Case Study: How a 3-Location Fabricator Unified Operations and Saved $11,500/Month
This case study shows how a 3-location fabricator unified operations across multiple shops.
A countertop fabrication company with three shop locations across two states implemented SlabWise Enterprise to centralize job management, share slab inventory across locations, and standardize their quoting process. Within 6 months, the company documented $11,500 in monthly net savings from cross-location slab sharing, reduced remakes, and eliminated duplicate admin work.
TL;DR
- Company size: 3 locations, 45 employees, 350+ jobs/month combined
- Core challenge: Each location ran independently with separate tools, leading to duplicate inventory, inconsistent pricing, and zero cross-location visibility
- Material savings: Cross-location slab sharing saved $5,200/month in material costs
- Remake reduction: Standardized AI verification cut remakes from 8/month to 2/month across all locations
- Admin savings: Centralized reporting eliminated 60+ hours/month of manual consolidation work
- Net monthly savings: $11,500 after the Enterprise subscription cost
- Implementation: 5 weeks for all 3 locations (staggered rollout)
Company Background
Apex Stone (name changed) started as a single fabrication shop in a Southeastern metro. Over 10 years, the owner expanded to three locations: the original headquarters, a second shop 90 miles away, and a third location across the state line. Combined, the three facilities process 350+ countertop jobs per month.
Location Breakdown
| Location | Employees | Monthly Jobs | Primary Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| HQ (Southeast metro) | 20 | 160 | Residential + commercial |
| Location 2 (90 mi away) | 14 | 120 | Residential |
| Location 3 (neighboring state) | 11 | 80 | Residential + builder partnerships |
| Total | 45 | 350+ |
Revenue and Material Profile
- Combined annual revenue: approximately $7.8 million
- Material mix: 52% quartz, 28% granite, 12% quartzite, 8% marble
- Average material cost: $70/sq ft blended
- Average job size: 38 sq ft
The Multi-Location Problem
Each location had evolved its own way of doing things. The HQ used Moraware. Location 2 ran on spreadsheets and a basic quoting tool. Location 3 used a different fabrication management platform. The owner, David, described the situation: "I had three businesses pretending to be one company."
Problem 1: Isolated Slab Inventory
Each shop maintained its own slab inventory independently. Location 2 might have three remnants of Calacatta quartz sitting in the yard while Location 3 ordered a fresh slab of the same material 90 miles away. There was no visibility into what the other shops had in stock.
Estimated monthly waste from duplicate purchasing: $3,000-$5,000
Problem 2: Inconsistent Pricing and Quoting
Without standardized pricing, the same countertop job could be quoted at three different prices depending on which location the customer called. This created awkward situations when customers compared quotes or when a contractor working with multiple locations noticed the discrepancy.
Problem 3: 8+ Remakes Per Month Across All Locations
With no standardized template verification process, each location's error rate compounded. The combined 8 remakes per month at an average of $2,800 each cost Apex Stone $22,400 monthly.
Problem 4: Management Reporting Was a Nightmare
David spent the first Monday of every month collecting spreadsheets, Moraware reports, and handwritten notes from each location to build a consolidated view of his business. This process took 15+ hours and produced data that was already a week old by the time he finished.
The Solution: Staggered SlabWise Enterprise Rollout
Apex Stone chose SlabWise Enterprise ($349/month) and implemented it across all three locations over 5 weeks using a staggered approach.
Rollout Timeline
| Week | Activity |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | HQ kickoff: data export from Moraware, specialist assignment |
| Week 2 | HQ data import + configuration; Location 2 kickoff |
| Week 3 | HQ parallel operation; Location 2 data import; Location 3 kickoff |
| Week 4 | HQ cutover; Location 2 parallel operation; Location 3 data import |
| Week 5 | Location 2 cutover; Location 3 parallel operation and cutover |
Why Staggered Instead of Simultaneous
David's onboarding specialist recommended the staggered approach for two reasons:
- Lessons learned carry forward. Configuration decisions made at HQ informed the setup at Location 2 and 3, reducing total configuration time.
- Support capacity. Training 20 people at HQ first, then 14, then 11 was more manageable than training 45 people simultaneously.
Critical Configuration: Cross-Location Inventory
The most important setup step was connecting all three slab inventories into a single, shared view. Each location's existing stock was photographed, measured, and entered into SlabWise with a location tag. From day one of HQ's cutover, all three shops could see each other's available slabs.
Rules configured for cross-location sharing:
- Any slab under 40 sq ft (remnants) visible to all locations
- Transfer cost of $2.50/sq ft for cross-location slab pulls (covers transport)
- Location managers approve outbound slab transfers
- AI nesting considers cross-location inventory when optimizing
Results: 6-Month Review
Cross-Location Slab Sharing: $5,200/Month Saved
The shared inventory system and AI nesting's cross-location awareness produced the largest savings category.
| Metric | Before | After (6-month avg) |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-location slab transfers | 0/month | 18/month |
| Duplicate slab purchases avoided | Unknown | ~12/month |
| Remnants used cross-location | 0/month | 22/month |
| Monthly material savings | -- | $5,200 |
The AI nesting engine identifies when a remnant at Location 2 is the right size and material for a job at Location 3, then flags it for the team. Before SlabWise, those remnants would have sat in the yard until they were eventually written off.
