Reference — This was a reference/budget quote, not a real opportunity. Tick Initial future program when the quote is for a program the customer is still exploring; it stays a Reference (counted in the Reference total, left out of win/loss), and the Quote Log labels it Reference · Future program. A later launch can be requoted separately.

Sidebar (Right Side)

The sidebar shows quick-reference info and editable fields:

• Customer — Who the quote is for.
• Assigned to — Who owns this quote (click the pencil to change).
• Estimated annual value — Dollar value of the opportunity.
• Average margin — Across all line items, with a visual bar.
• Due date — When the customer needs the quote by.
• Follow-up date — When to check back.

When you edit a field, changes are saved automatically. A brief "Saved" indicator appears in the sidebar to confirm the save was successful.

Program name and Customer RFQ # appear on the customer PDF. To correct them after submission, withdraw the pending approval first; after approval or sending, create a new revision so the original quote remains available for reprinting.

Tab 3: Feasibility & Review

This tab contains everything related to review and follow-up:

• Feasibility — For new or unusual products, a feasibility review routes the quote through Technical, Quality, Manufacturing, and other reviewers. Once the new feasibility process is switched on, every roll and sheet line is screened first — see Feasibility Screening & Review.
• Revision History — If the customer asks for changes, create a revision. The system keeps a full history of every revision with what changed and why.
• Follow-Up Schedule — Timeline of scheduled follow-ups with status (completed, pending, overdue, skipped). When a quote is closed, any remaining pending follow-ups are automatically skipped.
• Activity Log — Everything that's happened on this quote, in chronological order.

Tab 4: Package & Send

Once pricing (and any required feasibility review) is done, this tab is where you build and send the customer-facing package:

• Preview PDF — See the assembled customer PDF — boilerplate terms, special notes, and any selected bulletins or photos — before it goes out.
• Special Notes — Text entered here appears on the PDF between the pricing table and the standard notes section. Use it for customer-specific terms, conditions, or callouts. Check "2-column layout" if your notes are lengthy, to render them in two columns on the PDF.
• Quote Package — Select technical bulletins and packaging photos to attach. The "Cover page" button opens a modal to configure a branded cover page (greeting message, automatic table of contents, custom notes) with a live preview.
• Quality Vault Documents — Version-pinned released bulletins pulled from the quality-tracker vault, available to attach alongside the quote package.
• Mark as sent — Once you've downloaded the Quote PDF and sent it to the customer from your own Outlook, click this to record it. It stamps the sent date that the customer PDF and the follow-up clock both read. (A Draft email button that creates the Outlook draft for you automatically is coming, pending Microsoft admin approval.)

Feasibility Screening & Review

Administrators prepare the reviewing team in Admin → Feasibility positions: choose one shared or Quoting-owned group for each position and save it with a reason. Members are managed in the shared groups directory, not in Quoting. The page shows membership and account problems and whether Production, Quality and Technical are ready. Engineering needs an explicit group selection.

How every roll and sheet line gets a recorded feasibility basis before it can be priced and sent, and what happens when it needs a team review.

Screen now

Each roll or sheet line is screened. Value-add lines are not screened — the screen lists them as “not screened” so the gap is visible. Screening opens automatically when you move a quote to pricing, and the Screen now button on the quote page opens it at any time (including on a quote that is already past pricing, awaiting approval, or on a safety hold). Pricing can continue while a review is open; the quote just cannot be approved or sent until the review is done.

For every line the screen compares what you are quoting with what we have actually made — the same product family on the same production line, at that thickness and width — using active Fuse parts and earlier completed reviews. It shows a plain-language reason (for example “made 3.8–5.5 mm; 12.7 mm is 131 % above”).

The seven questions

You answer a few questions that only a person can know. A “Yes” can only raise a result, never lower it.

• Per line: (1) a change to an existing part or PO; (2) a new material, spec or callout we do not certify to; (3) customer-designated special characteristics; (4) a new process step (lamination, adhesive, slitting, die cut, special packaging); (6) the request is unclear or incomplete; (7) this customer requires a feasibility study for a new part or program (TSS, AGC, Argent, GDC, Chiyoda — check the customer's requirements). Use Apply my answers to all lines when they are the same.
• Once per quote: (5) extremely high volume (more than 3 truckloads a month). It is pre-filled from the quote's volume and packaging when that can be worked out; confirm it or change it. If a line cannot be estimated (no packaging or annual volume yet), it starts unanswered and you must answer it.
• If you answer Q7 Yes, name the form the customer requires (for example “AGC Supplier Part Feasibility Commitment”) or choose None. A named form must be attached before the review can be completed.
• Q6 Yes means Cannot screen until the missing drawing or spec arrives; fix it and screen again.

