Boardera Release Note Log

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Stay up to date with what’s going on at Boardera. Release Notes summarize all​​ new product features , bug fixes and improvements .

2025-JUN-16

Detailed Markup Calculations

Take your quoting strategy to the next level with enhanced markup options.

What’s new?
Boardera now gives you much greater control over how markups are applied to your quotes. Instead of a single slider, you now have separate markup formulas for three distinct cost categories: PCB Fabrication, Labor, and BOM. Each category can have its own formula and unique logic, allowing you to trigger different markup calculations based on the specifics of each job.

How does this help you?
You can tailor your margin strategy to fit the needs of your business, products, or customers. For example, apply different markups for high-layer boards, special labor requirements, or BOM components. The system’s flexibility means your quotes are always accurate, competitive, and aligned with your pricing goals.

With these new markup controls, you gain the power to automate complex pricing strategies and respond to changing market conditions without extra manual effort.

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Expanded Support for BOM substitutions

We’ve made importing BOMs even more flexible and reliable by broadening our support for part number substitutions. Designers often specify alternate or substitute part numbers in different formats, and Boardera can now recognize and process more of these variations automatically during BOM import. This means fewer manual adjustments, less risk of missing key alternates, and a smoother workflow for getting from design to quote.

You can confidently import complex BOMs, knowing that Boardera will recognize designer-specified substitutes. This leads to fewer errors, better sourcing flexibility, and faster quoting, especially when parts are constrained or supply chains are unpredictable.

With this update, you spend less time cleaning up BOMs and more time moving your projects forward.

Customer Purchase Order Processing

We’ve made it easier for manufacturers to process orders, even when customers prefer sending purchase orders by email.

Manufacturer users can now create and process orders on behalf of their customers directly in Boardera. If you receive a PO from a customer outside the system, you can enter the order into Boardera, ensuring it’s correctly tracked and visible to your customer in their account.

All order paperwork—including confirmations and invoices—will automatically reflect the right customer and vendor details. This keeps your documentation clean, reduces confusion, and ensures everyone is on the same page, no matter how the order was submitted.

This update gives you more flexibility in managing customer relationships, streamlines your workflow, and helps maintain accurate records throughout the quoting and ordering process.

Edit Component Package Type

You now have even more control over your component placement labor in Boardera.

Manufacturer users can manually edit the package type and lead count for each BOM component. This is especially useful when automated imports miss or misinterpret this data, or when you need to specify a unique package for quoting purposes.

Accurate package and lead count information means Boardera’s automation can provide precise pricing and attrition calculations every time. By manually entering or correcting these details, you can ensure your quotes reflect the true cost and yield for every part.

This feature gives you the flexibility to fine-tune your labor and maximize the value of Boardera’s automated calculations.

Locked Quotes

We’ve introduced a new system to help you maintain the integrity of your quoted prices. When a quote is moved into the READY state, it becomes locked and is set to view-only. This means no further edits can be made while the quote remains in this state, ensuring that the prices and details you’ve shared with your customers are preserved exactly as quoted.

If a situation arises where changes are necessary, the quote can easily be moved back to the PENDING state. Only then will edits be permitted. This process minimizes the risk of accidental updates to finalized quotes, provides greater transparency, and creates a reliable audit trail for your quoting workflow. With locked quotes, you can be confident that the prices you present to your customers will remain consistent and secure until you decide a change is required.

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2025-MAY-29

New Integration: Boardera and Cofactr – Automated Quoting and Sourcing

We’re excited to announce a major step forward in automating your electronics supply chain. Boardera now offers seamless integration with Cofactr, a leading provider of sourcing and logistics solutions for electronics manufacturers.

With this integration, you can generate all your customer quotes quickly and accurately in Boardera. Once your quote is ready, Boardera passes all the detailed data directly to Cofactr, where you can handle every aspect of purchasing, kitting, and logistics. This workflow lets you take advantage of Cofactr’s extensive supplier network, real-time inventory insights, streamlined procurement, and powerful kitting and shipping capabilities.

You benefit from fast, detailed quoting inside Boardera, and then use Cofactr’s advanced platform to manage everything from purchasing to final delivery. This approach reduces manual entry, saves time, and helps prevent errors, giving you a more connected, automated, and reliable process from quote to production.

With Boardera and Cofactr working together, you can automate your entire quoting, sourcing, and fulfillment pipeline, while keeping each part of the process in the system that does it best.

BOM Item Unit Cost Override

Sometimes you know your true costs better than any database

You can now manually override the unit cost of any BOM component. If our system can’t find a vendor price, or if you have special pricing from your suppliers, simply enter your own value directly.

• Total flexibility: Enter custom pricing for hard-to-find or specially-sourced parts.

• Accurate quoting: Reflect your real costs in every quote, even when vendor data isn’t available.

• Full control: Ensure your unique deals and negotiated prices are always factored in.

This update ensures your quotes are as accurate as possible, no matter how you source your components.

Import Component Manufacturer from the BOM

When you import your Bill of Materials (BOM), Boardera now automatically reads and matches the manufacturer field for each component. This means our system can distinguish between identical part numbers from different manufacturers, or recognize when a manufacturer has acquired another company eliminating common errors and ensuring the right part is quoted every time.

How does this help you?

• Greater accuracy: Reduce the risk of quoting the wrong component, even if part numbers are shared between manufacturers.

• Seamless transitions: Stay up to date when manufacturers merge or get acquired. Boardera tracks these changes for you.

• Clear reporting: If any mismatches or uncertainties arise, you’ll find them clearly listed in the Exceptions Report, so nothing falls through the cracks.

This enhancement saves time, reduces errors, and gives you more confidence that your quotes are using the exact components you need.

Quote JSON Export

We’re excited to announce a powerful new way to work with your Boardera quotes.
You can now export your entire quote—including every detail of your labor calculations, BOM costing, and PCB fabrication breakdown—as a structured JSON file.

Why does this matter?
Whether you need to bring Boardera data into your own quoting system, integrate with your internal database, or generate custom quote documents, this new export feature puts you in control. All critical quote data is included, giving you the flexibility to design, automate, and create quotes exactly the way your business needs.

