QAD in Configured Products

The need to be agile in delivering complex products is growing in many markets, and manufacturers have a challenge in addressing customer demand. Customers want mass customization. This customer demand conflicts with the need for companies to keep inventory low. It is nearly impossible to predict demand at the final product level of detail, and doing so may result in a needless buildup of never-used finished goods inventory.

A configurator helps in this entire process. By allowing companies to forecast and manufacture at the modular level, it can reduce inventory and lead times. By allowing customers to define the exact product they want, it can improve customer satisfaction, decrease costs and reduce delivery times.

QAD Configurator helps to control rework and eliminate errors by simplifying the manufacturer’s product technology and ensuring that requirements are consistent through the entire cycle from quote to delivery.

Configured products company characteristics:

• Produces a large number of end-products out of a relatively small number of standardized components
• Production is based on the assembly of variable items rather than fabrication from scratch
• The manufacturing strategy is "make/assemble-to-order", rather than "make-to-stock"
• Considers order lead times, sales costs and quote errors too high

Configured products manufacturers can reduce rework, lead times and sales costs by guiding the sales and manufacturing processes with the use of QAD Configurator.

QAD Configurator addresses the needs of configured products companies, including:

• Product Configuration in quotes, orders and stand-alone, as well as on the QAD Customer Self Service (CSS) web storefront
• Guided selling/rules-based selling through interactive questionnaire for rapid configuration
• Pricing by component or option
• Flexible model creation
• Comprehensive reporting capabilities
• Seamless integration to QAD Enterprise Applications
• Automatically creates product structures and routings for manufacturing, reducing errors and delays
• Can links sales order and work order to reduce shipping errors and ensure accurate builds

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