grilles, registers and diffusers pricing program software downloads/softwar… · effective...

EFFECTIVE DECEMBER,2007

U S E R S M A N U A LVERSION 3VERSION 3

Grilles, Registers and DiffusersGrilles, Registers and DiffusersPricing ProgramPricing Program

Metal Industries, Inc. 1 GRD Pricing User Manual

GRD Software Manual Table of Contents

1) Getting Started a. Installing the Software ……………………………………………………………2 b. Using the Software Registration Form ………………………………………3 c. Launching the Program …………………………………………………………..2 d. Buttons and Menus ……………………………………………………….....……4

2) Creating a New Project and Setting up User Options a. Creating a new project ……………………………………………………..……5 b. Specifying files name ………………………………………………………..……5,6 c. Setting project information ………………………………………………..……7 d. Setting up File Path and Schedule Field options ……………………..…8

3) Cross Reference a. How to Access ………………………………………………………………….….…9 b. Disclaimer ……………………………………………………………………….….….9 c. Reading Tables …………………………………………………………………..…..9 d. Entering Cross Referenced Items into a quote …………………..………10

4) Setting up a Take-Off/Quote Schedule a. Using the selection wizard ………………………………………………………11 b. Cloning Line Items ………………………………………………………………...11 c. Global Change …………………………………………………………………….…11 d. Product Info Panel …………………………………………………………….……12 e. Using Quote Totals …………………………………………………………..…….13 f. Printing Quote and Submittals ………………………………………….……..19

5) Setting up and submitting an Order a. Creating and Identifying an Order …………………………………………..14 b. Setting up Order Information ………………………………………………….15 c. Creating Multiple Orders based upon Release …………………………..14 d. Reviewing Order Totals and Printing an Order ………………………….15 e. Submitting an Electronic Order ……………………………………………….16

6) Conversion a. How to create a conversion …………………………………………………….17 b. How to use conversion tags in a quote or order ………………………..17

7) Contact Manager a. How to Access ……………………………………………………………………….18 b. How to Add Company and Individual Contacts …………………….……18 c. How to add contact information to your order/project forms ………18

8) Printing and Exporting Reports a. Previewing and Printing a Report …………………………………………….19 b. Exporting a Report …………………………………………………………………19

9) Program Enhancements a. Emailing a Project ………………………………………………………………….20 b. Changing available skins …………………………………………………………20

Visit www.metalaire1.com for Software Downloads

1) To get access to the latest METALAIRE Pricing Program installers, please visit

www.metalaire1.com. Registered users will need to log in and access the Software Download Center to see a list of installers for our most updated pricing programs available. See Figures 1-1 and 1-2.

2) Locate the folder for the GRD Software and click on the Download link to run the installation from the website or to Save the installer to your computer’s hard drive. We recommend saving the file first so that the installer is available for reinstallation without having to re-download it from the website.

3) Follow the instructions in the Software Installation Dialog Windows until Finished. Accept

the disclaimer, fill in your name and company, and click Finish. 4) Launch the program either from the shortcut on your desktop or from the Start Menu,

under METALAIRE Selection Software. See Figures 1-5 and 1-6.

Figure 1-3: Installer

Figure 1-1: metalaire1.com

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

Installing MetalAire software from the Rep Website Figures: 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6

Figure 1-2: Download Center

Figure 1-4: Run Dialog

Figure 1-5: GRD Icon Figure 1-6: Start Menu



Completing and sending your Software Registration Form

Previous users of METALAIRE’S GRD Pricing Software are not typically required to register the program after upgrading. METALAIRE may force re-registration of the pricing programs periodically. New users or installations performed on a new PC will require software registration.

Please be sure that the information entered in the form matches exactly what the Software Registration Team Member has sent you in the email; particularly the OTS Account Number, User ID, and Installation Key. If any of these attributes of the registration are slightly different in any way, the software will not be registered, and the software will be locked until the correct information is entered. After receiving the install key, we recommend copying the key from the email and pasting it into the form to avoid typos.

