Speed matters when clients expect same-day quotes and rapid delivery.
Hutchinson Engineering faced mounting pressure to respond faster and manufacture more efficiently – yet multiple software packages slowed progress.
By switching to a unified SigmaNEST stack, the company unlocked dramatic time savings and productivity gains that ripple across its business.
Client Snapshot
Hutchinson Engineering Ltd. designs and fabricates high-integrity assemblies for coach-building, agriculture, and defence markets.
Headquartered in Kilrea, Northern Ireland, the firm runs a 10 000 sq ft factory and services global OEMs.
Today, SigmaNEST drives every sheet-metal job – from quote to cut – helping the team hit shorter lead times.
The Challenge
Running separate applications for nesting, machine integration, and press-brake programming forced multiple programmers to juggle files and double-handle data.
Each change required feedback loops between departments, pushing jobs beyond customer deadlines and inflating scrap rates.
Without a single source of truth, quotations also lagged; the sales team spent precious hours compiling costs instead of winning new work.
The Solution
Hutchinson adopted the modular SigmaNEST platform to consolidate CAD/CAM, shop-floor control, and business-system data.
- HD SuperNEST delivers high-speed, high-yield nesting, optimising sheet layouts and batching similar parts for faster laser processing.
- SigmaBEND AP converts 3D models into bend sequences automatically, eliminating manual press-brake programming.
- Live ERP links feed sales and work orders straight into SigmaNEST, ensuring costings, material usage, and machine time remain accurate.
SigmaNEST’s field team provided face-to-face implementation, configuring rules so every nest meets Hutchinson’s quality targets. Once parameters were set, repeatability and quality improved across the board.
Results
“SigmaNEST has helped us to reduce the quotation process by up to 30 %.”
Mark Hutchinson, CEO
Key outcomes:
- Quotation speed: turnaround slashed by 30 %, winning more bids.
- Efficiency: consistent, high-quality nests cut scrap and rework.
- Productivity: fewer software tools mean programmers focus on value-added tasks.
Hutchinson now manufactures parts faster than competing solutions, with real-time transparency across order status and material flow.
Why It Matters
Fabricators still running siloed software risk slower quotes, higher scrap, and lost contracts.
A unified SigmaNEST workflow – backed by modules like HD SuperNEST and SigmaBEND AP – lets teams cut material fast, price jobs accurately, and integrate with ERP in real time.
The Bottom Line
Consolidating onto SigmaNEST gave Hutchinson Engineering a “secret weapon” for peak efficiency: faster quoting, smarter nesting, and seamless shop-floor control.
Ready to replicate these results? Contact the team today to book a personalised demo and discuss an implementation roadmap tailored to your factory.
Content adapted from the original case study published by SigmaNEST.