How it works:
Simply use the new “Export as JSON” option from the quote screen to instantly download a file ready for integration with your systems.

If you’ve been waiting for an easy way to access and repurpose all your quote data, this release is for you.

Docxtemplater is now supported

We’re making it even easier to generate fully customized quote documents.

The new JSON export is now compatible with Docxtemplater, a powerful tool that lets you upload your own Word or Excel template and automatically generate professional, formatted documents populated with any Boardera quote data.

• Brand your quotes: Use your company’s templates to create perfectly formatted, on-brand quote documents with no manual editing required.

• Streamline your workflow: Instantly generate PDFs or Word/Excel files from your Boardera quotes with just a few clicks.

• Maximum flexibility: Whether you need unique layouts, additional calculations, or special terms, Docxtemplater puts you in the driver’s seat.

Combine the power of Boardera’s detailed quote data with your own document templates to create professional, tailored output that fits your exact business needs.

Tariff Rates Always Displayed

The Boardera Quote Tool now displays the tariff rate percentage for each BOM line item, even when your vendor’s price already includes tariffs. This small but valuable update ensures you always have a clear view of all tariff-related costs, whether they’re broken out separately or bundled into the vendor’s price.

Vendor Grouping Options for PCB Fabricators

We’re giving you more control and intelligence when managing your PCB fabricator vendors.

You can now organize your PCB fabricators as Preferred, Approved, or Request-for-Quote Only just like you already do for BOM suppliers. This makes it easy to quickly identify and select the right fabricators for each job.

The Boardera platform uses this vendor grouping data, along with each fabricator’s capabilities and cost configurations, to automatically optimize your sourcing decisions. The system prioritizes your preferred and approved partners, helping you get the best mix of quality, cost, and reliability without extra manual effort.

Additionally, if a vendor is labeled as RFQ Only the system will never use their pricing for the automated quotes or orders.

With these new grouping options and built-in automation, Boardera makes your PCB sourcing process smarter and more efficient than ever.

Automatic Tariff Calculation for PCBs

We’re making it easier to quote with total accuracy, right down to the landed cost of every PCB. Boardera now automatically calculates and applies tariffs to all PCB fabrication costs. When you add a PCB item, the system immediately factors in the latest applicable tariff rates. This ensures your quotes always reflect the true delivered cost without any extra research or manual calculations. You can ensure compliance with up-to-date tariff rates and quote your customers with confidence that tariff costs are included. This enhancement saves you time, improves accuracy, and helps prevent surprises, so you can focus on winning more business.

2025-APR-04

New BOM Management Tool!

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new BOM (Bill of Materials) management tool! This feature has been in the works for weeks, and we can’t wait for you to experience how it streamlines your quoting and sourcing processes.

With our new BOM tool, you can:

• Manage sourcing options and substitutions more seamlessly, ensuring you always have reliable component alternatives.

• Change vendor selection and attrition effortlessly, simplifying how you handle multiple vendors or adjust for potential supply issues.

• Select specific offers from your vendors at a glance, empowering you to make the best choice for cost, availability, or lead time.

We designed this release to save you time, reduce errors, and give you more control over your PCB assembly workflows. Let us know what you think—your feedback will help us continue improving and delivering the tools you need. Happy quoting!

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Issues and Exceptions Report

We’re happy to introduce our new “Issues and Exceptions” report, now automatically included in your pricing export. This additional section highlights any design issues, vendor problems, or component anomalies in your customer’s design, helping you spot and resolve potential problems faster. By surfacing these issues directly within the pricing export, you can finalize more accurate quotes and maintain tighter control over your quoting workflow.

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2025-FEB-10

Automated Component Tariff Calculation

We've introduced an initial version of automatic tariff calculations for components to help users better understand potential costs. Additionally, users can now specify if a vendor already includes tariffs in their pricing, ensuring that tariffs are not added twice. This is our first step toward streamlining tariff estimations, and we plan to continue improving and expanding this feature over time.

PCB Fabrication Priced by Square Meter

PCB fabricators can now configure their base fabrication costs based on the square meter usage of materials. This improvement enhances pricing accuracy by ensuring fabrication costs better reflect material consumption, leading to more precise and competitive quotes.

Updated AI Layer Assignment

Our AI-driven layer assignment feature has been upgraded to support a wider range of PCB layers with greater accuracy. This improvement allows for better recognition and automatic assignment of complex layer configurations, reducing manual adjustments and streamlining the quoting process. Users can now experience faster and more precise layer detection across various board designs.

Even More Attrition Calculations

We've added more configuration options for manufacturer-specific component attrition calculations. This update provides greater flexibility in defining attrition rates, ensuring more accurate cost estimates and material planning. Users can now better align attrition settings with their manufacturing requirements.

Show Assembly Sub-totals on the PDF Quote

Manufacturers can now choose whether to display subtotals for PCB fabrication, labor, and BOM pricing on the PDF quote. This added flexibility allows for better customization based on customer preferences and internal pricing strategies.

Find a simple way for users to continue with panel files

Users will now be asked to specify whether uploaded files are panel files (or "working" files) in cases where our automation cannot detect them automatically. This ensures greater accuracy in file processing and prevents misinterpretation of manufacturing data.

BOM Importing Preview - Row Selection

The BOM Import Preview now allows users to see and select which rows will be imported. While our automation accurately detects rows in most cases, this feature serves as a fallback to ensure no data is missed when automation does not capture all entries.

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Support for Customer’s Part Number and Internal Part Number

We've added support for two new unique identifiers in the BOM import: the customer's part number and the manufacturer's internal part number. This enhancement improves part tracking and ensures greater accuracy when matching components across different systems.

Expanded Inspection Labor Calculations

We've improved the inspection labor calculation to include calculating the price per component placement to provide more accurate estimates based on job complexity and board specifications. This enhancement ensures better labor cost projections and more precise quoting for manufacturers.

Quote Level Market Adjustment

Users can now adjust the "Market Adjustment" dial on a per-quote basis rather than just globally. This allows for more flexible pricing adjustments tailored to individual quotes, improving responsiveness to market conditions and customer-specific pricing strategies.

