How do configurators improve the relationship between sales and production? (Part 2)
In the previous episode, we posited that product configurator algorithms can offset many of the tensions in the traditional minefield in any enterprise, which is the cooperation between sales and production departments. There we cited arguments mainly related to improving communication between the two departments. Now we would like to present evidence that the configurator reduces the amount of work and the risk of misunderstandings in the production process itself.
Production departments usually raise objections to sales colleagues for not checking the availability of raw materials or semi-finished products when offering, and for not knowing their company's current production capabilities. The configurator has the opportunity to address this issue as well.
Communication with the production order queuing system
In every company, there are times when there are more production orders than average, making lead times longer. However, this information does not always reach sales departments, which offer new customers standard lead times. The product configurator can be linked to the production queuing system and thus quote more realistic waiting times. The salesperson does not then have to explain himself to the customer or put pressure on the production department to salvage the situation.
Constant supply of up-to-date availability information
When creating a configurator, it is impossible, and certainly not worthwhile, to skip this step, when sub-supplier databases are plugged into the algorithm. Previously, knowledge of what the current prices of individual intermediates are and their availability was often scattered. Some came to the company in the form of Excel files, some as links to sub-pages with offers, sometimes it was paper catalogs, and very often - a phone call to a salesman in a partner company.
By building a configurator, the work of the production department can be made easier by integrating the configurator with the warehouse and purchasing systems.
It is a good idea to collect and standardize all this information (as to name, how dimensions and weights are listed, etc.), and then assign it to the configurator in the form of data updated by the sub-suppliers themselves. A system that works this way eliminates the risk of offering something that has long since ceased to be available, or whose price has changed significantly.
Automatic links to purchasing and warehouse
When building the configurator, you can go a step further and make the work of the production department easier by integrating the configurator with the warehouse and purchasing systems. Selecting the elements of the solution through the configurator, the salesperson will be able not only to automatically check whether the inventory allows for quick realization of the product, but also, accepting the order, to automatically initiate the process of replenishing the inventory. Thus, colleagues in production will not have to trouble themselves with checking whether they have an abundance of semi-finished products or placing orders for the corresponding purchases.
Linking the configurator to the production system
Many companies investing in product configurators go a step further and integrate them into their production management system. The statement of a given product, accepted by an algorithm that keeps an eye on its correctness, is then transformed into an appropriate program for production equipment. These, in turn, often with zero or minimal human involvement, produce in the "real world" what moments before was a virtual project. Thus, the configurator becomes part of a well-functioning Industry 4.0 model.
We will talk about what such a system looks like and how we combine the work of the configurator with the work of production machines in practice in our next article, which will be coming soon!
