The verdict in three sentences
For an industrial subcontractor receiving more than 150 requests for quotation a month, AI extraction from emails and drawings is currently the most profitable automation in the sales department. A serious project costs between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 excl. VAT in 2026, with a draft quote reviewed by a technician before anything reaches the customer. The main gain is not lower workload but response time cut from 5 days to 24 hours, which mechanically lifts the win rate.
What AI actually does in the quoting chain
In a machining SME, a request for quotation rarely arrives clean: a three-line email, a PDF drawing, sometimes a STEP file, and a quantity buried in the signature. The sales engineer reads, re-keys into the ERP, identifies the material, estimates machine time, then writes the quote. AI handles the first three steps.
In practice, the typical 2026 chain includes a monitored mailbox (Microsoft 365 or Gmail), a language model that extracts part number, quantity, material, surface treatment and requested lead time, a reading of the drawing title block, then a draft costing record created in the ERP (SAP Business One, proALPHA, abas or Sage depending on the case). The technician validates, corrects and sends.
| Quoting step | Average manual time | Time with AI + review | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading the email and attachments | 8 min | 1 min | 87% |
| Re-keying into the ERP | 12 min | 2 min | 83% |
| Identifying material and treatment | 6 min | 1 min | 83% |
| Estimating machine time | 15 min | 9 min | 40% |
| Writing and formatting the quote | 10 min | 3 min | 70% |
| Total per request | 51 min | 16 min | 69% |
Machine time estimation remains the least automatable part: it depends on the machine park, setups and in-house know-how. AI proposes a range based on similar past quotes, and the technician decides.
What a project costs in 2026 in Berlin
Price gaps come mostly from the number of drawing formats to read, the depth of ERP integration and the volume of history used for similar-part search.
| Scope | Budget excl. VAT (2026 estimate) | Setup time | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email extraction only, to spreadsheet | EUR 6,000 to 10,000 | 3 to 4 weeks | Fewer than 80 requests/month |
| Email + PDF drawing extraction to ERP | EUR 15,000 to 22,000 | 6 to 8 weeks | 100 to 250 requests/month |
| + similar-part search in history | EUR 22,000 to 32,000 | 8 to 10 weeks | Catalogue over 5,000 parts |
| + STEP reading and machine time pre-calculation | EUR 30,000 to 40,000 | 10 to 14 weeks | Complex machining, multi-site |
| AI model usage cost | EUR 80 to 350/month | Recurring | Depends on page volume |
| Maintenance and tuning | EUR 300 to 900/month | Recurring | Depends on change requests |
Two points to check before signing: data hosting (customer drawings are often under NDA, so prefer a model hosted in Europe) and traceability, each extracted field must show its source in the document so the technician can verify at a glance.
The mistakes that sink these projects
The first is trying to remove human review. A 92% correct extraction rate is excellent, but 8% errors on a material or tolerance cost far more than one minute of checking. The second is launching without cleaning past quote history: similar-part search is only as good as the historical data. The third is skipping monitoring: a simple dashboard (requests received, average response time, win rate) proves ROI from month three.
Mini case study
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Thomas, sales director of a 45-employee machining subcontractor in Berlin-Spandau, receives 250 requests for quotation a month. At 51 minutes per request, his two sales engineers spend about 212 hours a month on them. With the AI chain and review, time drops to 16 minutes, or 67 hours: 145 hours freed every month, around EUR 6,500 of loaded cost at EUR 45/hour.
The chosen project (email and drawing extraction to the ERP, similar-part search) costs EUR 26,000 excl. VAT plus EUR 250/month usage and EUR 500/month maintenance. Direct payback is reached in just over 4 months. Above all, response time falls from 5 days to 24 hours, and the win rate rises from 18% to 24% over the first six months, about fifteen extra orders a month.
FAQ
Can the AI send quotes without validation?
Technically yes, but we advise against it in machining. A material or tolerance error on a 2,000-part batch can cost more than EUR 10,000. Review takes 2 to 3 minutes per quote and protects the margin.
Which drawing formats are read correctly?
Vector PDFs with a standard title block are read with over 90% accuracy in 2026. Poor-quality scans drop to around 70%, and STEP files need a dedicated module adding EUR 6,000 to 10,000 excl. VAT.
Do we need to change our ERP?
No. Most industrial ERPs on the market expose an API or a structured import. If the ERP is old, an intermediate connector adds about EUR 3,000 to 5,000 excl. VAT.
Our customer drawings are confidential. Is this compatible?
Yes, provided you use a model hosted in the European Union with no reuse of data for training. This choice is documented in the contract and only raises usage cost by 10 to 20%.
How long before we see results?
The first pilot on one mailbox runs in 4 to 6 weeks. Response time gains are measurable from the first month, and the effect on win rate shows after 3 months.
Let's scope your project. Send us your request volume, your ERP and two sample emails: we will scope the work, give an indicative budget between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 excl. VAT and a pilot schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
