How CalcuQuote Shaped the Electronics Manufacturing Industry

The electronics manufacturing supply chain has moved from Excel and email to connected systems. Today, EMS teams can run BOM  scrubbing, quoting, risk analysis, supplier collaboration, and purchasing in one connected flow with CalcuQuote. The shift was shaped by people who came straight from EMS floors and quoting desks, carrying real experience from the day-to-day work. With David Sharp as CEO since August 2024, the focus at CalcuQuote now is on strengthening supply chain visibility and efficiency through connected data and AI.

For years, electronics manufacturing looked high-tech on the surface and very manual underneath. Quotes lived in sprawling spreadsheets. Purchasing ran on emails and PDFs. Data sat in silos across ERP, PLM, and supplier sites. Collaboration meant long threads with buyers, engineers, and reps.

Teams spent hours cleaning BOMs, chasing supplier replies, and syncing systems, only to end up with inconsistent pricing and delayed quotes. The people who would later build CalcuQuote started in that world. They sat in EMS offices, wrestled with huge labour spreadsheets, and watched margins evaporate because one formula, one rate, or one tariff was out of date. The work was important, but the tools felt fragile.

In 2014, CalcuQuote was founded with a clear aim of moving EMS quoting and BOM costing out of brittle spreadsheets and into software. That shift from Excel files to connected applications helped lead the industry into a new way of working. RFQs, pricing, and labour models could live in a shared, reliable system instead of inside a handful of overworked workbooks.

As suppliers began opening up their data by API, those early ideas grew into something bigger. The platform helped create a more connected electronics supply chain, where EMS teams could win business, secure components, and serve at scale without relying only on gut feel and copy-and-paste.

Let’s break down how it began, the problems CalcuQuote set out to solve, the people and partnerships that moved it forward, and what comes next.

Back Then - Quoting Meant Spreadsheets And Gut Feel

A typical RFQ began with an email and a BOM in whatever format the customer’s system could export. Sometimes it was a neat file. Sometimes it was a barely readable PDF. Someone in the quoting team spent hours cleaning headers, fixing reference designators, and trying to match vague descriptions to real manufacturer part numbers.

Pricing meant hunting as part numbers went into distributor websites one by one. Results were copied into a master sheet. If a part was not available, buyers fell back on personal contacts, phone calls, and “can you check this for me” messages.

Decisions depended heavily on experience and instinct. As customer expectations rose and product cycles shortened, that way of working started to crack.

Why Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Teams Struggle

Before EMS operations had access to connected data and integrated systems, quoting and sourcing were held back by a set of recurring problems. These challenges shaped the early landscape and made it clear that spreadsheets and disconnected processes could no longer keep up.

BOMs That Arrive Broken

BOMs often land as half-finished puzzles: PDFs, merged cells, missing MPNs, vague descriptions, or very old part data. A lot of time goes into just cleaning the file before anyone can think about pricing or strategy.

Quotes That Take Days Instead Of Minutes 

Many teams still quote in giant spreadsheets. RFQs bounce around inboxes while everyone waits on inputs and supplier replies, so a single quote can drag on for days or weeks. By the time it is ready, the opportunity may have cooled.

No Early Warning On Risky Parts

Issues like obsolescence, last time buy notices, and long lead items often appear late, after supplier feedback. That triggers redesign talks, alternate hunting, and fresh pricing loops, while customers wait for clear answers.

Supplier Data That Never Quite Matches

Different systems and files show different prices and stock levels. Local distributors may not keep data current, and some regions still have weak digital coverage. People end up copying and pasting numbers and hoping nothing important is wrong.

Labour And Manufacturing Costs In The Dark

Material and labour are often costed in separate spreadsheets, with NREs kept in someone’s head. Each site has its own model, some based on old macros. Hidden work is easy to miss and margins quietly shrink.

Collaboration Stuck in Emails

Quoters, buyers, engineers, and sales work on the same RFQ without a shared live system. Notes sit in inboxes, comments sit in cells, and if one key person is away, progress stalls. Coordination depends on individuals, not on the process.

Milestone: Connecting Directly To Suppliers

The next change came from a simple realization. As long as pricing and availability stayed locked inside websites and static files, quoting teams would still be stuck in copy-and-paste mode. To move beyond that, systems needed to talk directly to suppliers.