Please fill out the form as completely and accurately as possible, as this information will appear in orders submitted to METALAIRE. Send an email request to METALAIRE’s Software Registration Team and we will send an email back with the required information to register the requested pricing program on the user’s PC as seen in Figure 2-1.

SOFTWARE REGISTRATION

Registering the GRD Pricing Program Figures: 2-1 2-2

Figure 2-1: Software Registration Form

Figure 2-2: Registration Email


Using Menus, Icon Bars, and Buttons

The GRD Pricing Software offers its users several easy ways to find what they are looking for. It is recommended that the program’s users get familiar with the buttons on the icon bar(at the top of the screen), the Product Info Panel, the Selection Wizard, and the selections in the different program Menus. Look below for descriptions on all the different tabs, buttons and menu options that you will see in the program. 1) The program’s menus guide users to features and actions within the program such as creating a new project, adding a line item, submitting an Electronic Order, and viewing order information. See Figure 3-1 for details.

2) The Icon Bar at the top of the page allows users to create, open and save projects; cut, copy and past line data, add, remove and copy line items, and email your project. The tabs directly beneath the icon bar allows the user to quickly switch between their project’s quote, order, conversion, and cross reference.

3) Buttons in the Product Information Pane give users access to any given product’s available Submittal, Catalog Pages, Specification Sheets, and images.

4) The buttons in the Selection Wizard allow the user to Add a New Item to the schedule, Copy content into a new line item, commit a selection to the schedule, revert a selection, and complete a global change to all items with the same base model.

Figure 3-3: PIP Buttons

Figure 3-4: Selection Wizard Buttons

Figure 3-2: Icon Bar

Figure 3-1: Program Menus

GETTING STARTED

Getting familiar with the menus, buttons, and commands in the GRD Software. Figures: 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4


Follow these steps to learn how to create and open projects!

1) To Create a New GRD Project, first go to the File Menu and Select New OR Click on the Paper Icon on the Icon Bar. The user must then specify a file name for their project. The program will save the file in it’s default folder directory. If you would like to change where the program saves your project files, please view the OPTIONS SETUP in figure:

Figure 4-2: Save As Window

Figure 4-1: File Menu

CREATING A NEW PROJECT

Steps for creating a new GRD project Figures: 4-1 4-2

2) Once a file name is specified, the program will open a blank screen. From here, the user will be able to view our cross-reference tables or start on a take-off or quote. Click on the appropriate tab(towards the top of the screen) to start working on the area of the project that is most important at this time.

Follow these steps to quickly access projects you’ve created, and converting projects into new software versions.

This procedure protects the contents of the original file, should any pricing or selection errors occur when opening the file in the new program. Simply click OK to the message and specify a new name for the file as seen in Figure 5-3. The project will then open in the new software.

If a user tries to open a project that was created in an earlier version of the program they will receive a message stating they must specify a new file name to convert the project file into the new version.

To open an existing project, users may click on the folder icon on the icon bar or select OPEN from the FILE menu.

Figure 5-3: Save As Window

Figure5-2: File Conversion

Figure5-1: File - Open

GETTING STARTED: OPENING A PROJECT

Steps for opening and converting GRD Projects Figures: 5-1 5-2 5-3


Organizing your Project Information in our easy-to-use tab layout.

Please view the requested information fields in the PROJECT INFO, REP INFO, CUSTOMER INFO, SUBMIT TO, AND GENERAL NOTES Tabs. As stated earlier, the information stored in these tabs will appear in orders and reports generated from the program.

METALAIRE organizes the Project Information into easy-to-navigate tabs. This keeps the information organized and easy to access.

Before setting up a Quote or Order, it is recommended that the user first completes the PROJECT INFORMATION form as accurately as possible. Information in the form will be submitted with orders and will appear in the different reports that the program offers. Please take the time to view the form and fill out as much as possible at the beginning of the project. This form can be accessed and modified by selecting Project Information in the View Menu, as seen in Figure 6-1.

Figure 6-3: Rep Information

Figure 6-2: Project Information

Figure 6-1: View Menu

PROJECT INFORMATION

Setting up your Project Information Figures: 6-1 6-2 6-3



How to customize the program to suit your individual and company’s needs! METALAIRE offers several different ways to set up our pricing program to work best for the user and for their company’s network structures.

