Platform
The agent platform for the shop floor.
Kerf is six purpose-built agents on a shared operating layer. Each agent is calibrated to your shop’s playbook, runs against your real data, and is bounded by sign-off rules you control. Below: what each agent reads, what it writes, and where it stops to ask.
01 / Commercial
Quote Agent
Reads RFQs from inbox, supplier portals, and EDI. Parses spec packs — PDFs, STEP files, drawings — and routes line-item breakdowns to your estimators.
Reads
Inbox (Outlook, Gmail, M365) · supplier portals (Ariba, Coupa, GEP) · EDI 840/850 · PDF spec packs · STEP/IGES files · 2D drawings · CSV part lists
Writes
Line-item breakdown in your ERP RFQ module · estimator-routing tasks · vendor-tone clarification emails (sent only with sign-off) · win/loss tagging back into CRM
Sign-off
Estimator approves the line-item breakdown before any quote leaves your domain. Rate cards never bypass human review.
02 / Supply
Supply Agent
Chases POs across email, WhatsApp, and EDI. Flags critical-path slip risk on open orders. Drafts vendor-specific expediting messages.
Reads
Open POs · vendor inbox replies · WhatsApp Business threads · EDI 855/856 acknowledgments · supplier portal status pages · ERP shortage reports
Writes
Expediting drafts in your sender voice (held in drafts until buyer sends) · risk-flag annotations on critical-path POs · weekly supplier-scorecard updates · ERP comments
Sign-off
Buyers send. Agent never auto-emails suppliers. Tone-calibration runs continuously against your team’s historical correspondence.
03 / Operations
Schedule Agent
Re-balances production schedules when machines go down, materials slip, or rush orders hit. Reads from your MES, writes recommendations.
Reads
MES work orders · machine status (down, idle, queued) · material availability · operator certifications · shift plans · customer-promised dates
Writes
Schedule re-sequencing recommendations · impact memos (affected orders, delta on OTD, suggested overtime) · escalations to planner Slack/Teams
Sign-off
Planner approves before MES is updated. Agent never silently moves work between machines.
04 / Quality
Quality Agent
Triages non-conformances on the floor. Drafts NCRs, pulls related history, recommends disposition for QE sign-off.
Reads
Operator-reported NCRs (text, photo, voice) · prior NCR history on same part/customer/operator · drawing tolerances · supplier CoC · CMM data · MRB notes
Writes
Drafted NCR with reference history · recommended disposition (use-as-is / rework / scrap / RTV) · cost-of-quality estimate · MRB packet for review
Sign-off
QE always disposition-approves. Customer-affecting NCRs auto-escalate to a named approver, never a queue.
05 / Engineering
Change Agent
When an ECO drops, identifies affected open orders, in-process WIP, and supplier obligations. Drafts the change-impact memo.
Reads
PLM ECO records (Windchill, Teamcenter, Arena) · open POs · in-process WIP · routings · BOMs (current and revised) · supplier long-lead commitments
Writes
Change-impact memo (affected SKUs, WIP risk, supplier rework needed, cost delta) · drafted notifications to affected suppliers · routing-update tickets
Sign-off
Engineering approves the impact memo. No supplier outreach without manufacturing engineering sign-off.
06 / Insight
Insight Agent
Watches quote outcomes vs capacity vs OTD. Flags pricing leverage and staffing gaps before the monthly review.
Reads
Quote-win history · capacity utilization · OTD trends · margin by part/customer · operator certifications gap · machine ROI
Writes
Weekly digest to ops leadership · flagged anomalies (margin drift, capacity cliff, win-rate dip) · suggested rate-card adjustments (held for sign-off)
Sign-off
Read-only writes to ops leadership. No autonomous pricing changes. Recommendations are inputs, not actions.
Trust model
Agents act with sign-off, not autonomously, on production changes.
Every decision is logged, replayable, and explainable. Agents tell you what they read, what they concluded, and why they recommended what they recommended. You can override at any step. Your shop’s policies — escalation rules, disposition matrix, vendor-tone — are encoded as code, not prompts. We update them with you, not behind your back.