CRM and ERP Based CPQ: Exploring the Evolution of Configure, Price, Quote Systems

In the world of Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) systems, the ability to tailor a product to specific customer needs is a critical component for any business. Traditionally, CPQ systems have evolved from simple text-based configurations to more sophisticated graphical interfaces. In this post, we’ll delve into the various types of CPQ systems and explore how SolidCAD’s Variant CPQ stands out by leveraging existing engineering data and advanced customization capabilities.

Text-Based CPQ: The “Choose Your Own Adventure” Approach

The most basic form of CPQ systems is reminiscent of a “choose your own adventure” book. Users navigate through a series of text selections to configure their product. These systems are:

Non-Graphics Based: Lacking any visual representation of the product.
Component Lists: The main output is typically a list of components needed to assemble the final product.
Limited Visualization: At best, you might receive a basic picture or drawing of the configuration, often leaving much to the imagination.

While functional, these systems can be cumbersome and often fail to provide a clear and engaging user experience.

Picture-Based CPQ: Visual Guidance with Limitations

Stepping up from text-based systems, picture-based CPQ systems offer a more visually oriented approach:

Dynamic Images: As selections are made, the picture of the item changes, providing some visual feedback.
Incomplete Stories: Often, these systems only offer static images of the configurable items, which can leave users uncertain about how the components fit together.
Component Lists with Visuals: Similar to text-based CPQ, the main output includes a list of components and a picture or drawing at the end.

While picture-based CPQ systems improve the user experience by adding visual elements, they still fall short in terms of providing a comprehensive understanding of the final product.

Graphics-Based CPQ: Immersive and Interactive Experiences

Graphics-based CPQ systems represent a significant leap forward, offering a highly interactive and detailed visualization of the product:

Comprehensive Visualization: Users can rotate, zoom in and out, and interact with a 3D graphic of the configurable item.
Advanced Features: Some systems allow users to measure or select individual components, depending on the CPQ product.
Programming Intensive: These systems often require substantial programming effort.
Disconnected Data: There is usually no direct link to existing engineering data, making it challenging to maintain consistency and accuracy.

Graphics-based CPQ systems are powerful tools for providing a complete visual story, but their complexity and lack of integration with existing data can be significant drawbacks.

Variant CPQ: Harnessing the Power of Existing Engineering Data

SolidCAD’s Variant CPQ system takes CPQ to the next level by integrating directly with Autodesk Inventor (iLogic) data:

Built-In Logic: Variant CPQ uses Autodesk Platform Services to access the existing logic embedded in Inventor Engineering data, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
Customizable Models: Users can upload their own models, offering unparalleled customization.
Seamless Integration: By leveraging existing engineering data, Variant CPQ eliminates the need for extensive programming and ensures that all configurations are based on accurate, up-to-date information.
Interactive Graphics: Like the best graphics-based CPQ systems, Variant CPQ allows users to interact with a 3D model, providing a comprehensive and immersive experience.

Conclusion

The evolution of CPQ systems from text-based to graphics-based solutions has significantly improved the user experience, but each type has its limitations. SolidCAD’s Variant CPQ system stands out by integrating seamlessly with existing engineering data and offering customizable, interactive 3D models. This innovative approach not only enhances the accuracy and efficiency of the configuration process but also provides a superior user experience. By leveraging the power of existing data and advanced visualization tools, Variant CPQ sets a new standard for CPQ systems in the industry. To learn more about Variant CPQ, try it for yourself on our website, or contact us today at variant@solidcad.ca

A Smooth and Easy Transition to Variant!

The Challenge

Like many other manufacturers, mk North America uses Autodesk Inventor and iLogic for their product designs. They previously used Autodesk Configurator 360 to make the designs available on their website for customers to create their own configurations but needed to find a new option once Configurator 360 was no longer available. They did diligent research into what products were available and explored all their options. For a while, they considered building their own configurator but realized it would require a complete overhaul of their current systems and workflows, costing them more time than they could spare.

Once it was clear to mk North America that they would greatly benefit from some outside expertise, they turned back to online research and found SolidCAD’s newly announced cloud-based configurator, Variant.

The Solution

Variant was just what they were looking for. Since our online configurator uses Autodesk Forge Design Automation API for Inventor, it can directly leverage iLogic code in existing CAD models. This allowed mk North America to smoothly transition to Variant without wasting valuable time on re-work or any major disruptions to their established workflows.

Design engineer, Will Peters, spoke about how they were not new to configurators. Since they were already using Configurator 360, almost every other solution they investigated would require massive changes on their end. “The nice thing about Variant,” he explained, “was that we only needed to make some pretty minor adjustments. It operated on the same platform so it wasn’t as full of a process as it would have been with another product.”

mk North America expressed how impressed they were with the SolidCAD technical team’s expertise and communication. Although they were already very familiar with Autodesk Inventor, they were able to learn more in depth information about what goes on in the backend and how all their systems work together. Ultimately, it was a great benefit to continue working with the platforms they knew, and they are grateful they did not decide to face this challenge on their own.

An extra benefit to mk North America was our team’s ability to thoroughly assess and understand their needs. “We had looked into a couple different solutions,” explained Kate Nadeau, marketing manager at mk North America, “the big thing that pushed us this direction was that [SolidCAD] was still developing the tool when we signed on. We knew that we would have a voice… Even though the major framework was there, knowing that we would get our needs met was huge.”

Take a look at mk North America’s instance of Variant called CAD360 on their website to configure your own conveyor today!

Testimonial

Variant was an obvious choice for us as we looked for a solution to our online product configurator.

The tool is very easy to learn and is customizable to your exact needs – which gave us the flexibility to offer a wide range of products in a single online catalog. The user interface is very intuitive and allows us to maintain, update, and improve our product offering in real-time. Along with Variant’s powerful services, the team at SolidCAD has been an absolute pleasure to work with. They are very accommodating and are eager to teach tips & tricks, explain functionality, and work through problems until they’re perfected. Choosing Variant for our online configurator was an easy decision, and it has exceeded our expectations.

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Tag: configurator