What the result means

• Not required — inside what we have made, or covered by an earlier completed review. If that earlier review was “feasible with changes”, its conditions travel with your line as internal review information. They never appear on the customer PDF.
• Recommended — somewhat outside what we have made, a new process step, high volume, or the only evidence is an inactive part. You may Start review or Decline with a written reason (logged with your name; no manager needed).
• Required — far outside what we have made, a family never made on that line, or a “Yes” on question 1, 2, 3 or 7. It cannot be declined. The quote cannot be approved, marked sent or emailed until a review covering that line is complete.
• Cannot screen — something needed is missing (an answer, or the product family). Fix it and record the screening again.

Click Record screening to save one screening per line. If you change what the line is (family, line, gauge, width, tolerances, material spec and similar), the screening is out of date and you screen it again; changing prices, packaging or notes does not.

The review panel

On the Feasibility & Review tab, Start review creates one review that can cover every flagged line on the quote. Only one open review may cover a line at a time; finish or Abandon draft the earlier one first.

1. Choose the groups. Production, Quality and Technical are always included. You can add others (Engineering, Purchasing, Sales, Shipping); a group already on the review can pull another in. Group members are maintained by an administrator. A review cannot be sent if a required group has nobody who can read the quote.
2. Answer the twelve questions once for the whole review. Each answer shows who gave it. Where the answer is the “concern” answer for that question, a comment is required.
3. Send for review. Every member of each group is emailed. The review is due 3 business days after sending (Monday–Friday, 5:00 PM Eastern; holidays are not excluded). You may set an earlier due date; a review always has one. It is never approved or expired automatically.
4. Sign. Each group signs Approve, Conditional (state the conditions) or Not approved (state why). If anything the signer saw changes before they sign, the signature is refused and they see the current version first. If the content changes after a signature, that signature is marked out of date and the group signs again.
5. Complete review. Completion needs all twelve answers and a signature (or a recorded removal) from every default group. One person may sign for more than one group only with a written reason for each extra group — the record flags it as a single-signer review. The result is Feasible, Feasible with changes or Not feasible.

Reviewers see the line specifications and attachments but never prices, costs or margins, even at Viewer level; being on a requested group's list is what grants access to that quote.

After the review

• Feasible — the line is cleared; nothing extra appears on the quote.
• Feasible with changes — the line is cleared and each signer's conditions stay in the internal assessment, review panel, event history, QMS export and approver email. Conditions and their attribution never appear on the customer PDF or its saved boilerplate pin.
• Not feasible — Fostek does not quote the line (a no-quote). Record when and how the customer was told with Record customer notification (recipient, date and channel; email, letter, portal or phone are all accepted; an attachment is optional), then close the quote as Lost or Reference. A not-feasible review is not reopened or overridden; if the facts change, Reassess starts a new review with fresh signatures, and the old rejection stays on record until a later feasible review covers the same ground.
• Revisions and copies. A revision does not copy approvals: draft or sent reviews on the earlier version are closed, completed ones remain as history, and every line is screened again. You can start the new review from Copy answers from #N; the copy is an unsigned draft. A duplicated quote starts clean.
• Editing a line under a signed review (family, gauge, width, tolerances and the like) invalidates that review. It is kept, with its signatures, as history, and the line is blocked again until it is screened and reviewed.

Safety hold

A safety hold freezes the quote's content, not its feasibility records: you can still screen, answer, sign and attach while the quote is held. To release the hold, a new review (started after the hold) must be complete, not “not feasible”, and cover every roll and sheet line on the quote. A manager (L4+) may release a hold without a review by recording a reason, unless a length or gauge tolerance gate also applies to the quote.

Customers

Your customer database with contacts and quote history.

The Customers page has two panels: a searchable customer list on the left, and the selected customer's details on the right.

Finding a Customer

Type in the search box to filter the list. Click a customer name to see their details.

