For manufacturers handling complex and configurable products like trucks, cranes, or industrial machinery, navigating product configurations, pricing strategies, and sales alignment can be a daunting task. Today, manufacturers face rising customer expectations for tailored products, shorter delivery times, and transparent pricing, while internally grappling with siloed systems that hinder operational efficiency. Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) technology is the strategic solution to these challenges, revolutionizing how manufacturers manage their sales process from configuration to quote.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deeper into dual-BOM (Bill of Materials) management, how seamless data integration can unify your ERP, CRM, and PLM systems, and how automation through CPQ drives unprecedented efficiency in sales and production. By the end of this, you'll see why CPQ isn’t just a nice-to-have but a critical investment for complex manufacturers seeking to gain a competitive edge.
Manufacturers producing highly configurable products face complexity at nearly every step of the production and sales process. Traditional quoting methods often fall short, resulting in errors, delays, and a disjointed customer experience. A modern CPQ system eliminates these issues by offering a unified platform where sales teams can generate accurate, tailored quotes based on real-time data.
For industries like heavy machinery or truck manufacturing, this accuracy is crucial. Products are often built-to-order, meaning each customer configuration could vary significantly from the last. Without an integrated system that bridges sales, engineering, and production, this level of customization introduces a higher chance of errors, delayed production schedules, and misaligned pricing. A well-implemented CPQ system automates and standardizes these workflows, ensuring that what is promised in the sales quote can actually be built and delivered—on time and within budget.
One of the standout features of CPQ is dual-BOM management, which plays a pivotal role in aligning the sales and production teams. The two key BOMs, the Manufacturing BOM (MBOM) and the Sales BOM (SBOM), each serve different but complementary purposes.
The MBOM details the components and materials needed to produce a product, whereas the SBOM outlines the product’s configuration from a customer’s perspective. Traditionally, these two BOMs are managed separately, creating room for misalignment between what sales promises and what production can deliver. This can lead to costly production delays, customer dissatisfaction, and increased operating costs.
In a CPQ system with dual-BOM management, both BOMs are updated simultaneously in real-time. As sales teams configure a product, the CPQ system automatically ensures the manufacturing department is working from the same data. This immediate synchronization enables faster production, greater accuracy in order fulfillment, and a more streamlined workflow from the initial quote to final delivery.
Dual-BOM management also ensures that any changes made during the sales process—such as adding a feature or customizing a component—are reflected immediately in the production plan. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth communication between departments, reduces errors, and increases overall efficiency in fulfilling customer orders.
While dual-BOM management provides a solid foundation for synchronizing sales and production, the real transformative power of CPQ lies in its ability to integrate with existing enterprise systems like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management). These systems often store essential data related to pricing, customer interactions, and product designs. However, in many organizations, these platforms don’t communicate effectively with each other, resulting in siloed information and inefficient processes.
With CPQ, data from ERP, CRM, and PLM systems is seamlessly integrated into a single platform. This integration ensures that all relevant data—pricing, customer details, product specifications—is available to the sales team in real-time, enabling faster and more accurate quoting. Here’s how it works:
ERP Integration: An ERP system typically handles back-office functions, including material costs, production schedules, and inventory levels. Integrating CPQ with ERP means that all quotes generated by the sales team are based on the most up-to-date information regarding material availability and production capacity. This ensures that quotes are not only accurate but also realistic in terms of delivery timelines.
CRM Integration: Your CRM holds valuable data about your customers, including historical sales information, preferences, and negotiated discounts. When CPQ integrates with CRM, sales teams can automatically pull this information into the quoting process, providing more personalized and accurate quotes. For instance, if a customer has a preferred pricing arrangement due to long-term business relationships, CPQ will reflect that in the quote without requiring manual intervention.
PLM Integration: PLM systems manage the design and development of products, storing critical data related to product configurations and engineering constraints. By integrating PLM with CPQ, you ensure that only feasible product configurations are quoted to the customer. This reduces the likelihood of quoting products that cannot be manufactured as specified, thus avoiding costly rework and redesign.
Automation is one of the most powerful features of a CPQ system, enabling manufacturers to improve efficiency and reduce the risk of human error. For example, CPQ can automatically enforce complex pricing rules and configuration constraints, ensuring that every quote is accurate and aligned with company policies.
Consider a manufacturer that uses a cost-plus pricing model. In this model, the final price of a product is calculated by adding a markup to the base cost of materials and labor. Traditionally, this would require manual calculation, leaving room for inconsistencies and errors, especially if material prices fluctuate. With CPQ, this process is fully automated. The system calculates the final price based on real-time data from the ERP system, applying any relevant discounts or markups automatically.
In addition to pricing, CPQ also automates the validation of product configurations, ensuring that the sales team only offers products that can be manufactured according to the customer’s specifications. This reduces the need for manual checks and speeds up the quoting process, allowing sales teams to respond to customer inquiries faster and more accurately.
In today's market, customers expect a seamless buying experience across multiple channels—whether they are engaging with a manufacturer online, via mobile, or in person. CPQ systems support omnichannel sales by providing a consistent experience across all platforms. For example, customers can begin configuring a product online and then complete the purchase through a sales representative without losing any information.
Omnichannel CPQ ensures that product configurations, pricing, and discounts are consistent across all sales channels. This not only improves the customer experience but also increases the likelihood of conversion by allowing customers to engage with your brand on their terms. The added ability to visualize product configurations in real-time (via virtual tabulation) enhances the decision-making process, reducing the time it takes for customers to finalize their purchase.
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your CPQ system, it’s essential to track performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Some of the most critical metrics to monitor include:
Quote accuracy: This measures the degree to which the initial quotes match the final production costs. High quote accuracy suggests that your CPQ system is pulling in the correct data from ERP and PLM systems and applying pricing rules accurately.
Time to quote: A reduction in the time it takes to generate a quote is one of the primary indicators of CPQ efficiency. Faster quoting times allow sales teams to respond to customer inquiries more quickly, improving the overall customer experience.
Conversion rate: By tracking how often quotes turn into confirmed orders, you can measure the effectiveness of your CPQ system in driving sales. A higher conversion rate suggests that your CPQ system is delivering quotes that are both compelling and accurate.
Time to order: Once a quote is accepted, the speed at which it is converted into a production order is crucial. This metric helps you assess how well your CPQ system integrates with your manufacturing processes, ensuring that orders move smoothly from sales to production.
By monitoring these KPIs, manufacturers can continuously optimize their CPQ processes, identifying bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
For manufacturers dealing with complex, customizable products, CPQ is no longer optional—it’s a must-have tool for staying competitive. The ability to integrate dual-BOM management, real-time data from ERP, CRM, and PLM, and automated workflows ensures that manufacturers can deliver accurate, timely quotes while maintaining alignment between sales and production teams.
By investing in CPQ technology, manufacturers can streamline their operations, reduce costly errors, and offer a superior customer experience, all while increasing their ability to scale efficiently. The future of manufacturing lies in customization and agility, and CPQ is the key to unlocking that potential.