At first, many suppliers were hesitant to open programmatic access to their data. CalcuQuote recognized early that a connected supply chain required live information rather than outdated exports, so the team started approaching distributors to integrate with the platform. Some pushed back, including DigiKey’s Steve Vecchiarelli, who arrived in Dallas ready to explain why an integration was unlikely. A frank conversation about the everyday quoting struggle changed the direction. Steve saw the practical value of real-time data for EMS customers and became one of CalcuQuote’s strongest supporters.

Those early integrations were modest in scope, but they were a clear break with the old pattern. Quoting teams could pull live contract prices and stock levels from a single place instead of visiting a dozen websites. As more suppliers joined, the impact grew. Quotes went out with current information instead of last week’s export, and EMS teams gained early insight into lead times and alternates.

CalcuQuote Partnership That Shifted Expectations

CalcuQuote’s partnerships shifted expectations by linking systems, not just suppliers. Through open APIs, quoting, purchasing, ERP, and even CRM can work from the same data. The Cetec ERP collaboration makes this concrete. In the joint webinar, Cetec ERP showed a quick demo --  

• pulled live pricing and availability inside its item screen through CalcuQuote, then saved vendor cost breaks back with a single action. Quote BOMs and approved alternates map to Cetec Part Spec Groups, MRP raises demand, and vendor breaks and confirmations sync back into ERP. 

The result is fewer handoffs, quicker RFQs, cleaner purchasing decisions, and consistent records from first inquiry to fulfilment.

What CalcuQuote Brings To The Table

Over time, CalcuQuote grew from a quoting system into a broader EMS support platform. It now covers RFQ intake, BOM cleaning, supplier connections, purchasing workflows, supply chain risk insight, and integration with ERP and PLM.

Quote

• Automate RFQ processes
• Supplier Portal for faster, easier bid exchange
• Customer Portal for instant quotes, 24x7
• Reporting for transparency and control

Purchasing

• Smart Purchasing to shorten procurement cycle time
• Part Search for prices, availability, and alternatives
• Part Alerts when desired parts are available
• Volume Price Negotiation to manage material costs
• Carbon Footprint Measurement with AI reports

Supply Chain Optimization

• Supply Chain Health for supplier risk insight
• Intelligent Supply Planning to align supply with demand and maximize cash flow
• Excess Marketplace to trade excess inventory securely
• Integrations with ERP, PLM, CRM, and other systems

The People Behind The Shift

The change was carried out by people who care about the work. Steve Vecchiarelli from Digikey once pushed back on opening data connections, then, after a frank conversation about what EMS teams needed, he became an advisor and steady supporter. Before he ever joined us, David Sharp told others to try CalcuQuote because it solved problems he had lived with in ERP and EMS. He later became CEO in August 2024.

Many of our teammates come from factories and sourcing desks, with ten-plus years in quoting, buying, and BOM cleanup. They know the late nights and the audit trails, and that practical context shapes what we build and how we support customers. Supply chain people are the difference. The advisor who once said no, the champion who became CEO, and practitioners from EMS floors turn hard-won lessons into better workflows.

Where CalcuQuote Is Now

Today, CalcuQuote sits in a very different industry than the one it entered in 2014. Leadership has evolved along with the product. It has grown into an expert platform for EMS evolution, bridging technology, data, and industry expertise. 

Since August 2024, David Sharp has served as CEO, after years of guiding product direction with deep EMS and ERP experience. The focus stays grounded in quote faster, buy smarter, keep suppliers connected, and give teams clarity instead of chaos.

Looking ahead, CalcuQuote is pushing further into data and AI, especially around BOM health, alternates, forecasting, and carbon insight. The goal is not to replace the humans in the process but to give them better visibility, better timing, and better confidence in the decisions they already know how to make.

Looking Ahead | The Next Chapter Of Electronics Supply Chains

The next ten years will bring new pressure. Designs will change faster. Sustainability and traceability will matter more. Geopolitics and regulatory changes will keep suppliers and EMS companies on their toes.

Software will not erase that uncertainty, but it can help people see it earlier and act together. The companies that started this shift, and the competitors that joined them, will be judged not on how many features they list but on how calmly they help EMS teams.

Closing Thought

The last decade turned quoting and sourcing in electronics manufacturing from a spreadsheet habit into a connected practice. It happened through persistent questions from EMS teams, brave decisions from suppliers, and the steady rise of software built for this specific work.

CalcuQuote which began as an answer to a single company’s quoting pain and went on to help hundreds of EMS businesses solve complex supply chain challenges. Whether you're refining an existing quoting process or starting from scratch, CalcuQuote’s team can help map the best path forward. The next phase is about turning fit into function.

Request a personalized demo to see how CalcuQuote works with your quoting and purchasing flow.