Customer Detail

When you select a customer, you'll see:

• Customer info — Name, default pricing unit ($/SF, $/LF, $/BdFt), default payment terms, and notes.
• Assigned Salesman — Set a default salesman for this customer. When creating a new quote for this customer, the salesman field auto-populates with this value.
• PDF Price Columns — Multi-select checkboxes to control which price units appear on the quote PDF. $/SF is always shown. Additional options include $/LF, $/Roll, $/SqM, and $/M.
• Contacts — A list of contacts with name, email, phone, and title. The primary contact is labeled and will auto-fill when sending quotes.
• Recent quotes — Links to the last few quotes for this customer. Click any to jump to the detail page.

Customer Identity Corrections

Customer Service Leads and higher can see the Customer identity corrections panel on a customer and on its quotes. The panel reports whether the Fuse Hub correction service is available and shows the durable history for that customer.

• Queued — Fuse Hub has not reported the result yet. A request still queued after ten minutes is marked for attention.
• Applied — Fuse Hub accepted and applied the correction.
• Rejected — Fuse Hub refused the correction; the panel shows its reason.

During the compatible rollout, the panel may say that corrections are unavailable. Continue to use the existing customer-link tools until the panel itself says submission is available. Once activated, Customer Service Leads can request a rename for an unlinked local company. A company linked to Fuse must be renamed in Fuse. Sales/Quoting Managers and Admins can also request merge and re-point corrections.

Adding a New Customer

1. Click "+ New Customer" in the header.
2. Enter the customer name (required), pick their preferred pricing unit and payment terms.
3. Add any notes (e.g., "Automotive Tier 1, requires IATF certs").
4. Click Save.

Managing Contacts

Use the inline form below the contacts table to add a new contact (name, email, phone, title). Click the trash icon to remove a contact.

Cost Model

The production cost data that powers quote pricing.

The cost model stores the production cost per board foot for each combination of product family, thickness, skin type, and production line. When you add a line item to a quote, the system looks up the matching cost model entry and auto-fills the production cost and suggested margin.

What You'll See

• Summary cards showing total entries, average margin, and average list price.
• A filterable table of cost model entries (by family, line, skin type, and modeled cost status).
• Each row shows: family, line, thickness, skin, volume band, actual cost, modeled cost, standard margin %, ~GP/Hr, and calculated list price.

Actual Cost vs. Modeled Cost

There are two cost values for each entry:

• Actual cost — The raw production cost calculated from real production data. Can be noisy for low-volume gauges.
• Modeled cost — A smoothed, curve-fit cost that removes outliers and scatter from the data. This is the cost the system prefers when pricing quotes.

You can filter the table to show only entries "Missing modeled cost" to find entries that still need attention. The modeled cost can be set either by the curve fit tool or manually by clicking the cell in the table.

Cost Curve Analysis

Click "Show chart" on the cost model page to open the visual curve fitting tool. This shows a scatter plot of actual production costs by thickness, with:

• Blue bubbles — Actual production costs (bubble size = production volume)
• Green line — The modeled cost curve (polynomial fit)
• Orange circles — Outliers automatically detected and excluded from the fit

Use the controls to select the product family, line, skin type, polynomial degree, and whether to weight the fit by volume. Click "Save modeled costs" to write the curve values back to the cost model.

How Pricing Works

The system calculates the list price from the production cost and margin:

List Price = Production Cost ÷ (1 - Margin%)

For example, if production cost is $2.00/BdFt and margin is 25%, the list price is $2.00 ÷ 0.75 = $2.67/BdFt.

If your quoted thickness isn't in the cost model, the system interpolates — first checking for a saved curve fit (preferred), then falling back to the nearest neighbor with the higher cost (conservative approach).

GP/Hr (Gross Profit per Uptime Hour)

The ~GP/Hr column shows an approximate gross profit per uptime hour for each entry. This is Phil's preferred metric for evaluating how profitable a product is relative to machine time.

Color coding compares to 2025 averages:

• Green — Above line average (Line 101: >$1,415/hr, Line 2: >$417/hr)
• Yellow — 50–100% of average
• Red — Below 50% of average

Unit Converter

Quick conversion tool for common manufacturing and pricing units.

The Unit Converter page is accessible from the sidebar. It provides instant conversions for the units most commonly encountered when quoting foam products.

