What would it mean to your business if your site foreman could use his finger and a tablet computer — instead of pencil and paper — to draw up all of his trim parts at the jobsite?

And what if he could then e-mail everything right back to the office, including project name and number, quantity needed, material types and other specs? And what if that information could be downloaded right to the sheet metal brake, and the drawings with correct dimensions and angles were automatically programmed into the machine so that the operator knew every detail of the job?

And, oh by the way, what if the trim part drawing data automatically produced a cut list for the shear operator?

What it would mean, quite simply, is a better bottom line. The productivity of your trim operation would increase exponentially. And all those labor and material costs resulting from redundant work, and errors due to bad handwriting, miscommunication or lost pieces of paper, would disappear.

TrimSpec, a groundbreaking mobile app and desktop application, makes all of this possible. It’s the latest advance from MetalForming Inc., the largest supplier of high-end sheet metal machines in North America.

TrimSpec takes the pioneering touch screen drawing engine from the Schechtl iFold and puts it on a desktop, laptop or tablet — so that a roofing contractor in the field or a component sales rep can draw and edit parts — even program your sheet metal brake right from the jobsite — as well as generate a complete order that can be delivered via e-mail, dropbox, flash drive or USB stick to begin production.

It’s a software solution designed to scale, whether your business is a small roofing firm with a single folding machine or a $1 billion components company with a squadron of salesmen in the field.

“Large manufacturers may even want to give the application directly to their customers, strengthening those connections, reducing sales costs and increasing overall order efficiency,” said Geoff Stone, CEO of MetalForming, based in Peachtree City, Ga.

Bill Wilkins is MetalForming’s chief operating officer, who brings a deep background in computer science and customer service, and an appreciation of the need for flexible tools.

“We have great customers at all points of the size spectrum, and we needed solutions that can drive better margins for all of those customers,” he said.

TrimSpec is one piece of MetalForming’s Computer Integrated Roof Manufacturing (CIRM) strategy, an effort led by Stone and Wilkins that is moving MetalForming from its position as the largest supplier of the best sheet metal machines to a “total solutions” company that seamlessly marries software and hardware for its roofing industry customers.

TrimSpec is one of those pieces that can make a factory fit, and MetalForming is making it available on its website for a 30-day free trial, at metalforming-usa.com/ifold.php

“If you have sometimes looked at your trim shop as a big black hole,” said Stone, “automating with TrimSpec will be a game changer for you.”

 For more information, please visit www.metalforming-usa.com.