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Fasteners and fixings

Fastener quoting software: from customer shorthand to a reviewed quote

Fastener quoting software turns a customer’s list of bolts, screws, nuts, washers and fixings, written in DIN, ISO or imperial shorthand, into a draft quote from your own catalogue. ERP Agent identifies the right product down to size, length, grade and finish, brings in customer pricing and scores every line from 0 to 100. Your sales team approves it, and it lands in your ERP, CRM or other system.

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What do fastener and fixings enquiries look like?

A maintenance buyer pastes forty lines into an email. A fabricator sends a bill of materials in Excel. A contractor forwards the engineer’s fixings schedule as a PDF. An OEM customer orders in their own part numbers.

Each line has to become one item among near-identical variants: M8x25 or M8x30, class 8.8 or 10.9, A2 or A4 stainless, bright zinc, galvanised or self colour, fully threaded DIN 933 or part-threaded DIN 931. According to our case study, a sales rep spends on average 4–7 minutes per line when creating quotes and orders by hand. For a 120-line list, that is 8 to 14 hours of work, and on a low-value line those minutes can cost more than the line earns.

Fastener shorthand, and what the agent reads in it

Fastener shorthand, and what the agent reads in it
The customer writesHow ERP Agent handles it
“M12 x 40 hex set 8.8 BZP, 500 off”Reads the abbreviations (hex set screw, bright zinc plated); thread, length and class separate M12x40 from M12x45 and from the 10.9 version.
“ISO 4017 M8x25” when your catalogue says DIN 933Found directly when your item text lists both numbers; otherwise matched on thread, length, class and description, with the customer’s ISO number kept on the line for the rep to confirm. Once confirmed, the same line goes straight to the same item next time.
“3/8"-16 x 1-1/2" HHCS Gr8 YZ”Inch diameter, UNC pitch, length, grade and finish are read from the line and compared with your item text. Every line your team confirms teaches the agent how this customer writes imperial sizes.
The customer’s own part or drawing numberLearned from past quotes and from every line your team sends; the customer’s code stays on the line.
One code for a bolt set: bolt, nut and two washersA customer-code set expands it into its fixed catalogue lines.
“Sechskantschraube M10 x 40” against an English catalogueA request in one language is matched against a catalogue in another, with no translating first.

How does fastener distributor quote automation work?

  1. The enquiry arrives

    A rep forwards the email to your agent mailbox, or pastes it into the web app and picks quote or sales order. PDF (scanned too), Excel, CSV, Word and images are read. See email to ERP.

  2. Lines to products

    The agent identifies the customer, then the lines. Wording your team has confirmed goes to the same product; other lines are searched by code, numbers and description, across languages. When you provide sales history, the items this customer already buys come forward.

  3. Checks

    Thread, length, standard and property class are compared with every candidate, and candidates that contradict them are pushed down. You can also switch on a second check that sends wrong matches back for another search and, with accessory rules set up for your company, reminds the rep when a bolt list has no nuts or washers. The agent never guesses: a line with no plausible match goes on your placeholder code with the customer’s wording kept.

  4. Pricing and approval

    Customer pricing comes from the data and rules configured for your company, and the rep can edit any price. The rep approves, and the quote or sales order is written to your ERP, CRM or other system.

Example: a fabricator’s fastener list, line by line

Customer requestIllustrative example
Email with Excel attached: “Please quote the below, delivery to site.”
  1. M12 x 40 hex set 8.8 BZP – 500 off
  2. M12 nyloc BZP – 500 off
  3. ISO 4017 M8x25 A2-70 – 400 off
  4. Our ref BS16 – 40 sets
  5. Fixings for the handrail brackets – 40
Proposed lines · Illustrative example
Request lineProposed productScoreWhy
M12 x 40 hex set 8.8 BZP10124 Hex set screw DIN 933 M12x40 8.8 zinc plated96Thread, length, class and finish agree
M12 nyloc BZP20512 Nyloc nut DIN 985 M12 zinc plated78Full-height DIN 982 also fits; marked
ISO 4017 M8x25 A2-7040825 Hex set screw DIN 933 M8x25 A2-7093Item text lists ISO 4017 next to DIN 933
Our ref BS16Set: 16601 Hex bolt M16x60 8.8 HDG, 16602 Nut M16 HDG, 2 × 16603 Washer M16 HDG98Customer’s set code, three lines
Fixings for the handrail bracketsPlaceholder code0Not enough to go on; the rep asks

Illustrative example of how the review screen explains each line. Prices are left out.

What your sales team sees before anything is sent

  • The customer’s line next to the proposed product, so the rep checks instead of searching.
  • A match score from 0 to 100; lines under 80 are marked. See how the match score works.
  • Reasoning and alternatives: read why a product was chosen, or take a runner-up such as the full-height nyloc nut.
  • Quote chat: add or remove rows, change quantities or prices; you approve or reject each edit.
  • A person approves. The agent never sends anything to a customer on its own, and product codes are checked against your ERP before the draft is written there.
ERP Agent quote review interface with sample data
Quote review screen (sample data). Open full size

DIN, ISO and other brands’ codes

When your item text carries both DIN 933 and ISO 4017, either number finds the product. When it carries only one, the agent matches on thread, length, class and description and keeps the customer’s standard on the line, so your rep confirms the swap. That matters, because the standards differ in some sizes: the width across flats of M10, M12, M14 and M22 hex heads is not the same. When a customer quotes another brand’s anchor or fixing family, a cross-reference list set up for your company points the agent to your equivalent family. See part number cross-reference.