Available Converters

• Length — Select a conversion type from the dropdown: mm ↔ inches, meters ↔ inches, or meters ↔ feet.
• Area — Convert between square feet (ft²) and square meters (m²).
• Weight / Density — Convert between pounds per cubic foot (pcf) and kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³).
• Pressure — Convert between psi and kPa.
• Pricing — Convert $/BdFt to $/SF and $/LF. Requires a thickness input since board foot pricing depends on gauge.

All calculated fields are rounded to 3 decimal places. Enter a value in either field and the other updates instantly.

Lengths & Tolerances

Preferred roll sizes, plain-language packaging guidance, and a roll diameter calculator.

Open Lengths & Tolerances from the sidebar. The default tab lists the preferred roll length, core size, suggested production line, packaging style, and estimated outside diameter for each finished size.

Finding a roll size

• Use the filters for material, line, packaging type, core, width, or thickness.
• Preferred packaging shows the normal choice. Select All packaging to see supported alternatives for the same finished size.
• Packaging names are written in quoting language; production item numbers are intentionally omitted.
• Green means recommended, yellow means confirm before quoting, red means the estimate will not fit, and gray means fit limits are not configured.

Roll diameter calculator

Switch to the calculator tab, then enter material, line, thickness, length, core size, and packaging. The calculator includes the standard thickness tolerance by default and shows both nominal and tolerance-range outside diameters.

Tolerances on a customer quote

The line editor shows matching standard rules as suggestions. They are not printed on the customer PDF until you select Confirm and apply a complete low/high pair. You can also record a length percentage or a verbatim customer-specification override. Clear from Quote removes all stored tolerance evidence, including values carried forward from a manual quote; the PDF then omits the tolerance claim.

Approver and Admin users can select Edit guide to maintain sizes, packaging options, core preferences, and fit limits. Every change requires a reason and is recorded under View history.

Production capability

The third tab shows the Production Size Capability grid: for each product family and thickness band, what can currently be produced at 27", 1 metre, 54", and 60"/1.5 metre. Each cell gives the available skin condition, the manufacturing line, and any production notes.

• No current capability means production has stated we cannot make that combination today.
• Not stated means the source workbook is silent about it. That is not the same as no capability, and it is not a yes either.
• A highlighted cell carries a caveat worth reading before quoting — a required trial, an edge-of-capability note, or no established book of business.

Numbered notes under the grid are the workbook's own footnotes; the family, thickness, and width headings carry matching markers.

Filter the grid by material, width, production line, and a thickness range (from / to). Thickness is inclusive at the edges — asking for 10 mm keeps both the 5-10 mm and 10-15 mm bands, because the workbook itself is ambiguous where two bands meet. The counts above the grid follow whatever is filtered. Clear filters returns the full table.

The production line filter hides rows that cannot run on the line you picked; it does not change the cells. So a row shown under “Line 2” may still list a width that runs on Line 101 — that size is available, just on the other line.

The grid is read-only and comes from the capability workbook maintained with production. To change it, the workbook is reimported and the app redeployed.

Parts we currently make

Each row of the capability grid shows how many active Fuse parts match that family and thickness band. Select the row count to open a modal with every matching part. Row totals do not evaluate width. Select a count inside a width cell to open only the parts assigned to that nearest standard-width column.

Width-cell counts separate exact matches from nearest matches. A nearest match is assigned to the closest grid width; it does not mean that the part was made at that grid width. The modal shows the actual width, target grid width, and snap distance (Δ). An amber exact conflict means an exact-width shipped part exists where the workbook states no current capability. A nearest-only match in such a cell is gray review context, not a contradiction. A Not stated cell is never treated as a contradiction.

The modal lists the F-number, description, thickness, actual width, skin, production routes, customers, and the date each part last shipped. The band is a range, so the thickness column tells you where inside it each part actually sits. Select an F-number to open that part in Fuse (LAN or company sign-in required; if no Fuse address is configured the number is shown as plain text).

The list is grouped by skin — S1S, then S2S, then Skin unknown — and sorted with the most recently shipped part first. Parts that have never shipped appear last. Where a part has more than three customers, the first three are shown and the rest are behind a +N more toggle.

The “assumed” marker

Skin is not recorded as a field in Fuse, so it is worked out from what the part data shows:

• No marker — the skin is confirmed. Either the part has a Skive step in its production route, or its description says S1S or S2S outright.
• assumed — the skin is a guess, not a fact. The part has a production route but no Skive step and no S1S/S2S wording in the description, so it is being reported as S2S because that is the usual result. Nothing in Fuse actually says so. Roughly 170 parts are in this state. Confirm the skin before quoting one of these.
• skin conflict — the part has a Skive step (which makes it S1S) but its description says S2S. The Skive step wins, and the marker flags that the two disagree so someone can clean up the description.