Figure 7-3: Schedule Fields

Figure 7-2: File Locations

Figure 7-1: File - Options

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Using the Program Options to customize the pricing software Figures: 7-1 7-2 7-3

To modify some of the settings that our pricing program has to offer, users can access the OPTIONS form from the FILE menu. This allows users to customize the program for what suits them best.

The FILE LOCATIONS tab in the OPTIONS form will allow users to modify where the program stores different files. Users can modify these directories to save files to shared network resources, mapped network drives, or places on the computer that are easy to access. If you do not understand network sharing, please consult with your company’s local IT department.

The SCHEDULE FIELDS tab in the OPTIONS form will allow users to modify what they desire to view in their quote and order schedules. Checking the boxes for the offered attributes will ADD those columns to the schedule for users to enter additional data into their schedules, taking a check mark out of the specified check box will remove those columns from the schedule.

How to use the GRD Pricing Program as a Cross Reference Guide.

Users can access the Cross Reference tables from the Cross Reference tab towards the top of the screen. When accessing the cross reference feature, the user MUST ACCEPT our disclaimer to use this part of the program, simply stating that the cross referenced part numbers are provided on a good match basis and may not select the appropriate part specified on the project you are quoting or ordering for. Declining the disclaimer will de-activate this part of the program.

METALAIRE’S NEW Cross Reference feature will allow users to view a table of a competing manufacturer’s part numbers and will provide a best match to METALAIRE’s models.

The program’s users are responsible for maintaining all of the data in the cross-reference module. All of the fields in the feature are fully editable and will allow the user to change part numbers to best fit the applications they are bidding or ordering for. The program’s users will also be able to add or delete competing manufacturers to the table, and add Notes and Descriptions to those cross-referenced products. When clicking a METALAIRE model in the Cross Reference, the METALAIRE model’s description and available catalog pages will be available in the Product Info Panel, that can be used for comparing appearance, specifications, and performance to a known competing manufacturer’s model.

Figure 8-2: XREF Disclaimer

Figure 8-1: XREF Tab

Cross Reference

Using the GRD Pricing program as a cross reference utility Figures: 8-1 8-2 8-3

METALAIRE will in no way be held responsible for incorrect selections based on what is chosen from the cross reference program, so we make it mandatory that all users of this feature verify their selections made from the cross reference feature – as stated in the disclaimer.

Figure 8-3: Cross Reference Table


Quoting a project couldn’t be easier when using our Selection Wizard utility! Users can access the Take-Off/Quote section of the program by clicking on the first tab towards the top of the screen, as seen in Figure 9-1.

Users may enter items by using the SELECTION WIZARD towards the bottom of the screen or by selecting a competing manufacturer’s model number from the XREF column in the grid. Users may also enter in a specified tag from their CONVERSION to enter in a METALAIRE model or part string. To view more information on this process, please view the instructions on using the CONVERSION on page:

USING THE SELECTION WIZARD: To start the selection process and add a new line item to your quote, users can either click on the ADD NEW button or use HOTKEY ALT + N. This will add an empty line item and begin the selection process for that line in the schedule. Users should start in the TAG field in the selection wizard to enter a tag for the item, then hit the TAB key on their keyboard to get into the QUANTITY field. After a quantity is entered, the user should hit the TAB key again to get into the VALUES column where the list of METALAIRE’s models are displayed. See Figure 9-2 for details.

Figure 9-2: Selection Wizard

Figure9-1: Opening a New Quote

SETTING UP A TAKE-OFF/QUOTE SCHEDULE

Steps for using the Selection Wizard to quickly put a quote together Figures: 9-1 9-2


Using the keyboard and getting familiar with the hotkeys in the selection wizard to enter line items in your schedule saves time in putting your quote together.

Users can select a model by typing in the first few characters of that model and/or arrowing up and down the column to find the model desired. Once the desired model is highlighted, the user should hit the ENTER key on their keyboard to get to the next step of selection for that model. Typically the following selections will contain neck sizes, panels, finishes, and accessories. After selecting the specified attributes of that model, the user may click on the DONE button(HOTKEY ALT + D) to commit the selection to their schedule.

