Managing product complexity efficiently and improving customer experience
For manufacturers producing highly customized products, managing customization with manual design processes is a key challenge. As products become more complex, the potential for errors, delays, and inefficiencies increases. DriveWorks design automation, 3D product configurator, and CPQ solutions enable manufacturers to speed up design timelines and deliver custom products more efficiently. The Bradley Collection uses DriveWorks to manage product complexity efficiently and enhance customer experience.
The challenge
The Bradley Collection manufactures custom curtain poles and drapery hardware for an international customer base. Each of their products can be customized with a range of options, including:
- Finishes, colors, and materials
- Pole diameters and lengths
- Bracket types and fixing methods
- Decorative elements
- Gliding systems and motorization options
With such a wide range of customization options, specifying products accurately was difficult. Additionally, the configuration process relied heavily on manual inputs, leading to several challenges:
- Misinterpretation between sales and manufacturing
- High risk of human error and rework
- Time-consuming manual calculations
- Poor customer quoting experience
The solution
They implemented DriveWorks and integrated their solution with their ERP system to improve their internal processes and enhance the customer buying journey. They now use DriveWorks to:
- Guide the sales team through product configuration via a web-based portal
- Automatically generate designs and manufacturing documents
- Automatically generate clear, summarized quotes
- Create CSV files for ERP integration
The benefits
The implementation of DriveWorks delivered several benefits for The Bradley Collection:
1. Improved accuracy
As a result of rules-driven configuration and automated outputs, misinterpretation between teams is eliminated, and errors and rework are significantly reduced.
2. Increased efficiency and time saving
86 hours saved annually in production layout processes and 50 hours per year of senior design time saved. Engineers now only work on the most complex projects, freeing up their time to work on higher-value work.
3. Scalable customization
Their highly customized product range has been maintained as they scaled operations. Design rules ensure consistency across all projects, and configuration is handled automatically. This has enabled growth without additional operational pressure.
4. Enhanced customer experience
Quotes are easier to understand, visual outputs help customers to understand design options, and response times are faster.
We can actually set that up as rules, fill in a very simple form, and then that’s going to produce a drawing that goes to the customer to be signed off.
The Bradley Collection team on DriveWorks in action
Learn more about enhancing customer experience with Driveworks technology
Customer experience is no longer just an optional consideration. It’s a critical factor in winning business and building customer loyalty.
In the 2024 Deloitte The Future of the Digital Customer Experience survey, businesses reported significant business benefits from enhancing customer experience, with increased customer loyalty and satisfaction, higher sales or revenue, improved issue resolution time, and greater margins ranking at the top of the list.
In a recent blog, we looked at how DriveWorks technology enables manufacturers to configure complex custom products with ease, streamline their quoting process, and provide a customer experience that wins sales and builds customer loyalty.
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