Is Cabinet Pro the right choice for your business?

A Guide to Purchasing Software

 

Introduction
 

Many times over the telephone, or during trade shows, we are asked to compare our software with our major competitors.  Since our founding in 1986, we have declined to respond directly to such questions, for it is our belief that our job in presenting our software is to describe and demonstrate its capabilities in an honest and truthful manner, leaving the job of comparing programs to the consumer.  We have a great deal of respect for our major competitors, who have been in the industry for the same length of time as we have, and have also put forth an incredible amount of time, expertise, and money in developing their software to the degree of excellence that they currently enjoy.  Of course, the same should be said for our own software, Cabinet Pro.

   So this page covers a sensitive area, where we want to be careful not to offend our competitors nor unjustly compare our program features to theirs.  In fact, we have not worked with their software so a true comparison is really not even possible.  However, the comparisons that are being made on this page are general enough to be relatively accurate and non-offensive, and have come about as a result of observations, talking with customers, and knowing the general capabilities of their software, as well as ours.

In choosing a software program for your shop, you should compare a number of features of the software you are considering with the features of similar software.  This process of comparing software packages can be somewhat confusing, especially for a first-time buyer.

   Although we have a rather thorough comparison chart listing the features of the various programs we offer, this page reflects an honest attempt to compare our program with our major competitors, so as to give you an idea of what kind of general categories are offered by the major software vendors for the Kitchen and Bath Industry.  Probably the most effective tool that you may have is your ability to ask the right questions to a given software vendor.  We have compiled a list of questions that you might want to ask when interacting with a salesperson representing any software package in this industry.  This list, of course, is not exhaustive, but will at least give you an idea of some important issues you should address.

 

 

 

The following chart describes the rating system we will be using in the features listed below.
Rating Meaning

AA

Substantially Better than our major Competitors

A

Somewhat Better than our major Competitors

E

About the same as our major Competitors

C

Somewhat Less than our major Competitors

CC

Substantially Less than our major Competitors

 

Feature

Description

Our Rating

How important are Cutlists and Door Reports to you?

If you compare our cutlists to others in the industry, you will find there is no equal to the formatting choices, accuracy, and completeness of our cutlist reports.  This is the area on which we have concentrated the most since our beginning in 1986, and in which we take great pride.  Our cutlist reports include numerous choices for batched cutlists for entire jobs, chosen rooms, or a single cabinet.  Our door and drawer reports are also able to be customized by the user.  The drawer box reports, edge banding reports, and material summaries are but a few of the outstanding features of our cutlist capabilities.

 AA

How important is Program Cost to you?

Obviously, cost is a factor in any purchase.  If it is true that "you get what you pay for", then selecting a program would not be confusing at all.  One would simply purchase the most expensive program available.  But what if a given company had values that did not revolve around making the maximum dollar?  We at Cabinet Pro LLC have a different vision in mind than simply making money.  Our aim, since 1986, has been, and continues to be, to provide a very high quality software for a very affordable price to as many people as possible.  We strive to keep our prices low by keeping our overhead down, our representatives at a minimum, and our advertising costs reasonable.

 AA

How important is installing the program on Multiple Computers?

 Most companies allow one computer per purchase.  We allow the program to be used on two computers per purchase.  If more are needed, then a reasonable fee is charged. And if your computer breaks or is stolen, you are not charged anything else to install the program on a new computer. (See the Note on Keys below.) A

How important is Job Scheduling to you?

Although we have plans to include this in future updates, Cabinet Pro does not presently support Job Scheduling..

 CC

How important is bidding and pricing to you?

For bidding purposes, Cabinet Pro takes into consideration material costs, hardware costs, edgebanding costs, door style upcharges, lineal foot charges, square foot charges, cabinet list prices, installation charges, finishing charges, customer discounts, overhead, local and federal taxes, and just about any labor charge you can think of, as well as user-defined costs.  In addition, the program then graphs the charges in your job as bar graphs, pie charts, and stacked graphs, for easier viewing.

 A

How important is CNC Support for Cabinets and Doors to you?

Our competitors support CNC routers via a link to other CAD/CAM software packages.  We support CNC routers by writing the g-code directly.  There are pros and cons to these two methods.  Our method is less expensive, requires tech support for one program rather than two, and is less prone to error for two reasons:  because one program is used rather than two, and because the exporting routines and importing routines of the programs involved are eliminated.  Our software is designed specifically for the Cabinet Industry and for the rest of our program, whereas CAD/CAM software is more general in nature, and written for a wider audience.