Standardized Verification: Remakes Down 75%
With all three locations using the same AI template verification process, the combined remake rate dropped significantly.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Combined remakes/month | 8 | 2 |
| Average remake cost | $2,800 | $2,800 |
| Monthly remake expense | $22,400 | $5,600 |
| Monthly savings | $16,800 |
The consistency was the key factor. At HQ, fabricators had years of experience and caught many errors manually. At the newer locations, the AI provided the same verification quality regardless of staff experience level.
Unified Quoting: Consistent Pricing Across Locations
All three locations now use the same Quick Quote engine with centralized pricing rules. David sets material markups, labor rates, and edge profile pricing once, and all locations generate quotes from the same rate tables.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing consistency | 3 different rate structures | 1 unified structure |
| Average quote time | 15-22 min (varied by location) | 3.5 min (all locations) |
| Quote discrepancies reported | 3-5/month | 0/month |
Centralized Reporting: 60+ Hours/Month Recovered
David's monthly reporting consolidation went from 15+ hours of manual work to a single dashboard login.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly report preparation | 15+ hours | < 30 minutes |
| Data freshness | 1-2 weeks old | Real-time |
| Cross-location comparisons | Manual spreadsheet work | Automatic dashboards |
| Monthly time saved | 60+ hours/month |
The real-time dashboards let David compare performance across locations on any metric: waste rate, remake frequency, job volume, revenue per square foot, and customer satisfaction scores.
Customer Portal: Combined Call Reduction
With 350+ active jobs across three locations, the combined status call volume was staggering.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Daily status calls (all locations) | 35-40 | 10-12 |
| Daily phone time (total) | ~5.5 hours | ~1.5 hours |
| Monthly time saved | ~85 hours |
Financial Summary
| Category | Monthly Impact |
|---|---|
| Cross-location slab sharing | +$5,200 |
| Remake reduction (75%) | +$16,800 |
| SlabWise Enterprise subscription | -$349 |
| Moraware cancellation (savings) | +$350 |
| Other tool cancellations | +$200 |
| Net monthly savings | ~$11,500 (conservative) |
This excludes the value of 145+ hours/month of recovered staff time across admin, management, and sales roles.
Key Takeaways for Multi-Location Shops
1. Shared Inventory Is the Multiplier
For single-location shops, AI nesting optimizes within your existing stock. For multi-location operations, the ability to see and share slabs across locations creates savings that are impossible with separate systems.
2. Standardization Pays for Itself
When every location follows the same verification process, uses the same quoting rules, and reports through the same dashboards, the consistency eliminates an entire category of operational problems.
3. Stagger Your Rollout
The staggered implementation cost one extra week but produced a smoother transition at each successive location. Configuration decisions and training approaches refined with each rollout.
4. Cross-Location Transport Costs Are Minor
Apex Stone's $2.50/sq ft internal transfer cost for moving slabs between locations is a fraction of the material savings. A 30 sq ft remnant transferred for $75 might save a $2,100 fresh slab purchase.
FAQ
Does SlabWise Enterprise support unlimited locations?
Yes. The Enterprise plan supports multiple locations with centralized management. Each location has its own users, inventory tags, and scheduling, while owners and managers see unified dashboards.
How does cross-location inventory work in practice?
Each slab is tagged with its physical location. When the AI nesting engine or a team member searches for available material, results show all locations. Transfer requests flow through a simple approval process, and the system tracks which location holds each slab.
Can different locations have different pricing?
Yes. While Apex Stone chose unified pricing, SlabWise supports location-specific pricing overrides for markets with different cost structures. The centralized rules serve as the baseline, with per-location adjustments as needed.
What if locations are in different states with different tax rules?
SlabWise handles multi-state tax configurations. Each location's quotes and invoices apply the correct local tax rates automatically based on the job's delivery address.
Is $349/month really enough for 3 locations?
Yes. The Enterprise plan covers the entire organization regardless of the number of locations. There's no per-location surcharge.
How long does the staggered rollout take for more than 3 locations?
Plan roughly 1 week per location after the first one. A 5-location operation would typically complete in 6-7 weeks.
Can location managers only see their own data?
Permission controls let you configure exactly what each role can see. Location managers can be restricted to their location's data, while owners and regional managers see everything.
What happens if one location goes offline?
SlabWise is cloud-based, so each location accesses the system independently. If one location loses internet temporarily, the other locations continue operating normally. Data syncs automatically when connectivity returns.
Ready to Unify Your Locations?
Start a 14-day free trial of SlabWise Enterprise and see what centralized operations look like for your shops. Your onboarding specialist will design a staggered rollout plan tailored to your specific multi-location setup. No credit card required.
Sources
- SlabWise customer data -- Apex Stone (anonymized), 6-month performance review
- Natural Stone Institute -- multi-location fabrication operations report, 2025
- Marble Institute of America -- material waste and remake cost benchmarks
- Stone World Magazine -- multi-site fabrication management survey 2025
- Freedonia Group -- U.S. countertop market analysis ($22.1B market)
- ISFA -- fabrication company size distribution and multi-location data