The cost of getting it wrong
Customer demand for customized products continues to grow, and customization, when part of efficient sales and engineering workflows, is a key component of manufacturing success. However, every custom order introduces complexity and the risk of delays, errors, and rework, making customization at scale difficult for many manufacturers. Getting orders wrong can lead to lost sales, damage to company reputation, and increased production costs.
Manufacturers who get custom orders right the first time have transformed their configuration process and the flow of information from the point of customer inquiry through to production. These businesses manage complex configurations at scale with ease and accuracy.
What can go wrong with custom orders?
Configuring custom products introduces complexity and potential bottlenecks into workflows. Manual sales and engineering processes can become slow and prone to errors.
Typical causes of errors include:
- Manual data entry across different systems
- Misinterpretation of customer requirements
- Inaccurate documentation
- Undocumented engineering logic and design rules
Incorrect custom orders lead to increased rework and scrap materials, increased engineering workload, production delays, missed customer delivery dates, and lower customer satisfaction.
Guidelines for getting customer orders right the first time
- Simplify the configuration process
- Capture engineering knowledge
- Validate orders upfront
- Create a single source of truth
- Automate repetitive tasks
Simplify the configuration process
Making it easier to accurately configure custom products reduces error rates and improves customer experience.
Guided selling makes configuration easier and more accurate by leading salespeople through a structured, step-by-step process that recommends the right options based on customer requirements. By validating choices in real time and preventing incompatible selections, it reduces complexity, minimizes errors, and ensures configurations comply with business and technical rules.
Capture engineering knowledge
Capturing engineering knowledge enables manufacturers to embed expert product, design, and manufacturing rules directly into the configuration process.
Engineering expertise and logic are captured and applied automatically, ensuring that only valid, manufacturable configurations can be selected. This reduces errors, eliminates costly rework, and ensures that customer requirements are accurately translated into deliverable products.
Validate orders upfront
Validating orders upfront helps ensure custom orders are right the first time by identifying errors and incompatible selections before the order moves into engineering or production.
By checking configurations against predefined engineering rules at the point of order creation, manufacturers can prevent invalid combinations. This reduces the need for rework, minimizes production delays, and results in a better customer experience.
Create a single source of truth
Creating a single source of truth enables manufacturers to ensure everyone involved, from sales and engineering to manufacturing and service, is working from the same accurate and up-to-date product information.
With centralized product data, rules, specifications, and pricing, there is less risk of miscommunication, outdated information, or conflicting requirements being used during the order process. This consistency improves configuration accuracy and reduces errors.
Automate repetitive tasks
Automating repetitive tasks enables manufacturers to reduce the manual effort involved in configuring, validating, designing, and processing orders.
Tasks such as applying product rules, checking compatibility, generating drawings, BOMs, and quotes can be performed automatically and consistently, removing the risk of human error. This not only speeds up the ordering process but also ensures that every custom order adheres to the same approved standards.
The business benefits of getting custom orders right the first time
Getting custom orders right the first time delivers a range of business benefits. By eliminating configuration errors and ensuring orders are accurate from the start, manufacturers reduce rework, accelerate delivery times, improve customer satisfaction, and increase profitability.
1. Stronger competitive advantage
Consistently delivering accurate custom products faster than competitors helps to win more deals and establish market presence.
2. Improved customer satisfaction
Customers receive the custom product they ordered in the delivery timeframe they expected, leading to stronger relationships and repeat business.
3. Lower operational costs
Fewer errors result in less material waste, lower return volumes, and more efficient use of sales, engineering, and manufacturing resources.
4. Reduced business risk
Validation and rules-based processes ensure compliance with regulatory quality, safety, and environmental requirements.
5. Enhanced scalability
Standardized, accurate processes enable manufacturers to increase order volumes without increasing headcount or sacrificing margin and output quality.
Getting custom orders right the first time with DriveWorks
Manufacturers across a wide range of industries get custom orders right the first time with DriveWorks design automation, 3D product configurator, and CPQ solutions.
“Our sales staff are saving valuable time and our customer service is better than ever. We are building customer loyalty, increasing sales, and avoiding mistakes.”
“This solution, first of all, helps us to better serve our customers. We can work faster, we can work more efficiently… We can create much more complex projects.”
“It’s a huge advantage if you can manage design, configuration, automation, and sales in one application.”
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