 A

How important is CNC Non-Cabinet Support to you?

Our CNC support writes g-code for cuts and drilling patterns that are specific to cabinet making, and it does this very well.  But our software is much more limited than a CAD/CAM software package that one of our competitors may export to.  We are limited to making dado cuts, drilling patterns, holes, arc cuts, and rectangular cuts, whereas a CAD/CAM software package can make statues, intricate signs and carvings, and much more.  What our software does for the cabinet manufacturer, it does extremely well.  But what it does not do for the person who needs more intricate designs, it does not do at all.  So if you need this type of more intricate CNC support, you would need to purchase a CAD/CAM software package in addition to Cabinet Pro.  An inexpensive, yet capable software solution costing in the neighborhood of $500 is V-Carve Pro, out of England.

 CC

How important are Versatility and Customization of Cabinets to you?

Our program is extremely versatile in the design of custom cabinets.  There are only a very few programs that can make long custom cabinets with one continuous faceframe covering the entire face, or one-of-a-kind entertainment centers with multiple openings as a single cabinet.  Two out of the three major competitors of Cabinet Pro are also outstanding at this function, as is Cabinet Pro.

 E

How important is Company Stability to you?

We have been in business since 1986.  Our major competitors have been in business the same length of time, plus or minus a few years.  After 20 or so years of being in business, company stability has already been proven by all of the companies providing full solutions to cabinet shops, and is not really an issue.  However, due to our low overhead, and our policy of making sure everything that is purchased by our company is paid for so that we have no debt, we are able to weather financial dry periods better than most.

 E

How important is Ease of Use to you?

Regardless of what any salesperson tells you, any program that performs a multitude of tasks for custom cabinet makers will involve a learning curve to master the software.  Although we strive to make our software as easy as possible, it is, unfortunately, not easy to learn and will require dedication on your part to understand all facets of the software.  Our competitors are no different.  Perhaps a better question would be, "How dedicated will you be to learn whatever program you decide to purchase?"

Whichever program you purchase, make sure you are committed to learning and using it!  If you do, then you will have a program that will be like another employee to you.  If you do not, then you will have wasted your time and money.

 E

How important are Presentation Renderings to you?

 We offer three different qualities of 3D Renderings.  We offer Hidden Line drawings, Standard Presentation renderings, and Premium Presentation renderings. 

We have chosen to concentrate on the manufacturing end of a cabinet business, while our presentation graphics are mere representations that are intended to be drawn quickly and rendered within seconds.  The degree of quality of these renderings is left to the user, based upon his/her needs.

 E

How important is Networking to you?

Do you need to have more than one person operating Cabinet Pro at the same time from different computers, sharing the same information and inputting different jobs simultaneously?  Although we support transferring jobs from one computer to another quite easily, we do not support true multi-user networks.

 CC

How important is Technical Support to you?

From what we have heard from our customers who have owned other software, we excel in this area quite a bit.  Compliments in this area fill our Letters of Recommendation.

 A

How important are Pre-packaged Cabinet Catalogues to you?

Our program is exclusively for the manufacturer, either modular or custom.  As a result, we do not support pre-made cabinet catalogues distributed by large cabinet shops who have lines of modular cabinets.

 CC

How important is Inventory Control to you?

Although we have an account of what you may have in inventory, we do not print any reports in this area..  In addition, Cabinet Pro does not support automatic inventory control..

 C

 

A Note on "Keys"
 

In 2005, I received a telephone call from a company that provides "dongles", sometimes called, "keys",  to software providers.  Dongles are small mechanical devices that attach to a port of a computer, allowing a specific software program to operate on that computer.  Without the dongle, the software does not operate.

When I told the salesman on the other side of the phone that we did not use dongles in our software, he informed

  me that our competitors did, and that we were losing out on a guaranteed source of income, because our customers would either lose the dongles or break them, thus requiring replacement.  He asked, "Did you know that your competitors charge somewhere between $500 and $1,500 per replacement dongle, or per additional dongle?"  I was impressed that he knew who our competitors were, and answered, "yes."  He then asked, "Do you know how much we charge them for the dongle?"  I answered, "No." 