User’s may copy a selected line item by clicking on the line item on the schedule and clicking on the ADD SAME button(HOTKEY ALT + S). The program’s users can clone as many items as they like from the selected item, or the last item specified item on the schedule. After cloning an item, users may change certain attributes of that item by selecting the cloned item in the schedule and making changes in the ATTRIBUTES window to the right of the Selection Wizard.

The GLOBAL CHANGE button(HOTKEY ALT + G) will only be activated after making a change to a selected line item in the that item’s ATTRIBUTE LIST. The GLOBAL CHANGE button will then recognize the change made and will display it in a confirmation window, after being clicked. The confirmation window will also display how many line items will be affected and how many line items will be made invalid by the change. Clicking OK to the confirmation window will apply the change to the other line items in the schedule containing the same model number.

Figure 10-2: Global Change Button

Figure 10-1: Selection Wizard

USING THE SELECTION WIZARD

Steps for selecting products and attributes in the selection wizard. Figures: 10-1 10-2 10-3

Figure 10-2: Global Change Confirmation


The Product Info Pane gives users images and documentation for all the products you can select in the software!

Selected items in the PRODUCT INFO PANEL will display a description of the model, and available Submittals, Product Information and Performance Catalog Pages, Specification Sheets, Product Images, and any available miscellaneous documents tied to that document. Documents will be made available when their appropriate buttons are lit in the panel.

Figure 11-4: Submittal Preview

Figure 11-3: PIP Buttons

To view product documentation in the Product Info Pane, simply click on the button for the document type you would like to view, and click on the file name in the drop-down menu. The file will automatically open in Adobe Acrobat. Please be sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the available Product Info files stored in the program. The submittals for the entire project will still be accessible from the Activity menu. Submittals in this area will not have the project information populated automatically.

The PRODUCT INFO PANEL can be shown or hidden by the clicking the blue book icon on the icon bar. The content of the Product Info Panel will populate upon choosing a model from the values list in the Selection Wizard or by selecting a line item in the schedule grid.

Figure 11-2: Product Information Pane

Figure 11-1: PIP Show/Hide Button

PRODUCT INFORMATION PANE

Steps for using the Product Information panel to get access to product documentation. Figures: 11-1 11-2 11-3 11-4



Please look at the following steps to view your quote totals, specifying different releases for your project, and printing your finalized quote.

PRINTING TAKE-OFF and QUOTE REPORTS: Once the Take-Off or Quote has been finalized, the user may print the appropriate reports from the ACTIVITY MENU. The appropriate data will be ‘flushed’ into the report, and a preview of the report will automatically appear on the user’s screen. From here, the user may export the report into another program or send the report to their printer. For more information on exporting and printing reports please see page:19 in this tutorial.

Figure 12-3: Printing your Quote

The TAKE-OFF REPORT will display the LIST, MULTIPLIER, NET, MARKUP, QUOTE PRICE, FREIGHT, EXT NET, AND TOTALS. Typically, this report is not shared with the customer. The QUOTE REPORT only displays the LIST, FREIGHT, AND EXTENDED PRICING on the job specified.

Before bidding on any given project, it is highly recommended to view the QUOTE TOTALS(Fig. 12-1) after putting the schedule together in the quote section of the program. Click on the QUOTE TOTALS tab towards the bottom of the screen to enter in a MULTIPLIER, MARKUP, and FREIGHT INFORMATION pertaining to the quoted project. After entering the requested information, the job’s LIST, NET, FREIGHT, PROFIT and SELL PRICES will display in the left side of the Quote Totals panel.

Users may specify line items in their quote to be associated with certain RELEASES on the project by modifying the ‘R’ Number in the release column in the quote schedule grid. This will divide up the entire combined quote into separate releases when creating an order for different parts of a job. For more on how RELEASES are specified for an order, please see the SETTING UP AN ORDER section of this tutorial.

