Case Study: How Volex Reduced Quote Time from 15 Days to Under 24 Hours with Breadboard

About the Client

Volex is a leading integrated manufacturer of high-performance power and connectivity solutions for mission-critical applications. From everyday items to advanced medical devices, Volex enables the complex digital world by delivering critical power and energy transfer solutions across diverse markets while championing sustainability.

Team using Breadboard: 3 people in quoting and supply chain

The Challenge

Despite their technical expertise and market leadership, Volex's quoting process was creating significant delays. The team was producing 5-10 quotes per month, but their previous quoting software was undermining efficiency rather than enabling it.

Manual verification burden — Line-by-line review was required to verify the software hadn't deviated from uploaded AVLs and to confirm correct pricing selection—a time-consuming and redundant process.

Lack of data confidence — The previous software would auto-select similar parts it believed matched the AVL, creating uncertainty and requiring extensive manual verification.

Slow quote turnaround — Average quote completion time stretched to 10-15 business days, constraining the team's ability to respond to time-sensitive opportunities.

Inefficient requote processes — Updating and adjusting previous quotes required reloading everything from scratch.

The result: A 10-15 day quote cycle that limited capacity, created bottlenecks for ITAR customers with strict deadlines, and prevented the team from scaling their quoting volume.

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The Solution: Breadboard's Automated Supply Chain Platform

After their previous software expired in early 2024, Volex sought a solution that offered flexibility, accuracy, and efficient quote review with up-to-date costing. Breadboard provided the precision and user control they needed.

Key capabilities deployed:

Precise AVL management — Forced selection for exact part number matching eliminates auto-substitution errors and ensures complete AVL accuracy.

BOM validation and issue flagging — Proactively identifies incomplete or incorrect information from customers and engineering, allowing problems to be addressed early in the process.

Streamlined requote workflow — Easily refresh and adjust previous BOMs without reloading from scratch, dramatically accelerating repeat business.

PDF BOM extraction — Pull BOMs directly from PDFs, eliminating manual data entry and transcription errors.

Flexible alternate management — Easily add alternates to AVL and tier suppliers based on strategic priorities.

Competitive pricing intelligence — Access up-to-date market pricing that has proven competitive against specialist verification.

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Results (9 Months After Launch)

Since implementing Breadboard in April 2024, Volex has transformed their quoting operation:

93% faster quote turnaround — Average quote time dropped from 10-15 business days to under 24 hours, with large quotes saving a full day of manual work.

60% increase in quote volume — Monthly quotes grew from 5-10 to 8-12 without adding headcount.

Complete data confidence — Forced exact part number matching ensures 100% AVL accuracy, eliminating the uncertainty that plagued their previous system.

Dramatically fewer quoting errors — Early issue flagging catches incomplete or incorrect information before it impacts quotes, reducing customer complaints.

Faster response to critical deadlines — For ITAR customers with strict timelines, materials have become "the easiest part of the quote to finalize," allowing the team to focus on engineering and other critical pricing aspects.

Proven cost competitiveness — All high-dollar Breadboard pricing reviewed by material specialists has proven competitive with market rates.

Component cost savings — Breadboard's sourcing intelligence has delivered measurable savings, though purchasing team integration is still ongoing.

"Breadboard gives me confidence, knowing that my pricing is accurate and competitive in current market conditions. It is more user-friendly than any competitor I've seen and allows users to view the full scope of their project while also providing detailed information on individual line items."

— Megan Masterson, Quoting Manager, Volex

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Looking Ahead

With the foundation established, Volex is preparing to expand their use of Breadboard:

• Enhanced supplier and customer interaction — The team's next major initiative is leveraging Breadboard to transform how they collaborate with external partners
• Deeper purchasing integration — Quantifying total component savings as purchasing team adoption increases
• Continued capacity expansion — Scaling quote volume further as workflow optimizations compound

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Why It Matters

Volex's experience demonstrates that the right quoting solution isn't just about automation—it's about control, accuracy, and confidence. By replacing a system that required constant verification with one that enforces precision by design, Volex has freed their team to focus on high-value work while dramatically compressing cycle times.

For manufacturers handling mission-critical applications where accuracy is non-negotiable, Breadboard offers a path to speed without sacrificing precision.

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See Breadboard in Action

Want to see how Breadboard could transform your quoting and procurement process? Book a free demo and we'll walk through your BOMs and show potential time and cost savings.

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