2025-JAN-15

Automated PCB Fabrication Quotes!

We are thrilled to announce the release of one of our most anticipated features! With the new PCB Fabrication quotes tool you can automatically receive formal quotes from your PCB vendors. Invite your vendors to use the Boardera platform and we will get them set up with their automated pricing, then when you need a quote we will process the job against their configurations and generate the PDF for you in seconds. Of course, this won’t apply to every job. For the more complicated requirements, your vendor will get a notification that they need to review the design and quote manually.

We understand if some of your vendors do not wish to use our software automation. We also offer an automated email request that asks them to enter their bid and attach their quote.

Additionally, there is a built-in messaging tool that will help organize all communications and questions related to each individual line item.

With all the different workflows, we have every scenario covered to automate your quoting needs.

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2024-DEC-24

Pricing Summary

We’ve added a few more details to the pricing summary. Now you can quickly see the subtotals for PCB Fabrication, BOM Sourcing, and Labor Calculations. This will allow you to quickly quote your customers' simple jobs without digging into all the detailed calculations.

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Edit ‘Quote Required’ Values

You can now directly edit the individual ‘Quote Required’ values within the calculations. This will allow you to edit only a few requirements that need human review and then take advantage of the full pricing automation so that you can quickly quote your customers.

Optional Reference Designators

While processing a quote you no longer require reference designators on the BOM. This will make it easier for you to respond to your customer at the quote stage if they did not provide their reference designators.

Preferred Vendors

You can now designate which vendors you prefer to use from your configured list of approved vendors. The BOM sourcing will prioritize the preferred vendors first, then fall back to an approved vendor.

2024-Nov-20

For Manufacturers

You can now add your custom items and scenarios to your quotes!

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2024-NOV-08

Project Editor Updates

We’ve updated the look and feel of the project editor to match the other workflows on the platform more closely. Your team and customers can create a quote or process an order more easily.

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New Pricing Configuration - per M²

You can now configure your pricing based on the square meters of the boards, which helps you price options like conformal coating more accurately.

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Project Editor Mobile Support!

You can now review your customer's projects on the go. Our project editor, including the 3D model, is fully functional on mobile browsers.

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More Sourcing Details on the BOM

The BOM sourcing table now includes more details about the parts, like lifecycle status, minimum order quantities, and placement per board.

Test Users

You can now automatically create a test user on your domain. Simply go to the ‘Customers’ page, navigate to the ‘Test Users' section, and click on 'Add Test User’. With this new tool you can freely test projects, sourcing, pricing, and quotes but the data will not be included in the analytics.

2024-OCT-16

PDF Quotes Language

On the Quote overview page, you can now select between English and French language templates for your PDF Quote.

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Edit Contact Info on the Quote

It is now possible to edit your customer's contact information on the quote overview page.

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2024-SEP-27

New Quote Tool

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our advanced Quote Tool, which is designed to revolutionize your quoting process. Our tool is built with automation at its core, streamlining complex workflows by offering automated pricing, real-time updates, and seamless integration with the eCommerce platform. Say goodbye to manual quoting and embrace a more efficient, accurate, and responsive way to meet customer demands and enhance your business operations.

New Quotes Page and Table

We’ve redesigned the quotes page to make it easier for you and your team to see the important details of your best opportunities.

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Multiple Line Items per Quote

As requested by many customers, you can now add multiple quantities and multiple line items to each quote, allowing you to provide your customer with the best options for their project.

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New Quote Overview Page

See all the details for a quote on a single organized page so that you and your team can quickly focus on the required tasks and easily quote your customer.

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New Quote Line Item Detail Page

See the new updated line item detail page where all the information about a quoted line item is easy to quickly review and edit.

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Quote History

You can now see when and who made all the historic changes to a quote so that you can easily update the quote without presenting offers that conflict with previous agreements.

Lead time

The line item lead time can now be edited a set to a specific timeframe for your customers.

Shipping

Shipping charges can now be edited for each line item individually, including the ability to remove shipping from the quote to show a more aggressive total price.

Product preview

The much-loved product preview is now included on the quote line item details page with the ability to quickly open and edit the project if changes are required before quoting your customer.

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Send / View / Submit

We’ve added a better control for your team to View / Send / Submit the quote so that they can easily control the actions on the quote and for the customer.

Quote notes

A much richer and more helpful note editor has been added to the quote tool. You can now have global default notes as well as quote-specific notes. All notes will appear on PDF Quotes and orders.

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Sales, Customer Support, and Assignee

There’s a great new way to assign a process owner to each quote. You can have a customer service contact, a sales contact, and also a dedicated assignee.

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2024-AUG-30

Panel Utilization Rate

Although we don't create a panelization (or 'working') file, we estimate the board layout in the panel to determine the price for the total number of panels. By approximating the panel, we can now calculate and display the estimated utilization rate of the PCB fabrication panel. Stay tuned for even more panel features.

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2024-AUG-28

DFM Report Improvements

We've made some great improvements to our DFM Report feature. You can now request a 'RETRY', and we will re-run the report with all the latest project updates to ensure it reflects the true project details. We've also increased the resources and extended the run time for the analysis to ensure we can process even the most complex projects.

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2024-AUG-14

Default Quote Notes

You have the option to create your own default quote notes, terms, and conditions. These notes will be automatically added to each quote. If the quote turns into an order, the notes will also be included on the order. Additionally, if your customer places an order online without a quote, the notes will appear on the documentation for them as well.

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2024-JUL-04

Approved Vendor List for Component Distributors

We’re excited to announce that we’ve built a feature-rich AVL for your preferred distributors. We provide a great default list based on our experience working with all of our customers, but now you can edit the list to match the distributors you use for sourcing. That’s not all - you can also set specific sourcing costs, landing factors, packaging charges, and additional lead times for each distributor!

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New PCB ‘Broker’ Support

We’ve added a new mode for PCB Brokers, or PCB resellers. We’ve simplified the configurations to focus on the requirements of adding your preferred vendors and reselling PCBs to your customers. You can now enable this mode on your ‘Company Info’ page.