Figure 12-2: Release Columns

Figure 12-1: Quote Totals

FINALIZING YOUR QUOTE

Steps for finalizing your project’s quote and getting it ready to be put into an order. Figures: 12-1 12-2 12-3


In our order setup, redundancy is reduced by organizing and transferring items from the quote into an order without having to re-enter any items. To first access the Order section of the program, the user will click on the ORDER TAB towards the top of the screen in the pricing program. Users may create an order based on a quote where all the quoted items will transfer directly into the order, OR you may create an order from scratch by entering items directly into an order by using the Selection Wizard. STEP 1: To create a new order, click on the NEW ORDER button in the order screen.

STEP 3: Users MUST choose a RELEASE NUMBER that was specified in your quote. This step will bring all of the items from your quote that had that specific release number assigned. If all of the items in your quote are assigned ‘R1’(By default), than all of the items from the quote will be transferred into the order. If a Release Number is NOT selected, an EMPTY ORDER will be created.

STEP 2: Specify an ORDER IDENTIFIER. This will identify which part of the job you are ordering for. If there is only one order for the job, the user may specify this as the job name.

Figure 13-1: New Order Button

SETTING UP AN ORDER

Follow these steps to correctly set up a new order in the pricing program. Figures: 13-1 13-2 13-3

Figure 13-2: Order Identifier

Figure 13-3: Selecting a Release


We recommend reviewing the Order Information and Order Totals to ensure accuracy in your order before it is submitted.

Modifications to existing line items can be made in the order schedule. Users may also add or remove items to their order at this point in the project. After reviewing the order schedule, users may view the pricing totals on the job by clicking on the ORDER TOTALS TAB towards the bottom of the screen. MULTIPLIERS and FREIGHT INFORMATION will display in this area of the program. If this information was previously specified in the Quote Totals, it will also be transferred in the Order Totals. This information can also be entered or changed at this point in the project.

Figure 14-2: Order Totals

Upon reviewing the Order Information and Order Totals, your order will be finalized and ready to be electronically submitted to METALAIRE. Please see the next steps for submitting an Electronic Order.

Next, The ORDER INFORMATION Form will automatically appear on the screen. Fill out this information as completely as possible, as this information will appear in submitted electronic orders and order reports. Orders cannot be submitted without a PO Number. The SHIPPING INFORMATION can be populated automatically from the CONTACT MANAGER. For more information on how to set up contacts in the Contact Manager, please see page: 18 in this tutorial. Figure 14-1: Order Information

FINALIZING YOUR ORDER

These steps guide user to finalizing their orders before submitting them to METALAIRE. Figures: 14-1 14-2

Submitting your orders electronically is the standard process for sending in your finalized order to METALAIRE.

NOTE: Users NOT utilizing the Electronic Ordering feature may incur filing and/or

processing fees on their invoices for orders not submitted electronically.

Figure 15-4: E-Order Email Confirmation

Figure 15-2: E-Order Notification Message

STEP 3: After clicking OK, the user will receive another message on their screen, stating that the order was received and is being processed. An EO confirmation Number will appear in this message that will allow the order to be referenced by our customer service staff. You will also receive an email confirming your order was received, and will also provide the electronic order confirmation number. Orders may be printed from the Activity menu for record-keeping.

STEP 2: Shortly after clicking on SUBMIT ELECTRONIC ORDER, the user will receive a message on their screen, stating the electronic order file was created. Clicking OK to this message will send the order to METALAIRE.

Figure 15-3: E-Order Confirmation Message

At this stage, the user should be ready to submit their order. STEP 1: The standard way to submit an order in METALAIRE’s pricing software is to click on the ACTIVITY menu and select SUBMIT ELECTRONIC ORDER. Users must have an active internet connection and the latest version of the pricing program to submit their orders using this procedure.

Figure 15-1: Activity Menu

SUBMITTING AN ELECTRONIC ORDER

These steps guide users to the standard procedure for submitting an order. Figures: 15-1 15-2 15-3 15-4


Using our ‘Conversion’ Tagging feature, commonly-selected products can be quoted with just a few key strokes!