$17 dollars was the answer! 

  My response to the salesperson was something like, "Being able to sell a dongle for $1,000 that was purchased for $17 represents quite a profit margin.  But I would rather risk losing money because a few of our customers might pirate our software, than knowingly extort this kind of money from our customers as standard policy.  So we are not interested, now or in the future, in making such outrageous profits from your dongles.  I don't think that is an honorable approach to business, so thank you, but we are not interested."  We haven't been contacted since.  Perhaps the use of the word, "extort" was a bit too strong.

 

 

Before you call one of our representatives, or one of the representatives of our competitors, study the specific features Cabinet Pro offers by looking at our comparison chart, review the Do's and Don'ts below, and make a list of your needs from the chart above.  You should then be pretty well equipped to ask informed questions to our representatives and to those of our competitors.  Know what your needs are and ask the questions that will determine if a given software package will fulfill them!

 

Some Do's and Don'ts when looking for a software package

  Find out the total cost of the program you are investigating, for the capabilities you need.  Are there hidden costs, setup fees, etc.?
  Do not put too much importance on references.  References are fine, but generally they are hand-picked by the vendor and are therefore unreliable.  We would certainly not give you a reference who was dissatisfied with our program (hopefully, there are not many who fall into this category).  Instead, we would give you a reference in whom we had confidence that he would be complimentary towards our program!  You can read some of our references by clicking here, but we do not have letters from dissatisfied customers :)
  Do not let the salesman give you his normal, well-practiced demonstration!  Be prepared to ask in-depth questions and ask him to demonstrate the making of cabinets you make.  Even though his existing setup will not produce the cutlist according to your method of construction, he should be able to design the style of cabinet you expect, and then show you the bid and cutlist that is currently generated by the existing construction method.
  Ask about technical support!  What is the charge for support and updates?  How does the company provide technical support?
  What happens if your computer is stolen or crashes beyond repair?  Will you need to pay a fee for a new program?  If your are provided with dongles, or keys, to operate your program, what cost of replacement can you expect if you lose or break a dongle?
  Ask how you are expected to learn the software.  Is there written documentation?  Video tutorials?  Classes to attend?  Onsite instruction?  What are the costs involved in learning the software?
  Know what your needs are before inquiring about software!  Do you need design capabilities?  Shop Drawings?  Bidding?  Cutlists?  Door Reports?  Face frame and/or Frameless?  Do you need CNC support?  Do you need panel optimization?  How many computers do you need to install the software on?  Job Scheduling?  Automatic Inventory control?
  What costs are involved in upgrading to a higher version later on?  For example, if you are thinking about purchasing a CNC router in the future, can the software grow with your business as well?  How much would the upgrade cost?  Would you have to purchase the program all over again?
  Do not allow yourself to be pressured into making a hasty decision.  You have done without software for quite a while.  Take your time to think it through before you purchase.
  Find out what kind of computer you will need.  How much memory will you need?  Disk space?
  How many computers will you be allowed to use the program on?  Is there a charge for using the program on more than one computer?
  After a cabinet is totally finished and placed on a floorplan, how easy is it to change every aspect of that cabinet?
  Don't just view the reports that are generated by the salesperson demonstrating the program.  Ask how they can be customized to your liking.
  If you are investigating CNC, ask the salesman to design just a single machining operation on a cabinet part of a newly created cabinet style that was not already existing in his library.  Then ask him to generate the actual g-code for the part.  This is very important.  You will be able to see the steps necessary to setup your machining, as well as how the CNC files are made.  Do not be satisfied with the DXF files that are made, for these are simply graphics files.  Make sure you are viewing the g-code files that will be sent to the CNC router itself!  This way, you will see the entire process, and not be surprised later.
  Don't ask a sales representatives from our company or from some other software company to compare their product with those of their competitors.  That is an unprofessional question and places the salesperson in an awkward spot.  Remember:  it is the representative's job to present their software, while it is your job to do comparison shopping.
  When you ask a question, some representatives can go on tangents and not really answer what you asked.  Make sure your questions are answered clearly and to your satisfaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabinet Pro®, Door Pro® and SimplyPowerful® are Registered Trademarks of Cabinet Pro LLC

Telephone: (541) 776-9133
Fax: (541) 776-0007

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