On The Web

Modern Machine Shop, April, 2001 by Allan (A.J.) Sweatt

Do Your Bidding

MMS Online has just introduced a new service that can put your shop in touch with new customers, new markets and new work.

We call it the Bid For Work System. Bid For Work is an online, "e-marketplace" where job shops and custom manufacturers can connect and collaborate with buyers of machined parts and services.

This may or may not sound familiar to you. The online RFQ model for machining services has been around for a year or two; a list of those models can be found in MMS Online's Links repository under Job Shop Sales/Request For Quote Links (www. mmsonline.com/links).

But there are some unique features to MMS' Bid For Work System that we think will evolve the model dramatically.

First, MMS has partnered with ManufacturingQuote.com to power the RFQ engine and evolve the collaborative environment and tools to support the RFQ process. Part of this relationship will explore ways to provide valuable feedback to both suppliers and buyers.

Next, the Bid For Work System is not a reverse auction, which relies solely on price to drive the vendor selection process. Bid For Work was built to support all parties equally in the collaboration of machining outsourcing processes.

Strategic partnerships with third parties will be nurtured to expose Bid For Work members to the highest quality prospective sales leads available online. Currently, this system enjoys connectivity with Thomas Publishing, NASA TechBriefs, and other high-end private and government sources of machining work.

Bid For Work is a work in progress, and it is available throughout MMS Online or directly through bid.mmsonline.com.

Job Shop Site Of The Month

Spindle & Machine Service, Inc. (www.spindleandmachine.com) nails the "home page simple, content deep" model nicely with its Web site. The company's machining services and product line (spindle design/build) are presented very well, as are its thorough, detailed request forms (accessible from its home page). Simplicity plus depth pay off well for this Michigan shop.

April On MMS Online

To expand upon MMS' April issue topics, be sure to check out the CAD/CAM and Cutting Tools Zones. Both these and all our Zones are presented at www.mmsonline.com.

OTW Infoletter

Want to get the online metalworking scoop via e-mail from metalworking's preferred information source? Subscribe to MMS' OTW (On The Web) Infoletter at www.mmsonline.com/otw/subscribe.cfm.