Configuration
From customer enquiry to the right order – faster
Standardise products, variants and rules across engineering, sales and production. We help companies reuse product logic throughout the value chain.
Typical challenges
Does this sound familiar?
- Customers want more customised products – and ideally wanted the quotation yesterday
- Quotations are created manually in spreadsheets, CRM or ERP, resulting in errors and lost selling time
- Sales teams lack up-to-date product options and prices
- Design engineers redraw variants that already exist
- Orders need to be interpreted and corrected before production can start
- Staff and material shortages make planning and delivery lead times challenging
All types of configuration – one set of product rules
Configuration is more than a sales tool. It is about making product knowledge reusable, so that sales, engineering and production work from the same rules. Many companies move step by step from engineer-to-order towards configure-to-order.
Product configuration
Rules for permitted options and combinations, defined in one place.
Variant management
A structure for variants, bills of materials and documentation, so the same variant is not designed twice.
Engineer-to-Order (ETO)
Customer-specific solutions with design work automated and standardised wherever possible.
Configure-to-Order (CTO)
Products built from predefined modules, ready for production without new design work.
CPQ – Configure, Price, Quote
Sales teams and dealers configure, price and create quotes themselves – including on the website – connected to CRM and ERP.
Configuration in CAD
Inventor models, drawings and bills of materials are generated automatically from the configuration.
Many industrial companies sell products with numerous variants, but product logic resides in people's heads, template sheets and spreadsheets. When sales, engineering and production each interpret what can be ordered independently, orders are configured incorrectly and design engineers spend time redrawing. We standardise product rules in one place, so a single configuration applies from the initial quotation to the final bill of materials.
What this area covers
- Product configuration
- Variant management
- Engineer-to-Order (ETO)
- Configure-to-Order (CTO)
- CPQ
What we solve
One shared set of product logic
Options, variants and constraints are defined in one place and used by sales, engineering and production.
The right variant first time
Rules check which combinations are possible, stopping impossible or incomplete orders before work begins.
From order to production without detours
The configuration forms the basis for drawings, bills of materials and documentation, without manual transcription.
How we do it
- Review of the product portfolio, variants and current order process
- Modelling of product rules, options and constraints
- Integration between the configurator, Vault and ERP
- Templates for drawings, bills of materials and documentation for each variant
- Training for sales, engineering and production
The technology behind the solution
Products we deliver
Autodesk Vault Professional
A structure for variants, bills of materials and documentation linked to the same product logic.
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coolOrange powerGate
Make product rules and configuration available in the systems surrounding engineering.
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coolOrange powerJobs
Automated documentation output from configured orders – PDF, DXF and STEP files are generated automatically.
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Cadnor Flow
Cadnor Flow is Cadnor's product family for engineering automation: Cadnor Flow for Inventor covers design and documentation, while Cadnor Flow for Vault covers product data, drawings and workflows in Vault.
Learn more about Cadnor FlowCadnor Flow for Vault
Better visibility and easier handling of product data, drawings and related files in Vault.
Read moreWhy Cadnor?
Specialists in Autodesk and product data
Production-ready orders
Configured orders are complete and valid, so production can start without manual processing.
Better planning
Configured quotes provide earlier insight into material and purchasing requirements.
Achieve more with the same team
Less repetitive work in sales and engineering frees up time for tasks that require expertise.
The entire chain, not just the quote
We connect configuration to CAD, Vault and ERP, so the rules follow the product all the way through.
Related services
A review of the product portfolio, variants and current quoting and order processes.
We structure options, constraints and prices together with sales and engineering.
Configurator setup and integration with CAD, Vault, CRM and ERP.
User training and maintenance of the rules as products change.
Ready to configure instead of designing from scratch?
Tell us about your products and quoting process, and we will show you where configuration delivers the greatest impact.