AI for fastener distributors: where it helps and where to start

Usually only a few experienced people in internal sales know which of thousands of near-identical items a customer means. ERP Agent learns from the lines your team sends: the next time a customer writes the same thing, it picks the same product. New reps work from what colleagues have confirmed, that knowledge stays when someone leaves, and customers get their prices sooner.

ERP Agent is live with steel, HVAC and fastener distributors. The quickest way to see what it does with your range is a pilot on your own longest lists: start from your catalogue and real enquiries, and connect your ERP when you are ready. The AI quote agent pilot checklist shows what to prepare, the quote cost calculator shows what a manual line costs you, and the LVI-WaBeK case shows the results in building services wholesale.

Where does the quote land?

ERP Agent integrates with Business Central, SAP, NetSuite, Visma, IFS, Sage and any other ERP or CRM, with customer prices from your ERP’s own price logic. We set up the connection for your company during onboarding, and you can start with a catalogue file the same week.

Integrations and what ERP Agent reads and writes in each
SystemTypeReadsWrites
Dynamics 365 Business CentralERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesSales quotes and sales orders
SAP S/4HANAERP integrationProducts, business partners, customer pricesSales quotations and sales orders
SAP Business OneERP integrationItems, business partners, price listsSales quotations and sales orders
NetSuiteERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesEstimates (quotes) and sales orders
Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply ChainERP integrationReleased products, customers, trade agreement pricesSales quotations and sales orders
VismaERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotes and sales orders
IFSERP integrationSales parts, customers, customer pricesSales quotations and customer orders
Monitor ERPERP integrationParts, customers, customer pricesQuotes and customer orders
Infor M3ERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotations and customer orders
ExactERP integrationItems, customers, sales pricesQuotations and sales orders
AFAS ProfitERP integrationItems, debtors, price agreementsQuotes and sales orders
OdooERP integrationProducts, customers, pricelistsQuotations and sales orders
SageERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesSales quotes and sales orders
JeevesERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotes and sales orders; confirmed values on purchase orders
LemonsoftERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotes
Microsoft 365 / OutlookEmail integrationCustomer requests in the agent mailbox; email history for trainingNothing is sent to customers without your team
Catalogue file / SFTPFileProduct catalogue from a file, from the first weekThe reviewed quote or order as a file, ready to import into your system
Any other ERP or CRMERP or CRM integrationProducts, customers and prices, through the connection we set up for your company during onboardingQuotes and sales orders

ERP Agent in numbers

Live
with steel, HVAC and fastener distributors
4–7 min
per line when a sales rep creates quotes and orders by hand, according to our case study
95%
average automation across our customers
Over 95%
accuracy in quote-line automation at LVI-WaBeK

Built to fit how a fastener distributor already works

ERP Agent is the first agentic AI layer for wholesale distribution ERP systems. That design is what makes it quick to adopt:

  • No ERP replacement project. It works on top of the ERP, CRM or other system you already run, and approved quotes and orders land there.
  • Your team stays in control. The agent prepares the draft and your rep approves it. Nothing reaches a customer without that approval.
  • Start with a catalogue file. Load your item data, forward real enquiries the same week and connect your ERP when you are ready.
  • EDI keeps running. Your largest accounts can keep ordering over EDI; ERP Agent handles everyone else: the emails, PDF schedules and spreadsheets.

Customer purchase orders in their own part numbers become sales orders the same way: purchase order to sales order. On the buying side, the agent checks supplier order confirmations and turns material certificates into structured data. The same approach applies to industrial and MRO suppliers, steel stockholders and cutting tool distributors. For the workflow itself, see AI quote automation for distributors and RFQ automation.

Frequently asked questions

What is fastener quoting software?

Software that turns a customer’s enquiry into a draft quote from the distributor’s own catalogue and that customer’s pricing, ready for a rep to approve. With ERP Agent, the approved quote or sales order lands in your ERP, CRM or other system.

Can it automate fixings and fasteners quotes from PDF schedules and spreadsheets?

Yes: PDF (including scanned PDFs), Excel, CSV, Word, images, forwarded emails and lists typed into the email body. The rep forwards the email as it arrived, without retyping the list.

Can it tell DIN 933 from DIN 931, or 8.8 from 10.9?

Yes. It uses the numbers in a line (thread, length, DIN or ISO number, property class) to tell variants apart and pushes down candidates that contradict them. When the customer leaves a detail open, such as the finish, the line is marked for review with the alternatives one click away.

How does it handle customers’ own part numbers and set codes?

ERP Agent learns them from your past quotes and every line your team sends, and keeps the customer’s code on the line. A set code, such as a bolt with nut and washers, expands into its fixed catalogue lines.

Which ERP systems does it work with?

Any ERP system. ERP Agent integrates with Business Central, SAP, NetSuite, Visma, IFS, Sage and any other ERP or CRM, with prices from your ERP’s own price logic, customer discounts included. We set up the connection for your company during onboarding, and you can start with a catalogue file the same week. See ERP and email integrations.

How long does a long fastener list take?

A typical request takes 3–8 minutes and a request of several hundred lines about half an hour, with lines appearing in the review table as they are matched. Fast mode handles text, spreadsheet or Word requests of up to about 50 lines in 1–3 minutes.

Let’s look at your quote workflow

Bring a real fastener list

Book a 30-minute call and bring an enquiry your team found slow: a long bill of materials, or metric and imperial mixed.

  • Your requests and product catalogue
  • Your pricing and review process
  • A clear scope for the next step
Lauri Pelkonen

Lauri Pelkonen

Founder & CEO

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