Start where you actually are.
Full design package, a rough spec, a legacy part in a drawer, or just a question — all four are a real way to start. Pick the one that matches your stage.
Four ways in. All of them reach the same person.
Quote from your design files
The fastest path to a firm number. A complete package means the quote comes back with real DFM notes instead of questions.
- Gerbers or ODB++ for each board
- Centroid / pick-and-place file (XY position and rotation)
- BOM as CSV or XLSX, with consigned parts flagged
- STEP files or 2D drawings for the enclosure, with tolerances and finish
- Wire list or harness drawing, if the build has cabling
- Test requirements — what "working" means for your product
- Quantities (first build and estimated annual) and target dates
Gerbers alone describe the bare board, so they are not enough to quote assembly on their own — the BOM and centroid are what turn them into a buildable package.
Quote from specifications
Design not finished, or files locked up with your EE? Describe the product and you will get a scoping conversation and an indicative direction — not silence until the files exist.
- What the product does, and where it gets installed
- Rough enclosure size, material, and mounting
- Display size and whether the operator needs touch or physical keys
- Power source: mains, PoE, battery, or DC input
- Sealing or environment requirements (washdown, outdoor, vibration)
- Whether you have a current supplier, and what is not working about it
- Rough quantities and when you need first units
This path is normal here, not an exception. Programs that start as a paragraph and a sketch end up as builds often enough that we quote them the same way.
Re-source a product you already ship
Moving a build out of its current supply, or reviving an orphaned part whose vendor disappeared. Send physical samples and we reverse-spec the construction into a formal drawing for your approval.
- Two or three physical samples, if you can spare them
- Any drawing fragments, even outdated or incomplete ones
- Photos with a scale reference, and measurements you already have
- The current part number, current landed cost, and current lead time
- What is driving the move: cost, tariffs, quality, or a vendor that vanished
- Annual usage and how much stock you are holding
You get a formal drawing back before any tooling is cut, so you own a documented spec even if you never place the order. Tariff exposure is worth checking too — see the tariff guide.
Ask before you quote
Not every first contact should be an RFQ. If you are scoping feasibility, comparing regions, or trying to work out whether your volumes even fit, email is faster than a form.
- Does a program our size fit how you work?
- What would this cost to build in Taiwan versus where we build now?
- Can you handle this enclosure, this display, this connector?
- What does the tariff picture look like for our HTS classification?
- Can we visit, and can we audit the line before we commit?
Answers come from Chris in plain English within one business day. Where a question needs a production engineer, he gets one from the team rather than guessing.
What you get back
Acknowledged within 1 business day; most quotes back in 3–5 business days once specs are complete:
- Delivered landed-cost pricing in USD at your quantity breaks
- DFM notes on your drawing
- Lead times for first articles and production
- The construction we'd build and why — materials by brand and part number
Exporting a clean package
What to pull out of common tools. Not sure? Send the native files and a PDF — we'll tell you the same day if something won't open.
| Altium Designer | Gerber X2 or ODB++, Pick and Place (centroid), BOM export |
|---|---|
| KiCad | Plot → Gerbers + Drill, Fabrication Toolkit or Position file, BOM CSV |
| Eagle / Fusion | CAM Processor Gerbers, mnt-xy centroid ULP, partlist BOM |
| OrCAD / Allegro | Gerber or IPC-2581, placement report, BOM |
| SolidWorks / Fusion (mechanical) | STEP (AP214/242) plus a dimensioned PDF with tolerances and finish |
| Anything else | Send the native files and a PDF. If we cannot open something, we will say so the same day. |
Want an NDA first?
Say so in the notes — we send a mutual NDA the same day. Files are split across suppliers by design: the enclosure shop never sees your circuit files, and only final assembly sees the whole product.
Prefer email?
Send everything to sales@essenindustries.com — same response, same timeline.