PRODUCT CONFIGURATOR Software Module
Many companies sell modularized or customized products that are variations based on standard products. IBS Product Configurator is a flexible, automated way to create customized products directly from customer order entry.
HIGHLIGHTS of Features & Benefits
- Easy to create customized products
- Shorter delivery times, higher customer satisfaction
- No temporary products in basic files
- Fewer items to maintain.
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IBS Product Configurator also lets you avoid many problems that usually arise with complex orders. The properties and rules that control the make-up of configured items are already stored within the system. Any member of your staff is able to process orders without errors, saving time and costs while ensuring high quality levels and controls.
ORDER ENTRY
When a configured product is identified, IBS Product Configurator starts up and guides the user through the configuration process, including defining variables such as length, height, color, features, models and materials.
IBS Product Configurator allows flexible rules for entering orders, based on the type of item and its associated configuration method. Manufacturing order items are treated somewhat differently from Order structure items. For example, a personal computer, although not manufactured, consists of various elements that need to be configured. In this example, the Order structure item would constitute the actual PC, a keyboard, mouse, monitor and other peripherals.
The rules for item configuration are already defined in the system, which automatically initiates the configuration method for either a manufacturing or order structure.
Quotations are entered with the same functionality and options as orders.
MANUFACTURING ORDERS
IBS Product Configurator interactively guides users through the configuration process. A user defines a product by selecting its attributes from available options or values. The system creates the product structure, using either predefined or user-defined, two-dimensional configuration tables. These tables include a component's item and operation list and are used to determine quantities, times, weight, additional charges and other properties. Depending on the user selections, bill of material, bill of routing, operation list and pricing functions are automatically taken care of.
Handling criteria can be based on both material and operations; for instance, the work center can vary depending on order volume or material. Once the product configuration is complete, the user is shown the generated material and operation structure and, subject to user authority, has the option to correct mistakes or make basic changes.
A manufacturing order with preliminary reservations of both material and capacity will be automatically created once the configuration is complete.
ORDER STRUCTURE MAINTENANCE
IBS Product Configurator can also be activated in the order structure maintenance program if the mother component is defined as a configurable item. The configuration program then creates component lines under the parent item for selections made. When all selection levels in the configuration process are accepted, the order structure maintenance program will use both the base order structure table and the configured components to build the sub-file with all components.
Product costing is not performed when configuring an order structure item.
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Dynamic settings make it possible to create and simulate different configuration options.
QUOTATION ENTRY
For configured items, quotation entry includes the same steps, principles and functionality as order entry. This makes it simple to copy quotations and quotation lines into an order.
CONFIGURATION SIMULATION
A design engineer can simulate configuration without having to create a quotation or order. Simulations can be saved for later use and printed on request. The simulation routine can also be used to create a new standard product from a simulated configuration.
Instead of creating a manufacturing order, IBS Product Configurator lets you create a project item structure.
COST MODELS
You can define tables that IBS Product Configurator uses to calculate customer and/or item-related margins or mark-up of cost to the sales price for a configurable item. A separate cost model can also be defined to base pricing on product costing.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTING
You can define alternative bills of routing to be used at product configuration, depending on quantities ordered and/or values and attributes.
PRODUCT CONFIGURATION TABLES
These tables are set up to hold information about the products to be used in the configuration process. They contain details about product features and options, alternative components and bills of routing. Formulas are used to define variable quantities of components, time per operation and additional product charges. Standard texts can be used to automatically print descriptive information on external documents.
The tables also contain attribute selections, to guide you in the configuration process. Validation rules may be defined for these attribute selections and default values may be used to provide a fast-path method of entering popular configurations.
ALTERNATIVE DIALOG AND LANGUAGE HANDLING
Prompt texts can be defined for each language on the configuration entry panels. This feature can be especially useful for a multi-distribution center environment that serves an international group or customers. At configurator item level, the method to be used for entering product configuration can be indicated – prompted entry or part selection.
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