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Fresh UI

We’ve made some nice updates to the interface to keep it fresh and modern. You’ll notice some controls on the tables have moved to be more consistent across the platform. Check it out and let us know if you love it as much as we do!

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Price Estimation Warnings

We’ve added a clear warning when we cannot automatically estimate the price so that you know which items you need to review before quoting your customer.

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Updates to the Outline Selection Tool

The outline selection tool is already great but we’ve made some updates so it’s even easier to find and select the correct PCB outline.

Faster BOM Sourcing Options

We’ve made some updates so that it’s much faster to edit or switch parts in the BOM sourcing tool. It’s virtually instant now. Enjoy.

Support for IPC Class III

You can now configure your capabilities and pricing for IPC Class III and allow your customer to indicate if they need IPC Class III on their project. IPC Class III will apply to the entire project, both the PCB Fabrication and PCB Assembly.

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2014-MAY-13

Outline Selection Tool

Our software automation can typically detect the appropriate outline for your design without any user input. However, there may be instances where the detected outline is incorrect or not detected at all. To address this, we have implemented an outline selection tool. This tool allows users to manually select the correct outline for their design.

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PCB Layer Stack-up

We are thrilled to share with you a new exciting feature! Our latest Stackup Tool now enables you to specify your PCB stackup with ease. You can conveniently select the options for each layer in a user-friendly interface. Not only does this tool have technical benefits, but it also has a visually appealing design for you and your customer.

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2024-APR-19

Even Better Shipping Estimates

We can now estimate the weight of the PCBs based on the exact shape of the traces and pours! We then use that information to accurately calculate the exact weight of each board and therefore more accurately estimate the exact cost of shipping.

Estimated Unit Price Enhancements

We now consider the price of all the parts on the BOM even if some of the parts are not currently or no longer available in the market, this will give you and your customers a much more accurate estimated unit price for their assemblies.

Automatic DNP Detection

There was an existing feature to automatically detect DNP parts on the customer’s BOM and now we’ve expanded that feature to support 0 quantities as an indication of DNPs. This means once we detect a reference designator is specified as Do-Not-Place we will exclude it for souring and labor calculations and provide an even more accurate price.

2024-MAR-27

Warn the Customer if the Price is not Accurate

If our system cannot automatically price a customer's project, we will clearly indicate that the pricing is not accurate and specify the reasons why.

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Approved Vendor List for PCB Fabricators

You can now configure your own list of approved PCB fabricator suppliers. You can even invite PCB fabricators that are not currently part of our platform. If you connect with your preferred vendors we will only consider their pricing when calculating the best price for the PCB.

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Functional Testing Time Estimate

If your customer selects ‘Functional Testing’ we will ask them to estimate how long it takes to test their board and use that estimate to calculate an accurate price.

Add Additional Fees to Cover Tube, Cut Tape, and Bulk Packaging

You can now configure additional fees to cover the cost of difficult-to-use component packaging. Once configured, we will use these fees in the calculation to consider the best sources for the BOM parts, switching to other packaging or adding the fees as necessary.

Hardware and Manufacturing Material Quantities

Non-board mounted parts like labels, screws, tools, solder, and other hardware and manufacturing material will be processed and sourced accurately. For example, we will automatically source one roll of labels per order instead of one roll of labels per label on the BOM.

Default PCB Country of Origin

You can now set the default Country of Origin for the PCB fabrication, this way your customer will see an accurately estimated price if you typically source the board locally. Your customers can still select other countries when they ask for a quote or place an order.

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‘Did You Mean’ Part Number Autocorrect

If your customer has a minor typo or if they did not include the proper suffix on the part number we will automatically find the matching part and ask the customer to select the correct replacement.

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2024-MAR-6

[EMS] Automate Procurement of BOM parts with COFACTR

Use our new integration to deliver on time and on budget with the streamlined parts quoting, procurement, and inventory management platform for electronics. When a customer places an order on your Boardera Platform, this integration will automatically upload the BOM and create a ‘Program’ on the cofactr platform allowing you to simplify and automate the procurement process.

More Info…

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2024-FEB-28

Bad Part Numbers are Automatically Ignored

Sometimes designers are helpful by leaving notes on the BOM so that a manufacturer will understand what is required for accurate manufacturing. These notes can sometimes cause issues with an automated system that is attempting to source all the parts on the BOM. We’ve added a feature where we can recognize these notes and automatically ignore them so that the platform does not attempt to source them.

Even More Automated Project Files Parsing!

We’ve added another great feature to our automation. Sometimes designers are helpful by including different file types, like Gerber and ODB, and also include both the compressed files and extracted files. If the designer includes these file type variations of the same project we will automatically select the most reliable file type and import the project properly.

Added Clarity for Checkout and Order Submission

We want to make sure it’s clear to the designer that they are committing to an order. We’ve updated the buttons to clearly state ‘SUBMIT ORDER’ for all payment types, including the send-to-purchasing options.

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One Project at a Time, Please.

We’ve added a note for your customers to explain that they need to upload one project at a time so that they understand that they will need to start multiple projects to get multiple quotes.

2024-FEB-26

Customer Quick Access Page

We’ve added a new ‘quick access’ feature to your customer’s dashboard. Now when they log in they can see their recent activity and most common actions so that they can easily reengage with you or quickly place an order. This will also allow us to track the top reasons why the designer has logged in, so in the future, we can add even more enhancements.

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2024-FEB-13

Increased precision for unit prices.

We understand that sometimes a unit price can be small and require more decimal places, or the order quantity might be large and require a more accurate price to multiply. We have addressed both of these scenarios by increasing all of our unit prices to four decimal places.

Key Highlights:

1. Support for very small prices

   • If a unit price is only a single digit we now support more accuracy with four decimal places

2. Support for large purchase quantities

   • If your customer needs to order many thousands of units the total price will be correct by utilizing more decimal places,

3. This applies to all unit prices

   • All unit prices have now been updated across the platform.

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More Assembly Capabilities and Options

We’ve greatly expanded the available assembly options so that your customers can confidently specify all their requirements for their projects. As with the other configurations, you can set the pricing calculations to reflect how you price these options. As always, you can always set a ‘quote required’ flag so that your team has an opportunity to review the project before providing a quote.

