Product configurator
By using the Product configurator option in Monitor ERP, you can manage and combine several variants and models of a product. Based on a certain basic model you can compose different variants and create different models of a product, and then calculate prices and create manufacturing orders.
Benefits of the Product configurator
The Product configurator offers the following advantages:
Sales – Makes it easy to define different product variants when making quotes and orders, and you can see straight away which configurations are possible to create and what they will cost. By using the check delivery times feature you can make sure your delivery times are reliable. The Product configurator can with advantage be combined with a web solution to present a user-friendly interface to e.g. salesmen or customers. This provides an increased accessibility for resellers and customers and decreases the need for administration.
Production – Manufacture the right product variant with correct operation and material contents. This provides easy management of variants from each separate order, directly generated from the customer order. Pre- and post-calculations can also be made for configured products, which provides you with current standard prices, quote prices and financial follow-up. With a very small range of parts you can create lots of different product variants.
Aftermarket – Enables detailed follow-ups and traceability of each product. With an integrated product register, the information about each sold (specific) product is managed via a unique serial number. This facilitates management and provision of spare parts, warranty commitment, and maintenance of each specific product variant.
Web solution
As mentioned earlier, you can easily combine the Product configurator with a web solution, either the Monitor Webshop or the Monitor Portal. The web solutions are flexible and you can design the website according to your own specific requirements and needs.
All configuration data is loaded directly from the Monitor database. If changes are made in the database, the information on the website will also change.
- The web solution offers customers and retailers the opportunity to configure and order products themselves depending on their needs. With different access levels it is possible to adapt e.g. the range of products, layout, language etc. to meet the needs of the customer/retailer.
- The salesperson can use the web solution and design the product while discussing it with the customer and at once see what is possible to create and at the same time present the price.
Basic data
The basic data consists of a basic BOM and routing plus a configuration group where option lists and rules for the different product variants are specified.
Support Functions
In addition to this, there are also calculation and order procedures where the products are configured as well as functions used to show and administer configuration statistics.
Principle
The Product configurator can be seen as an alternative to the alternate BOM and routing. In the alternate BOM and routing you use a complete "maximum BOM and routing" as a basis where all possible material and operation variants are listed, and with aid of rules you decide which of these will be included or not in the BOM and routing for a certain variant code, revision, order, customer, quantity, or period.
When using the Product configurator, you will instead use a basic BOM and routing or "mini-BOM and routing" where you include only the items that always should be included in the product and that is not in any way optional, for example the assembly.
Configuration
In the configuration, the different components are combined to become the finished product. The configuration is made in connection with order registering or quoting.
If it is a customer-made product the selectable components can be determined by rules and variables. You can use formulas to calculate variables and determine rules for conditions. You can also use formulas to calculate quantities and prices.
The Product configurator and Customer order transfer?
If you use both the Product configurator and Customer order transfer options, you can add the Remote configurator option in the sales company to use the configurations that are registered in the production company.
