The Bottleneck of Traditional Steel Estimating
Before automation, performing a structural steel takeoff was a highly manual and labor intensive process. Estimators and detailers would spend hours or even days analyzing complex architectural and structural drawings. They were required to manually identify every required piece of material, calculate beam sizes, determine weights, and estimate the necessary labor hours.
While this meticulous manual approach was standard practice, it created a massive bottleneck. Manual takeoffs inherently limit the number of bids a fabricator can process in a given week. Furthermore, human calculations are prone to errors. In an industry where profit margins and project timelines are tight, a single miscalculation can turn a lucrative job into a costly mistake. Relying on manual estimating limits your growth and puts your profitability at risk.
The Solution: Streamlined Fabrication with Vector Intelligence
Vector Intelligence is a software that allows you to streamline your estimating process. It is a powerful digital tool that uses an automated algorithm to fast-track the structural steel takeoff. However, Vector is more than an algorithm; it is a complete ecosystem built to integrate seamlessly with existing fabrication workflows, delivering annotated PDFs compatible with most on-screen takeoff platforms, enabling clients to easily adjust lengths and input additional data within the working PDF.
The Infra-Metals Advantage
Infra-Metals has officially acquired Vector Intelligence to bring this game changing technology directly to our customers. This acquisition matters because it creates a seamless workflow from estimation to material delivery.
By owning the software, we ensure that our fabricators have direct access to the most advanced estimating technology available. You no longer have to rely on disconnected third party tools. Instead, Vector Intelligence is backed by a trusted value added supplier. This alignment provides our clients with a distinct competitive advantage, lowering project costs and dramatically increasing bid win rates.
The Benefits of Combining Vector Intelligence with Infra-Metals
The true power of this acquisition lies in pairing automated estimating with our premier structural steel services. With an exceptionally wide range of products and services, Infra-Metals is one of the largest structural steel service providers in the United States. We specifically tailor our centers to meet the needs of the regions they supply, and we maintain a steadfast commitment to providing high quality materials and service promptly and economically.
A leading distributor of structural steel and a member of the Reliance, Inc. family, Infra-Metals serves as a consolidated source for materials and processing and significantly streamlines our clients’ procurement procedures. We operate as the crucial step right before traditional fabrication. While we do not handle final assembly or complex welding, our extensive inventory features products ranging from beams and tubes to sheets, channels and expanded metal.
How the Automated Takeoff Process Works
Vector Intelligence simplifies the entire estimating workflow into a few intuitive steps:
Structural Steel Blueprint Analysis
Estimators upload structural steel blueprints (PDF format) to the web-based Vector platform. Upon submission, Vector’s proprietary algorithms analyze the drawings and return processed results to the estimator within minutes.
Results
The output includes detailed information on steel members, including size, length, weight, and associated attributes such as studs, cambers, and unique coordinates for each component. These results are delivered in three formats: CSV files, annotated blueprints, and 3D models.
Seamless Integrations
Vector’s outputs, in whichever format the fabricator elects to use, can be readily integrated into existing estimating workflows. During this phase, fabricators may further refine project data and import the information into platforms such as Tekla PowerFab, Bluebeam, and various modeling programs.
Collaboration with Account Representatives
This process, combined with increased bid capacity and close coordination with account representatives, fosters a more efficient and proactive environment. The result is faster pricing, reduced material drop, and improved management of lead times for steel procurement.
Ready to Modernize Your Bidding Process?
If you need a partner dedicated to serving your projects with the same unwavering commitment you provide your own clients, Infra-Metals is standing by to meet your structural steel supply and processing needs. Contact us today to submit a request for quote (RFQ) for your next fabrication project, and learn more about how Vector Intelligence can transform your business.