Supported Assembly Options:

• Conformal Coating

• Functional Testing

• X-RAY Inspection

• First Article Inspection

• Bed Of Nails Testing

• In-Board Programming

• AOI

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Import Substitutions from the BOM file

We now support importing a list of approved substitutions from your customer’s BOM file. They put all that hard work into finding appropriate replacements and now we can use that information to reduce the effort on both the customer and your quoting team.

We will automatically check the component substitutions when we are sourcing and pricing the parts so your customers will experience far fewer sourcing issues and can easily place an order. Remember that you can always add more approved part numbers in the sourcing tool.

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2024-JAN-29

New Support for Euro

We now offer the option to set your preferred currency to 'EUR' so that you can service customers who typically do business in Europe.

Key Highlights:

1. Euro Currency

   • Manufacturers and Designers can now have accurate Euro pricing

2. Updated UI

   • All areas of the UI now display Euro properly

3. Euro transaction

   • Documentation and Purchase Orders now support Euro.

Better Support for Purchasing

We have updated the order email to support the purchasing workflow more effectively. Now there is an easy-to-use download link for each line item on the order directly in the email so that purchasing won’t need to log into PCBSalesCeter to download the design files.

New One Page Checkout

We’ve overhauled the entire checkout process to make it even easier for your customers to place an order with you.

Key Highlights:

1. Single Page Checkout

   • Studies have shown that a single-page checkout leads to more transactions.

2. Auto completed addresses

   • Now both shipping and billing addresses will auto-complete making it even easier for your customers to place orders

3. Flexible Payment Options

   • Your customers can choose from a variety of payment options when they checkout including sending the payment request to their purchasing department

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Updated Navigation Options

We’ve updated the navigation option for both you and your customer. Now it’s easier than ever to get to the page that you need to support your customer, and even easier for your customer to use your online store.

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December 14, 2023

Features:

Simplifying Orders - A Seamless Path from Quote to Purchase

Today, we're introducing a streamlined workflow that allows anyone to easily purchase products specified in a quote, even if they are not registered users of our system.

Value Proposition: Recognizing the time-saving benefits for our users, we're now enabling an unregistered user to initiate the order process directly from the Quote PDF.

Key Features:

1. Initiate Order as Unregistered User:

   • Designers can forward the PDF to their purchasing team. From there, simply clicking on the link in the PDF will allow the purchaser to go through the payment workflow, even without being a registered user.

2. Clear Call-to-Action in Quote PDF:

   • The Quote PDF has been updated to include a more prominent and actionable "TO PLACE YOUR ORDER" section, making the next steps crystal clear.

3. Streamlined Checkout Process:

   • We will capture the purchaser's name and email for Receipt during the checkout process.
     
     

New Board Options Available

Our latest feature provides manufacturers with even more flexibility to showcase their offerings, allowing them to highlight their strengths and ensure that their pricing and market position accurately reflect their unique selling points.

Key Highlights:

1. Allow Maximum Flexibility in Configuration:

   • Manufacturers, including PCB Fab and Both, can now provide their customers with pricing for a wider range of PCB board options.

2. Easy selection in Editor and Spreadsheet:

   • Users can continue to select these options in the editor.

   • Manufacturers can continue to edit pricing on an individual quote basis in the “More Details” spreadsheet, making the customization process seamless.

3. Clear Display in Summaries:

   • The selected board options continue to be displayed prominently in summaries, ensuring that your unique offerings are communicated effectively.

New Available Board Options:

1. Controlled Impedance

2. Blind and Buried VIAs

3. Electrical Testing

4. Tg 150

5. Tg170 (was previously listed as High Tg Laminates)

6. OSB Surface Finish

7. ENEPIG
   
   

Enhanced Delivery Time Accuracy

Our latest update aims to fulfill our promise of providing the most accurate estimated delivery date possible. We have achieved this by integrating lead time data from our part-sourcing partners. As a result, we can now offer a more precise and reliable estimate for the delivery time of your orders.

Goals Achieved:

1. Enhanced Delivery Time Accuracy:

   • By incorporating the furthest delivery date of components, alongside the manufacturer's Capability configurations, the feature provides more precise delivery time estimates.

2. Improved Customer Satisfaction:

   • Accurate delivery time information empowers you to plan effectively, reducing frustration and potential inconveniences.

3. Transparent Expectations:

   • Clearly communicating that the delivery time is an estimate builds trust with customers and manages their expectations effectively.

How It Works:

• The estimated delivery date considers the furthest component lead time.

• For Manufacturers, the component lead time is visible in a new column on the "More Details" spreadsheet and is displayed in a new column on the Quotes UI.

• For Designers, in cases where a component is out-of-stock, the lead time replaces the stock level.
  
  

Pre-emptive File Upload Guidance

We're excited to introduce a simple yet impactful enhancement to the designer experience on our platform.

We now provide designers with a convenient link to project guidelines before file upload. This ensures that designers can proactively prepare their files, reducing the likelihood of errors during the upload process.

Benefits:

• Pre-emptively address potential issues.

• Easily accessible guidelines for seamless file preparation.

• Improved upload experience for designers.

November 30, 2023

Features:

Unveiling Manufacturer Insights! 📈

Big news! We understand the importance of data in your decision-making process. Our new Overview Statistics page is your go-to hub for key usage trends, offering a lightweight yet impactful snapshot of your PCBSalesCenter journey.

🔍 What to Expect:

Explore essential statistics with ease, covering the six months:

• Orders Placed: Track the number of orders flowing through your platform, ensuring you stay on top of your sales game.

• Order $: Dive into the financials with a breakdown of the total dollar value of orders placed, keeping your revenue insights sharp.

• Quoted $: The total dollar value of quotes provides a clear picture of potential business in the pipeline.

• Quotes Created: Stay informed on your quoting activity. Understand the demand for your services through the number of quotes generated.

• Projects Created: Keep tabs on the number of projects initiated within your PCBSalesCenter community.

• Users Registered: Gauge the strength of your community. Monitor the influx of new users, ensuring your platform remains vibrant and engaged.

