# AI agents in purchasing: why we run an MCP server for sheet metal parts Quelle: > Interfaces alone are not enough for AI agents. They need context: what can be made, what it costs, when it will be ready. About MVG Interfaces alone are not enough for AI agents. They need context: what can be made, what it costs, when it will be ready. How our MCP server provides this, and why a person still places the order in the end. MVG editorial team · Values from our production and the material standards Published on 7 November 2026 · 3 min read The assistant asks, our MCP server answers with data from production and the shop. A person orders and pays. In purchasing today, people click through portals, write emails and type data into the ERP. AI assistants can take over much of this if they get the right data. That is why MVG Frankfurt runs an MCP server: an interface through which an assistant talks directly to our shop and our production. Problem ## The problem: purchasing is manual work between systems A design engineer needs ten sheet metal parts. He looks for the material, writes an enquiry, waits, copies the price into a spreadsheet, asks about the date. Each step is simple. Together they cost hours. AI assistants can take over these steps. To do so, however, they must be able to do more than read a website. Cause ## The cause: agents need context, not just endpoints A classic interface supplies data on request. An agent, however, also needs to know which question to ask when, and what an answer means: does this hole spacing work on 2 mm stainless steel? Why is this flange too short? What does a different thickness change in the price? The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for exactly this purpose. An MCP server describes its tools so that a language model can choose them itself and call them correctly. **Remember:** Purchasing is not moving to nicer portals but to assistants that talk directly to the manufacturers’ systems. Solution ## The solution: our MCP server at mvg-frankfurt.de/mcp Our MCP server uses the same data as our shop: the same prices, the same check, the same dates. It is listed in the official MCP Registry under the name de.mvg-frankfurt/mcp. Many tools work without signing in. | Tool | What the assistant gets | Sign-in | |---|---|---| | find_materials | Materials, thicknesses, semi-finished products with dimensions | no | | get_price | Price net and gross, with shipping | no | | check_manufacturability | Check with limit value, suggested change and drawing | no | | get_lead_time | Date for every delivery time option | no | | configure_part | Laser part from a template with price and preview | no | | get_sheet_rules | Bend radius and K-factor of our press brake for CAD | yes | | create_quote | binding quotation with basket link | yes | Selection from 26 tools, as of November 2026. The server itself supplies the full list. In practice ## What this looks like in practice An example: an assistant checks a channel made of stainless steel 1.4301, 2 mm, with flanges of 30, 100 and 30 mm. It gets not only “manufacturable” but also this drawing: every bending step with the upper and lower tool of our press brake. In the event of a collision, the spot is red. A real answer from our MCP server: the bending steps for a 30 × 100 × 30 mm channel made of 1.4301, 2 mm. - Connect: in Claude or another MCP-capable assistant, add the address https://mvg-frankfurt.de/mcp as a connector. - Ask as in a conversation: “What does a 1000 × 500 mm sheet of AlMg3, 2 mm, cost, twice?” The assistant chooses the tools itself. - Quotation: once you sign in with your customer account, the assistant creates a quotation with a basket link. - Order: you open the link, check the items and pay. The assistant never orders by itself. ## Why a person places the order in the end An agent prepares, a person decides. The server supplies prices, the check and dates directly. The order itself stays with you: you see every item in the basket before any money moves. Purchasing stays fast and still under your control. ## At a glance - Address: https://mvg-frankfurt.de/mcp - Prices, check and dates without signing in - Quotations after signing in with your customer account - Ordering and payment in the browser, always by a person [Go to the developer page →](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/developers) ## Matching products [Developers **API and MCP server** Documentation, examples and OpenAPI specification. *Go to the developer page →*](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/developers) · [Upload **Upload a CAD file** Prefer to do it yourself? Price in seconds in the browser. *Upload a file →*](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/upload) · [Service **Design rules** The limits the agent checks too. *View the rules →*](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/design-rules) ## Frequently asked questions **What is MCP?** The Model Context Protocol is an open standard through which AI assistants use the tools and data of external systems. An MCP server describes its tools so that the language model chooses them itself. **Can an AI agent order from MVG by itself?** No. The agent can request prices, check parts and create a quotation. A person orders and pays via the basket link in the browser. **Do I need an account?** Not for prices, the check and dates. For quotations, uploads and your orders, you sign in with your customer account. The assistant asks for your consent to do so. **Which assistants work?** Any assistant that supports MCP over HTTP, for example Claude. For your own programs there is also the REST interface /v1. ## Questions about your part? Our sales team advises you on material, manufacturing and delivery time. [Call: (069) 94 21 30 - 0](tel:+496994213000) · [Email info@mvg-frankfurt.de](mailto:info@mvg-frankfurt.de?subject=Question%20about%3A%20AI%20agents%20in%20purchasing%3A%20why%20we%20run%20an%20MCP%20server%20for%20sheet%20metal%20parts) ## Related articles - [Design & manufacturing Design furniture with Claude Code and have it made in our digital factory With AI, an idea becomes a finished construction plan with a bill of materials. We make the sheet metal parts for it from a single piece, with an instant price. 3 min read Read the article →](https://mvg-frankfurt.de/en/magazine/furniture-with-claude-code) - [Insights Steel planes: Jonathan Pielmeier folds aeroplanes from sheet metal The sculptor Jonathan Pielmeier folds paper planes from steel and stainless steel. 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