Altek, a division of Fenplast Group, is a Quebec manufacturer renowned for its high-quality doors and windows. The rapidly growing company has embarked on an ambitious digital transformation to harmonize its internal processes across the various entities it has acquired over the years. This transformation is part of a strategic initiative to centralize operations and modernize technological tools.
After a successful initial collaboration with Nexus Innovations to develop Atom, a software program dedicated to custom manufacturing, Fenplast once again called on our team to design Estimax, an estimation tool for contractor sales.
Business objectives
Before Estimax, the Fenplast Group had to deal with three separate estimation software programs, originating from different companies acquired over the years. This fragmentation made the bidding process complex and difficult to standardize.
The main objective of the project was therefore clear:
- Centralize and standardize estimation practices across the group.
- Automate the generation of detailed and accurate bids.
- Improve the efficiency and consistency of proposals, particularly for large-scale projects such as office towers or residential complexes.
From the outset, a formal framework and well-defined business objectives guided the design of Estimax, ensuring that the solution precisely met the needs of Altek and the Fenplast group.
Proposed solution
The solution developed is custom software built with .NET, C#, and Blazor technologies, all from the Microsoft ecosystem. This approach allowed for seamless integration with Fenplast’s existing ERP system, as well as with their email communication system (SendGrid).
Estimax allows for:
- The creation of complex projects and bids.
- Adding items with profitability calculations and margin adjustments.
- Delivery planning (without logistics).
- Integration of installation costs via preconfigured formulas.
- Generation of PDF bids ready to be sent to customers.
The software architecture is based on the foundations established during the Atom project, ensuring technological consistency and efficient reuse of components.
Impact on the organization
Estimax enables Altek to:
- Centralize estimation data.
- Eliminate redundancy and errors associated with the coexistence of multiple tools.
- Simplify and accelerate the bidding process for projects involving several hundred windows.
This project marks a key milestone in the Fenplast Group’s digital transformation, complementing the Atom software. Together, these solutions support the group’s growth by enhancing the standardization and efficiency of its processes.
Adoption of the solution
The software is scheduled to be deployed before the end of 2025, with full production starting as soon as it is launched.
Training and support are provided by the project manager at Fenplast, formerly a member of the Nexus team, which facilitates knowledge transfer.
Project team
The project was carried out by a dedicated team at Nexus Innovations:
- Olivier Provost – Developer
- Antoine Bouabana – Developer
- Loïc Léger – Developer
- Juan Cardenas-Medina – Designer
- Francis Joyal – Agile Project Manager
- Martin Brousseau – Project Manager at Fenplast (formerly at Nexus)