🌐 How to Access:

Simply navigate to the new Overview Statistics area from the cog within PCBSalesCenter.

BOM Lead Time Visibility
We are excited to announce an update that shows the BOM lead time and factors those dates into the estimated delivery dates. The delivery dates are now more transparent as they consider the furthest component lead time.

• BOM Overview: Designers can easily see component lead time details with a new Lead Time column.

• BOM Sourcing Modal: In the case a component is out-of-stock, the stock level is replaced with the corresponding lead time information. Customers can either add in a substitution or choose to Accept Long Delivery with greater clarity on when the components will become available.

• Quotes UI: Manufacturers can easily see the total component lead time details with a new Lead Days column.

• More Details Spreadsheet: A new column has been introduced to the manufacturers' “More Details” spreadsheet, offering a comprehensive view of component lead time.

• Orders UI: The Delivery Date has now been updated to include the furthest component lead time.

Project Upload - Multiple Subfolders with Gerbers Enhancements
We're excited to introduce a new feature that lets you choose the exact Gerber files you want to work with.

How It Works:

1. Gerbers in Multiple Subfolders?

   • Our system detects it.

2. Decision Time:

   • You'll see a modal, prompting you to choose the subfolder for layer assessment.

3. Everything Else Stays the Same:

   • Your entire project files are included in the manufacturer's post-order package – no compromises.

November 16, 2023

Features:

Substitution Superpowers!

We're thrilled to announce the first of many releases geared toward making your quote journey even more fantastic with the addition of alternative part numbers!

Why You're Going to Love It:

• Say goodbye to design constraints! You can now manually add up to 5 alternative part numbers.

• The sourcing modal retains your choices. Select and deselect parts effortlessly, creating a harmonious symphony of substitutions tailored to your masterpiece.

• Our revamped pricing logic ensures you get the best deal. If your primary part is in stock, it takes center stage. If not, the system intelligently selects the cheapest substitution available.

• Easily promote a substitution to the main stage with a click of the star icon. If a substitution loses its charm, simply delete it.

• We’ve updated part numbers and reference designators to now include a label that indicates the number of subs or ref des for the part.

• For Manufacturers, your RFQ Response Spreadsheet and final BOM just got a major upgrade. All the carefully curated substitutions are elegantly organized in separate columns.

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This marks the kickoff in our lineup of substitution features! Keep an eye out for upcoming releases to enhance your design experience.

Improved Efficiency for Manufacturers

• Manufacturers can now enjoy a more streamlined workflow with the enhanced retention of search criteria and results from the Manufacturer Quote table.

• This feature eliminates the need to re-enter search queries, allowing Manufacturers to work more efficiently and seamlessly navigate between modes without losing valuable information.

Enhanced Workflow for Designers

• Designers will now be seamlessly directed to the RFQ (Request for Quote) workflow when attempting to proceed from the DFM widget or clicking the Order button on non-orderable projects.

• This improvement is designed to eliminate confusion and provide a more intuitive experience for Designers during the quoting process.

Bug Fixes & Improvements:

• Enhancements were made to better detect the outline.

• We fixed a defect that caused blank PO PDFs to be emailed for “Send to Purchasing” purchases.

November 13, 2023

Features:

Introducing "Send to Purchasing" for Seamless Order Processing!

We're excited to announce the latest feature to enhance the ordering experience - "Send to Purchasing"! As part of our commitment to providing a comprehensive solution, this feature streamlines the checkout process by allowing the Designer to submit the payment request to their purchasing department for final payment.

How it Works:

1. During the checkout process, Designers can choose the "Send to Purchasing" option.

2. Enter the Purchaser's name, email, and optional PO number.

3. The Purchaser receives an email with a payment request link, the Designer is Cc’d.

4. The Purchaser anonymously completes the order by following the secure link – no login required!

5. Order confirmation is sent to both the Manufacturer, Designer and Purchaser.

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November 7, 2023

Features:

Get Quick Estimates Without Uploading Files!

We understand the challenges of sharing in-progress designs but still want to get a quote estimate. We're thrilled to announce a new feature that empowers designers to receive price estimates without the need to upload full project files.

Key Highlights:

Quick Quote without Board Files:

• Designers can now request a quote by skipping the file upload and providing essential information without uploading full project files.

• Input PCB dimensions, surface finish, material Tg, copper thickness, PCB thickness, and the number of layers to receive a rapid estimate.

• Once the designers have finalized their design, they can upload the files at any time.

Default to RFQ without Board Files:

• In cases where no board files are uploaded, the system automatically defaults to generating a Request for Quote (RFQ).

• This ensures that your quoting process remains streamlined and efficient, even in the absence of project files.

Enhanced Communication for Missing Information:

• The RFQ and order confirmation email now includes a note if BOM, XYRS, or board files are missing, providing transparency to both designers and manufacturers.

Enhanced BOM Header Detection

We have improved the process of detecting BOM headers to ensure more accurate and efficient parsing of your Bill of Materials (BOM). We have established a pattern for integrating machine learning models, allowing for continuous improvements in BOM parsing accuracy.

Improved Email Messaging

Introducing improvements to our user registration and email verification process. New users will now receive a verification email from "no-reply-companyname@pcborders.ca" for a smoother onboarding experience. In line with this update, we've replaced the Boardera logo with a sleek "Powered by Boardera" message, enhancing the visual appeal of our communications. These changes are aimed at ensuring a seamless transition into our platform.

Platform Accessibility Notice for Mobile Users

To provide transparency and enhance user experience, we now display a message when accessing the platform from a mobile device. This message will inform users that the store has been optimized primarily for desktop use. This way, we aim to ensure our users have the best experience possible while browsing and interacting with the platform.

Streamlining Internal Layer Assignments for Improved User Experience

We have improved the Layer Assignment workflow in this update by making internal layer file assignment optional. This gives more control over the project without unnecessary distractions. Additionally, we have implemented a prompt in the Editor that notifies the user if internal layers have not been assigned. Customers will be offered the option to attempt an assignment, which will help them progress through the project more smoothly.

We have also ensured transparency in collaboration between customers and manufacturers by documenting any unknowns in the manufacturing package clearly.