Part data is copied from Fuse every few hours rather than read live. If the copy is more than 48 hours old a banner appears above the grid, and if it has never been loaded the page says Parts not connected instead of showing an empty list — an empty list would wrongly read as “we make nothing in this size”.

Customer Surveys

Create survey campaigns, send them to customers, and track results.

The Customer Surveys page lets you run different types of outreach campaigns — satisfaction surveys, feedback requests, or any other customer communication that needs tracking.

How It Works

1. Create a campaign — Give it a name (e.g., "Q1 2026 Customer Satisfaction Survey") and type (periodic, event-driven, or annual).
2. Configure the email — Click "Email template" to set a custom subject line and body. Use variables like {{contact_name}}, {{customer_name}}, and {{survey_link}} which are replaced for each recipient. Leave blank to use the default Fostek survey template.
3. Add attachments — In the email template modal, upload files (PDFs, images, etc.) that will be included with every survey email in the campaign.
4. Preview — Click "Preview" to see exactly what the email will look like before sending.
5. Add customers — Select which customers to survey from a searchable checklist. Each customer receives their own individual email with a unique survey link.
6. Send surveys — Click "Send Pending" to email survey links to everyone who hasn't received one yet. Customers get a simple, no-login-required form.
7. Track responses — See who's responded, their ratings (1-5 stars across 5 categories), whether they'd recommend Fostek, and any comments.

Dashboard KPIs

• Surveys sent vs. responses received
• Response rate %
• Average rating
• Recommend % (NPS-style)

Managing Campaigns

Campaigns in "draft" status with no surveys sent can be deleted. The survey from-address can be configured separately from the quoting email address in the Admin → Email settings tab (e.g., sales@fostek.com for surveys vs. quotes@fostek.com for quotes).

Admin Page

System configuration for Admins (Level 5). Access via the sidebar menu.

The Admin page has tabs across the top for each configuration area. Here are the key sections:

Users & Roles

Add, edit, and deactivate users. Set role levels (0–5) and visibility scopes. New users who sign in via Azure AD appear here at Level 0 (Pending) until an admin promotes them.

Packaging Types

Manage the shipping/packaging formats available when quoting line items. Each packaging type has:

• Code — Short identifier (e.g., 1roll_box, gaylord, custom).
• Name — Display name shown to users (e.g., "1-Roll Box", "Gaylord").
• Line — Optionally restrict to Line 101 or Line 2, or leave as "Any."
• Rolls/HU — How many rolls fit in one handling unit (e.g., 6 for box skid, 4 for gaylord).
• Min Release — Minimum number of handling units per release.
• HU Dimensions — Physical size of the handling unit (e.g., 48x45x60").

To add a new type, fill in the fields at the bottom of the table and click + Add. To remove a type, click the trash icon. Types already used on quotes are deactivated (hidden from new quotes) rather than deleted.

Other Admin Tabs

• Product Families — Manage the product family codes used in cost models and line items. Families can be linked — for example, 3998 is linked to 3997, meaning they appear as separate choices in quotes but 3998 falls through to 3997's cost model data.
• Adjustment Types — Define the named pricing adjustments (Volume, Complexity, etc.) with min/max percentage limits.
• Tolerances — Configure gauge and width tolerance rules. Rules can be specific to a material type (EPDM, XB41, XCR3, NBR/PVC) and/or production line. The system uses priority ordering: material+line specific > material only > line only > global default.
• Sheets Per Box — Manage standard sheets per box by thickness. Each entry has a thickness (mm), sheets count, and box style. These values are used to auto-suggest the sheet count in the line item modal when quoting sheet products.
• Approval Rules — Configure the 5-tier approval routing (margin thresholds, auto-approve rules).
• System Defaults — Default values for new quotes (terms, lead time, FOB, etc.).
• Email — Configure the quoting from-address, survey from-address (can be different, e.g., quotes@fostek.com vs. sales@fostek.com), test mode (Off, Internal Only, or Full Test), and test address.
• Photos & Bulletins — Upload product photos and technical bulletin PDFs for the marketing package.
• CPA Agreements — Manage Competitive Price Agreements.
• Material Specs — OEM and industry material specifications, including ASTM D1056 callout mapping.
• Visibility & Teams — Control who sees what data (quotes, customers, pricing).
• Margin Targets — Set target and floor margins per product family.
• Feasibility — Before the new review process is active, legacy reviewer assignments remain available to administrators. Once it is active, position members come from shared groups and are shown read-only.
• Roll Lengths — Define standard roll lengths by production line and gauge. These appear as clickable suggestions when adding line items, and non-standard lengths trigger a warning banner.
• Escalation Chain — Configure follow-up escalation steps.
• Follow-Up Cadences — Define follow-up timing templates.

