Overseas Orders Flooding In: How a CNC Factory “Had No Choice” but to Build Its Own AI Quoting Platform
The story doesn’t begin in a Silicon Valley skyscraper or the office of a tech giant. It starts in a CNC factory in Dongguan, China — a factory that has been machining custom parts for over 20 years.
“Day after day, six or seven hours would be wasted on the same repetitive tasks, yet we never seemed to deliver a satisfactory result,” recalls the founder. “The very tools that were supposed to help us became a burden. The anxiety never went away.”
When late nights and broken processes piled up, a new idea emerged:
“If no existing tools can truly serve small and mid-sized manufacturers, then we’ll just have to build our own.”
That idea sparked the creation of a cross-disciplinary team: AI researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology, industrial internet experts, and seasoned manufacturing engineers. With deep expertise in platform development, multimodal AI models, CNC machining, and flexible production, the team brought both academic research and real-world engineering into one solution.
At the center is Professor Shuhan Qi — a leading expert in multimodal AI from Harbin Institute of Technology — who provided the scientific backbone for what became Leanplans AI, a full-stack quoting and order management solution for precision manufacturers.
Born Out of Necessity
Back then, the factory floor was often quiet. Orders were scarce.
Xiao Tang, a sales manager, remembers staring at piles of contracts from B2B platforms, expensive SaaS subscriptions, and lists of “accurate” customs data. None of it worked. Leads were outdated. Emails went unanswered. Buyers were already locked into suppliers for years.
“Six hours a day were spent verifying emails and sending outreach messages — and when replies came, they were mostly from freight forwarders or scammers,” says Tang.
After another month of wasted effort, the team came to a painful realization: the only way forward was to build a tool that solved their own pain points.
Four Pain Points Every Factory Knows
- Manpower stretched thin
Overseas orders bring higher margins, but quoting teams had to juggle time zones and dozens of RFQs at once. Hiring more staff wasn’t sustainable — training was slow, costs kept rising, and productivity gains were minimal. - Scattered, messy data
Customer requests arrived via emails, PDFs, spreadsheets, WhatsApp, even Facebook groups. Manual handling led to duplicate quotes, missing parameters, and mismatched revisions — mistakes that damaged trust and delayed deliveries. - ERP can’t cover quoting
While ERP systems managed production scheduling and quality control, they couldn’t handle RFQ parsing or bilingual quote generation. Sales and production data stayed disconnected, creating friction and inefficiency. - Static websites don’t convert
The company website showed only certifications, equipment lists, and a handful of cases. No interactive demos, no instant quotes. Buyers couldn’t see the factory’s true capabilities, and site visitors rarely turned into real leads.
Building CNC Factory Own AI Platform
From these frustrations came Leanplans AI, a custom-built solution that integrates quoting, DFM analysis, and client engagement into one seamless system. The philosophy was simple:
Help factories stay competitive in the “small-batch, fast-turnaround” era.
- AI-powered RFQ parsing
- Handles multiple file formats (CAD, PDF, Excel)
- Automatically extracts material, size, tolerance, surface finish, quantity, and lead time
- Instantly generates structured tasks, eliminating manual errors
- 5-second AI quoting
- Live integration with raw material price indexes
- Built-in machine-hour, labor, and energy cost models
- Delivers accurate quotes within 5 seconds, with over 90% precision
- Unified order management
- Quoting, approval, follow-ups, and scheduling in one system
- Real-time order visibility with full history tracking
- Data loops that enable management to make faster, smarter decisions
- Interactive bilingual website
- Customers can upload CAD files and experience instant quotes
- Videos showing five-axis machining, fixture design, and finishing processes
- Case library with global enterprise references to boost credibility and conversions
Real Impact, Real Results
Leanplans AI isn’t just a tool — it’s a full-chain AI manufacturing solution powered by a proprietary MoE vertical model that blends multimodal AI with deep manufacturing know-how.
In just three months of deployment, one partner factory saw:
- 60% growth in overseas orders
- 35% reduction in labor costs
- Higher conversion rates thanks to instant bilingual quoting and transparent order tracking
And the feedback from international buyers has been enthusiastic:
- “From CAD upload to final quote in under five seconds — unbelievable!”
- “The entire procurement process is smoother than any platform I’ve used before.”
Leanplans AI was not born in a lab. It was built on the factory floor, forged under pressure, and refined through real pain points. Today, it stands as proof that small and mid-sized CNC manufacturers don’t have to be left behind in the AI era.
We’ve opened parts of the platform for free trials — inviting more CNC factory and global sourcing teams to experience a smarter, faster way to win overseas business.
Get a Free Quote!
Leave your contact details, or directly visit our online quoting platform to experience the future of material selection and production. Get expert material evaluations, tailored DFM analysis, and fast 24-hour production turnaround.
- Free Quote: Upload your designs, and our AI-powered engine will generate a custom quote in seconds.
- Talk to an Expert: Connect with one of our engineers via WhatsApp for immediate assistance.