Enhanced Invite Workflow for Manufacturing Teams

With our latest update, we've updated the process of joining your manufacturer's team. Here's how we're making it better:

1. Effortless Verification: The email invitation link now takes you directly to a streamlined registration page. For new users, email verification is seamlessly completed when you click the link. No more additional steps or confusion.

2. Simplified Form: We've taken care of the details for you. Your email address and company is pre-filled, ensuring accuracy and saving you time.

We believe this update will significantly improve your onboarding experience, allowing you to quickly and efficiently become a valued member of your manufacturer's team. We're dedicated to providing you with the smoothest journey possible on PCBSC.

Improved Transaction Handling for Failed Credit Cards

When a transaction fails, customers will see the specific error message from Stripe and a link to additional documentation for further assistance.

In the meantime, alternate payment options are available to complete your purchase.

Bug Fixes & Improvements:

• Refined part sourcing toast sensitivity to display only for actions triggering necessary updates in the editor.

• Enhancements made to address discrepancies in part availability status.

• Quantity and lead time modifications in checkout now consistently update the subtotal display.

• Fixed an issue with the DFMs not always being generated.

October 20, 2023

Features:

Enhanced Shipping Options

This latest update empowers customers to utilize their own shipping accounts, providing them with flexibility and potential cost savings. Here's what can be expected:

• Manufacturer Capabilities Setup Support:

  • Manufacturers now have the capability to specify their preferred shipping partners. This enables customers to choose from a curated list of approved carriers, aligning with your business's unique requirements. If no carriers are selected, the customer will not be provided an option to use their own shipping accounts.

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• Opt-In Option for Customers:

  • Customers now have the ability to opt into using their own shipping accounts during the quote creation and RFQ process.

  • During checkout, customers can easily input their own shipping account details and select their preferred shipping company. Rest assured, these fields are optional, designed to facilitate rather than hinder the order process.

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• Cost Transparency for Customer:

  • When customers opt to use their own accounts, they won't incur any additional shipping charges. This information will be clearly communicated on all subsequent screens, providing your customers with peace of mind.

• Comprehensive Documentation:

  • We've enriched the Quote and Purchase Order PDFs by including the customer's shipping information and a liability statement. This ensures all necessary details are readily available.
    
    

Improved Handling of Canceled RFQ’s

We're introducing an enhancement to ensure a seamless experience for both manufacturers and customers when dealing with canceled RFQ’s. Here's what's included:

PDF Quote Link Disabled:

• If a quote is in a "Canceled" status, the PDF Quote link in the Documents section will now remain disabled. This prevents any unintentional attempts to download documents related to a canceled quote.

Removal of Order Button:

• In line with this, we've removed the Order button for canceled quotes. This ensures that customers cannot proceed with placing an order for a canceled project.

This update aims to prevent any confusion or unintended actions that may occur when dealing with canceled quotes.

Enhanced Quoting and Ordering Controls in the Editor

We're excited to introduce a streamlined approach to facilitate the quoting and ordering process directly from the Editor. This update aims to provide customers with clear, intuitive controls for a seamless experience. Here's what's new:

Updated Controls:

• QUOTE is now GET A QUOTE:

  • The QUOTE button has been updated to "GET A QUOTE" to provide a more straightforward indication of the action.

• ORDER is now ADD TO CART:

  • The ORDER button is now "ADD TO CART" for enhanced clarity, ensuring designers know exactly how to proceed.

• CHECKOUT is now BUY NOW:

  • In the Add to Cart modal, the “CHECKOUT” button is now "BUY NOW" for further clarity and consistency with the ordering process.

These updates are designed to make the quoting and ordering process more intuitive and user-friendly within the Editor. We believe that these changes will enhance the overall experience. As always, we value your feedback and look forward to bringing you more improvements in future updates!

Bug Fixes & Improvements:

• We've improved the product feedback modal placement for a smoother customer experience. Previously, customers saw the modal even when their credit card failed. Now, the modal appears only after successful order processing, making it easier for customers to share their thoughts and suggestions.

• The product feedback toast no longer appears when a new customer initiates the project upload process, this was too soon and now ensures a smoother first-use experience.

October 5, 2023

Features:

Manufacturer Quote Page Upgrade

We're excited to announce a significant upgrade to the Manufacturer Quote page, designed to provide a more streamlined and efficient quote management experience. This enhancement addresses the specific needs of manufacturers, ensuring they have the tools and insights to handle quotes effectively.

Key Enhancements:

• Clear Task List: The revamped page displays a clear list of outstanding quotes, making it easy for the quoting team to identify tasks that require immediate attention.

  • We’ve added a new feature to administer an Assignee to each Quote. This addition significantly improves the ability to differentiate customer-generated quotes from those created via the Load Project feature. The Assignee is set automatically for if the RFQ comes in from a project that was added from the Load Project feature. Additionally, this column serves a dual purpose by allowing the assignment of quoting team members to customer-generated quotes. This feature streamlines collaboration and ensures that the right team member is handling each quote.

• Within the Actions column, you'll discover key functionalities for seamless project management:

  • View/Edit Quote

  • Messages

  • Download Project Documents

  • Cancel Pending Quote

    • That’s right, we’ve added the ability to cancel pending quotes in cases where an RFQ is no longer in process. This enhancement allows for more streamlined and efficient quote management.

• Efficient Search and Filtering: The search bar has been relocated to the top of the page, providing easy access for efficient navigation. Additionally, most columns are now sortable, allowing for a more user-friendly and organized experience.

• Responsive Design: The interface is responsive, ensuring seamless access from various devices and screen sizes.

• Transitional Period - Table and List View Available: For a temporary duration, you have the option to switch between the new Table view and the previous List view. Please note that the List view access will be phased out in an upcoming release.

• Please note that these enhancements specifically apply to the Manufacturer Quote page and do not impact the functionality of the Designer Quote page.

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Table View - Showing Actions Column and existing Support Mode functionality

Custom Capabilities and Pricing for Solder Mask Colors!

We're thrilled to introduce a new capability for manufacturers. Now, you have the flexibility to select which solder mask colours you support and set different prices or default to an RFQ based on solder mask colors, giving you even more control over your pricing strategy.

