For twenty years, software vendors targeting the fenestration industry have promised the same holy grail: a universal API standard where manufacturers connect their ERPs directly to dealer quoting desks.
It hasn’t happened, and in South Florida’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), it is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
The major impact window manufacturers—PGT Innovations, ESWindows, CWS (Custom Window Systems), WinDoor, Eco, and Mr. Glass—operate on legacy proprietary systems. Their pricing books are closely guarded corporate secrets, updated via disparate PDF catalogs, multi-tab Excel workbooks, and closed partner portals.
Dealers waiting for an open manufacturer API ecosystem are waiting for a train that isn’t coming.
The EWD Middleware Philosophy: Digitize the Chaos
At Everything Windows and Doors, we chose a fundamentally different path: we built software that works with the files manufacturers already produce.
Instead of demanding that manufacturers rewrite their IT stacks, Quote Converter Pro™ was built to ingest the real-world artifacts manufacturers already produce:
- Factory Export Files: Starts from the order and quote files your factory portals already give you.
- Unit Drawings: Keeps manufacturer drawings tied to the right opening marks.
- Pricing Matrix Sheets: Prices glass minimums and finish surcharges for you, without hand lookups.
- Florida Product Approvals (NOAs): Flags sizes and design pressures that fall outside a product’s approval.
Instant Comparative Quoting
When you own the middleware layer, dealers gain a superpower that no single manufacturer's portal can provide: comparative multi-brand quoting.
When an opening schedule is curated in EyeWall™, an estimator doesn't have to re-enter twenty windows into PGT's portal, and then re-enter the same twenty windows into ESWindows' portal.
Quote Converter Pro™ can price the same job across several manufacturers so you can show the homeowner side-by-side options:
- Value option: Reliable HVHZ protection (e.g. standard aluminum single-hung).
- Upgraded option: Upgraded heavy-duty frames with high-performance Low-E insulated laminate.
- Architectural option: Ultra-narrow sightline contemporary profiles with custom Kynar finishes.
Protected Margin Across Every Brand
Whichever brand they choose, your margin floors hold.
Summary: Moving at the Speed of the Trade
Impact window dealers cannot afford to wait months for IT standards committees. By digitizing the existing chaos of manufacturer matrices, Quote Converter Pro™ delivers high-speed, margin-locked quoting today.