Tips & Common Questions

Helpful things to know as you use the system.

How do I change my preferred pricing unit?

Click your avatar (initials) in the top-right corner and select Display Unit. Choose from $/SF, $/LF, $/BdFt, etc. Your preference is saved and all pricing displays will use that unit. Note that this only affects your on-screen view — the PDF always uses the customer's preferred unit. The system stores all prices in $/BdFt internally and converts for display.

How do I set my email signature?

Click your avatar (initials) in the top-right corner and select Email Signature. This opens an editor where you can compose your signature, which is appended to quote emails you send from the system.

What does "CPA" mean?

A Competitive Price Agreement is a pre-negotiated price for a specific customer, product family, and gauge range. When you create a line item that matches a CPA, a blue banner appears with the agreed price and a button to apply it automatically.

What are margin targets?

Each product family has a target margin (what we aim for) and a floor margin (the absolute minimum). These appear as a green banner when you're pricing a line item. If your price falls below the floor, it will require higher-level approval.

What happens when I submit for approval?

The approver gets an email showing the full cost and margin breakdown for every line item. They can approve or request changes with one click directly from the email — no login required. If they request changes, you'll see the quote status change to "needs revision."

Can I re-send a quote?

Yes. Use New revision to change an approved, sent, or imported quote. The original stays available for reprints; the new revision must be prepared and approved before sending. If you cannot create a revision, ask a quoting manager.

What if I made a mistake?

Most things can be edited as long as the quote hasn't been closed. If a quote was closed by accident, an Admin can reopen it.

How do follow-ups work?

When you click Mark sent, the system schedules follow-ups from the default cadence template (set under Settings → Follow-Up Cadences; the standard template is 7, 14 and 30 days after the sent date) and fills in the quote's Follow-up date with the first one. A quote that already has a follow-up schedule, or a follow-up date you set yourself, is left as it is. When the follow-up date arrives the quote moves to the Follow-up needed column. You'll see reminders on the board and get email notifications. You can mark follow-ups as completed or skip them. When you close a quote (won, lost, no response, or reference), any remaining pending follow-ups are automatically skipped — you won't get reminders for quotes that are already resolved.

How do I record a future program or no response?

Use Close quote. Choose Reference and tick Initial future program for an exploratory program that should stay out of win/loss totals. Choose No response only when a person decides to close a quote that was sent to the customer; the option appears only once the quote is marked Sent (it has a sent date), and the system never closes a quote automatically after a set number of days. Recording “No response this attempt” on one follow-up step keeps the quote open for the next follow-up. If the customer comes back after a No response close, Reopen on the quote's No response banner returns it to Sent with its original sent date and schedules its next follow-up one standard interval from today (the default cadence's Recurring days in Admin → Follow-Up Cadences; 14 if none is set). Sent and follow-up are workflow stages, not outcomes. The Quote Log can filter future-program references separately while the Reference total still includes them.

What's in the Product Information Package?

The "Package" button generates a separate PDF with a Fostek-branded cover page, any packaging photos you've selected, and the technical bulletins included for that quote. It's meant to accompany the formal quotation as a marketing/informational supplement.

How do I quote sheet products?

Use the Sheet toggle at the top of the line item modal. Sheet dimensions can be entered in inches or meters using the unit toggle. The system auto-suggests a standard sheets per box count based on the selected thickness — click "Use standard" to apply it.

What is SOP?

Start of Production. Enter the real calendar date when one is known; use Current / Immediate or TBD / Unknown only when an exact date does not apply. Use the "Won — Missing SOP" filter in the Quote Log to find won quotes that still need an SOP assigned.

Who do I ask for help?

For system issues, talk to Josh. For pricing questions, talk to Nicole or Phil. For customer or process questions, check with your supervisor.