The Conversion feature in the GRD Pricing Program is a tagging tool that allows users to link a pre-defined TAG up to a MODEL or completed part string that can be later referenced in the users’ quote or order schedules. Users can access this feature by clicking on the CONVERSION tab towards the top of the screen.

Users can create tagging schedules for commonly ordered products specified by particular engineers and/or contractors. We also provide the ability of creating multiple conversion files to allow users to change and open for projects where those tags are specified. Once a tag is linked to the desired model or part string(using the Selection Wizard), that information will be automatically entered into the user’s quote or order once the tag is entered. This eliminates the need to re-select products associated with commonly specified tags.

Figure 16-1: Conversion Screen

Figure 16-2: Using the Conversion Tags

CONVERSION

Using pre-specified tags from the conversion tool reduces time when entering in commonly ordered items into your quote schedule. Figures: 16-1 16-2



Users can store project contacts in the Contact Manager that can be called in any project!

Simply click on the icon to add a new company contact. Once the company contact information is entered into the upper area of the screen, individual contacts may be entered into the lower portion of the screen, when using the built-in contact manager icon bar. Icons are available to add, remove, and navigate though the contact list. Shipping and Customer Info in the PROJECT and ORDER INFORMATION forms may be pulled directly from the contact manager, by using the SELECT FROM CONTACTS button.

METALAIRE provides a built-in contact manager for our GRD Pricing Program that allows users to organize and maintain company and individual contacts associated with their METALAIRE projects. Users can access the CONTACT MANAGER from the VIEW menu.

Figure 17-2: Select from Contacts Button

CONTACT MANAGER

User’s can organize all of their project contacts in one easy to use tool built directly into our pricing program. Figures: 17-1 17-2

Figure 17-1: View Menu


METALAIRE makes several reports available to suit every project’s needs.

Figure 18-2: Report Preview and Export Button

Reports that preview from our program may also be exported to other programs, such as Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Word. Simply click on the Disk Icon at the top left corner of the report screen, and the EXPORT options will appear. First the user will need to select a Format for the report and then a Destination. ‘Disk file’ will create a file for the report in the selected format. ‘Exchange folder’ will allow the user to attach the report in the selected format to an email inside the specified folder of the user’s mail file. Users saving the report as a disk file must select a file name and location to save the file to.

When selecting to print a report for the submittals in your quote or order schedule; first, a Submittal Report(Cover Sheet) will preview. Once it is closed, the submittals that appear in the quote or order schedule will start opening(one-by-one) in Adobe Acrobat. Submittals that are printed this way will automatically display the items tag, project name, engineer, contractor, architect and rep names.

All of the program’s available reports are can be previewed and printed from the ACTIVITY menu. Reports are available for Take-Offs, Quotes, Orders, and Submittals. Upon selecting the desired report, the data will be flushed into the reporting service, and the report will preview on your screen.

Figure 18-1: Print Commands in the Activity Menu

Figure 18-3: Export Options

PRINTING AND EXPORTING REPORTS

Follow these steps for printing out your project’s reports and exporting the reports into different file formats Figures: 18-1 18-2 18-3 18-4

Figure 18-4: Format Options


With our new ‘Send email’ button, there is no more searching for files to email. Also, see below for the steps to change the program themes.

EMAILING A PROJECT AND PROGRAM THEMES

Steps for opening and converting GRD Projects Figures: 5-1 5-2 5-3

Figure 19-1: Email Project Button

Figure 19-2: Email Message w/Project Attached

PROGRAM THEMES METALAIRE offers different themes or ‘program skins’ for our software. Choosing a different skin will change the look and feel of the software. The skin changes will change the color and brightness of icons, buttons, menus, and grids within the software. Users can change the program’s skin by right-clicking on the title bar, and selecting AVAILABLE SKINS. See the image below for examples of some of the different skins in the software.

Users may also email their quoted/ordered projects by clicking on the ENVELOPE icon on the ICON BAR. This will close the project in the program and will bring up a new email message with the project file already attached. Simply enter an email address to send to and any other information you would like in the email, and click SEND. This is only set up to work with MICROSOFT OUTLOOK, and may not work on ALL email systems associated with custom networks or internet mailing systems.

Figure 19-3: Program Available Skins