Key Enhancements:

• Custom Solder Mask Colors: You can now configure solder mask colors in the capability and pricing settings. This means you have the freedom to define specific pricing for each color option.

• Streamlined Selection Process: In the project editor, only the solder mask colors you've enabled in the capabilities section will be available for selection. This ensures a seamless and error-free process.

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Solder Mask - Pricing Settings

Enhanced Project Package Download

The recently launched RFQ response spreadsheet is now integrated into the Project Package Download after your customer has placed an order. This means manufacturers can effortlessly provide their production team with the final approved spreadsheet version, guaranteeing spot-on execution according to the confirmed specifications and prices.

This enhancement streamlines your workflow and ensures a smoother transition from planning to production.

Bug Fixes & Improvements:

• We've addressed a behavior where saved addresses were auto-populating in the select drop-down on the Order page.

September 22, 2023

Features:

General Availability Release: Streamlined RFQ Responses for Enhanced Efficiency

We're excited to announce the official release of our enhanced project price breakdown feature, designed to revolutionize RFQ responses for manufacturers. Here's what you can expect:

• Detailed Worksheet: Enjoy a comprehensive breakdown of BOM, PCB and labour prices, with clear labels for factors and associated costs presented in an easy-to-use format.

• Summary Tab for Quick Insights: Access a convenient summary tab displaying all project details, customer information, quantities, and essential totals (BareBoard | Assembly Labour | BOM) at a glance.

• To access this detailed worksheet, navigate to the Quotes UI from the Manufacturer view, click Input Price or Edit Price, then More Details.

• As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, this feature has undergone extensive beta testing and is now ready to elevate your manufacturing processes.
  
  

Seamless Quotes: Elevate Accuracy with Required Shipping Addresses!

We're excited to announce an enhancement to our platform that will empower both Customers and Manufacturers in the quote process. We understand the critical importance of shipping addresses in making informed decisions about orders. That's why we've introduced two new fields for the Shipping Address and Shipping Contact Name that can be filled in by both parties when requesting a quote PDF or RFQ.

Key Objectives:

• Shipping Rates: Customers can now expect near-accurate shipping rates, allowing them to factor in the total cost of their purchase with confidence.

• Detailed RFQ Responses: Manufacturers will have access to all pertinent customer details, ensuring a precise response to RFQs.

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Customer - Generate Quote

 

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Customer - RFQ

 

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Mfr - RFQ Response

 

 

Bug Fixes & Improvements:

• The feedback toast was appearing too soon for new customers. We’ve updated the prompt to only display on the second login or after the first project creation.

September 18, 2023

Features:

Customer Supplied PCB Capability

We're excited to introduce the Customer Supplied PCB feature. This enhancement adds convenience and flexibility by allowing a customer to start a project with just a BOM, enabling the request for quote process to be initiated even before the PCB design has been finalized.

The feature accommodates two distinct scenarios:

1. For customers in the midst of PCB design, seeking BOM and labor cost estimates.

2. For customers providing their own boards, seeking an assembly shop for BOM sourcing and labor cost estimates.

Key Enhancements:

• Tailored Project Info: Now, in the Editor's Project Info, find a brand-new option "Customer Supplied PCB".

• Effortless Uploads & Intelligent Defaults: Seamlessly upload a file without the need for detailed board specifications. Streamlining your process, because we believe in making things easy for you.
  No gerber/odb++ files? No problem! The "Customer Supplied PCB" option is automatically selected.

• Dynamic Rendering: Even with gerber/odb++ files and "Customer Supplied PCB" selected our system continues rendering the board image, ensuring you get the visual you need, no matter what.

• Request for Quote (RFQ): When "Customer Supplied PCB" is checked, the default action is to request a quote.

• Documentation: Our Quote and Purchase Order PDFs have been updated to include a liability statement.

• Clear Communication: RFQ emails and the Manufacturer Pricing Spreadsheet now feature a note, highlighting when the PCB is provided by your Customer.

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Enhanced Project Notes on Quote PDFs!

We understand the importance of clarity and accuracy in project documentation. As a manufacturer, the characters for quote notes have been increased to allow you to provide specific project details and requirements on the Quote PDF.

Key Enhancements:

• We've increased the available space for the quotes note field in both the RFQ response modal and the quote PDF, allowing for up to 1000 characters. Your messages can now be as detailed as needed!

• Optimized Organization: To enhance clarity and readability, we've relocated the notes to a separate row on the PDF, providing more space for essential project information.

• Separation: Manufacturer notes are now distinctly separated from customer notes on the RFQ Response modal, ensuring clear distinction and easy reference. Customer notes are housed in a dedicated text box within the modal. These notes are non-editable and won't be printed on the PDF, streamlining the communication process.

• Please note that these updates primarily affect the manufacturer’s RFQ response interface.

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BETA Iterations: Further Enhancement to Mount Type Detection for Uncommon Parts

We've enhanced our mount type detection to minimize reliance on the 'unknown' type. This release brings about substantial improvements to ensure accurate pricing and a smoother process.

Key Enhancements:

• Enhanced Mount Type Determination: Our system now identifies mount types with greater accuracy. This means you'll receive pricing that truly reflects the specific requirements of each part.

• Improved Assembly Spreadsheet + Granular Pricing: Mount-type pricing is now per BOM item, eliminating the need to sum costs based on mount types. You'll now find a detailed list of components with their determined mount types. Each line item is open for updates by the manufacturer, ensuring complete transparency and accuracy.
  
  

Bug Fixes & Improvements:

• We've made important refinements to enhance the clarity of Help Requests. Previously, the notes field wasn't mandatory, potentially causing confusion when no specific questions were posed. To streamline the process and ensure meaningful communication, users are now prompted to input a minimum of 10 characters before submitting a help request. This requirement encourages more detailed and effective messages.

• The Sample Project will now be positioned at the end of the project list on the Projects dashboard. This adjustment ensures a more intuitive and organized presentation for users.

• Resolved alert for price discrepancies less than 1 cent in the Manufacturer quote response modal. No warning will be triggered for such minor differences.

August 18, 2023

Features: