Fabrication shops accumulate dozens of similar products over the years, saved under different names with bills of materials that do not match. The result is a catalogue that slows quoting down instead of speeding it up: you search, you compare, and often you rebuild from scratch.
Consistent codes and categories
Giving every product a code and a category following a fixed scheme — product type, material, variant — makes searching immediate and cuts the risk of duplicates created in a hurry. A simple scheme applied consistently is worth more than an elaborate taxonomy nobody follows.
The parent product
Rather than saving a separate product for every size a customer asks for, build a parametric "parent product": a bill of materials that adapts to the dimensions entered, reusable at any width or height. A handful of well-made parent products covers most recurring enquiries.
Keeping the catalogue tidy
A catalogue grows and needs clearing out: products nobody has asked for in years, duplicates created by mistake, bills of materials carrying material prices long out of date. A quarterly review, even a brief one, keeps the catalogue a tool for speed rather than an archive to fight through on every new quote.