IMS 2025: The Weekend Manufacturers Realised Costing Doesn't Need Days
November 19, 2025
Also published on LinkedInRead there →I’ve always believed exhibitions show you a side of the industry you don’t see in day-to-day work. IMS 2025 at BIEC, Bangalore proved that again — and louder than ever.
This was Dashnode’s second exhibition of the year (the first being IMTEX 2025), and even though our stall was just a 3m x 3m space, the energy around it felt anything but small.
Day 1: From “What is this?” to “Show me more.”
We opened our laptops, arranged our standees, and expected a slow warm-up.
Instead, from the first minute — the stall was packed.
Manufacturing professionals kept coming in with a single question:
“Software can do what in costing?”
For most of them, the idea that cycle time and costing could be generated instantly from a CAD file was unheard of. Some even called it “too fast to be real” — until we ran their own files on Dashnode.
Instant cost
Instant cycle time
Instant manufacturability insights
That moment — when their eyebrows lifted and they took a step closer to the screen — is something I’ll remember.
It reminded me of the Steve Jobs Product Fallacy: Customers don’t always know what they want… until they see it.
The “Bring Your File” Movement
One unexpected pattern emerged:
People came back the next day with colleagues… and with CAD files of their own.
That was the real validation.
Some visitors even started giving demos to their own teammates right at our booth.
If you’ve worked in manufacturing, you know how rare this is. We come from a world of complex CAD tools, CAM tools, ERPs, PLMs — nothing is “pick up and use.”
But with Dashnode, they didn’t need us to explain every component. The tool spoke for itself.
The Lounge: Quiet Space, Deep Conversations
This time, we tried something new — a small dining lounge where visitors could step away from the noise, relax, explore the tool deeply, and have a proper conversation.
To our surprise, people loved it.
We discussed costing workflows, DFM habits, RFQ bottlenecks, and the very real pain of “Excel taking 2-3 days for one RFQ BOM.”
And then we showed them the Excel download:
For one file
For 100 files
For an entire RFQ
The reaction was the same every single time:
“Wait… this takes me three days.”
These weren’t interns. These were plant heads, machine shop owners, costing leads. The kind of people who know exactly how much time goes into this work.
Gifts, Team Moments & The Small Things That Matter
Every visitor walked away with one of our favourite giveaways — the Dashnode business card holder.
But the real highlight for me wasn’t the crowd.
It was the team.
Every single person was on their feet for three days straight. We crossed all our step counts. We managed the flood of questions. We captured every single feedback point — and there were many.
Feature requests
Custom workflows
Logic tweaks
Integration ideas
Suggestions from people who have lived manufacturing for decades
And we were glad to get all of it.
Post-Exhibition: The Momentum Didn’t Stop
Monday morning after the exhibition, most teams would take a breather.
We didn’t.
The entire team was in office — tired legs, but sharp minds — logging every business card, every conversation, every follow-up.
And before we could reach out, people started calling us:
“Can you come to our factory this week?” “We want to see how this fits our costing workflow.” “Please schedule an online demo for my team.”
By the end of the first week:
6 factory visits
4 online demos
Multiple RFQ discussions
And a packed calendar for the next few weeks
This is the kind of momentum you can’t manufacture. You can only experience it when the industry sees real value.
What This Exhibition Taught Us
IMS 2025 wasn’t just about showcasing Dashnode.
It was a reminder that:
Simplicity is still underrated.
The industry doesn’t want another “tool” — it wants a solution that removes the friction.
And if a product truly solves a pain point, people become your evangelists.
Our mission at Dashnode has always been simple:
Make manufacturing faster by reducing Non-Manufacturing Time.
Costing is just the starting point.
And Yes — We’ll See You at IMTEX 2026
With more features. More intelligence. More speed. More impact.
The only thing that will reduce is the time manufacturers spend on costing, DFM checks, and Excel sheets.
Everything else — the energy, the learning, the momentum — is only going up 🚀
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