Product Configuration

[cc-2]

Hello everyone,

has anyone implemented with Windchill and Creo a End to End Configurator. What I mean by End to End Configurator is a web interface for the customer to log in configure the product, get a lead time, quotation, a 3D model and place the order.

Once the order is placed, this triggers further automation such as creation of the production drawings, (reuse of existing part if required), create mBOM, requirement in ERP etc... so all automated in the digital world.

Finally, can Windchill/Creo support configuration where drag&drop is required, for instance to design a manifold.

Thanks and best wishes

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[jbeckley-2]

Hello,

Yes, we have many customers that do this; however, I'm not sure that any of them are in this forum.

If you are looking for information on this, please visit our website www.sigmaxim.com and contact one of our sales team. We can provide some examples of this type of configuration processing.

Joel Beckley

Application Engineer

SIGMAXIM

[Cosmo]

What you're describing is not a configurator that is owned by engineering but a more general corporate configurator. Each function you mentioned might be a different button in a web UI that communicates with one or more systems behind the scenes. Generating a quote, for example, may not require Creo or Windchill at all. We have an ERP/MRP system that is used for quoting. However, since our customer service department is usually the group answering requests from customers, they are the people that need a web front end to our product configurator in engineering.

We have a product configurator. It's a web front end but communicates with a server that generates the product models and drawings and exports them in neutral formats and stores them in a common server location that our customer service people can access. MBOMs and routers could easily be included in this process but we chose to focus on product configuration first and then add on these features afterwards.

Technically, the products our configurator creates don't exist until the product configurator builds them. While this may sound like a lot, it's really not. SmartAssembly is designed for engineers to use so it's quick to learn and get going on. We spent far more time with internal reviews than actually building up the apps.

Mike Kramer

[cc-2]

Hi Guys

thank you for your comments. I will not call it a general configurator but a comprehensive one if you do not like End to End.

I have in the past implemented various configurator but they were designed for a narrow needs (speed up the designer needs). speed the sales order entry in SAP, or speed up costing. so In the great scheme of things it was fragments that I implemented. Now I am after one that links all those pieces together. Thus my expression End to End.

I am trying to achieve it with the least number of different solutions that need to talk to each other.

I could be buying 3rd party softwares to feel all the gaps I have but I would end up with a heavily fragmented solutions with many connectors/integration to manage.

I keep you posted. but it will take surely a year before it is up and running. Especially if we have to change CAD software too..

best regards

[jbeckley-2]

Every customer is different. They have different setups, different needs, different goals. If you are looking for a total solution from one company, we can do that. In your case, our SmartDesignServer tool would be able to generate your model configurations, along with any quote, bom, routing, manufacturing data, provided you have corporate rules and logic that dictate how those items are to be constructed.

We are also in development of a new front-end configurator web-site system that will allow you to quickly and easily generate a web-front-end that can be externally or internally based, depending on your end-user requirements. The need for this is to make an easy to setup and maintain web platform that still gives you the power and flexibility you need to support your customer base.

The back-end configuration system SmartDesignServer allows you to use your current Creo models, or build new ones as necessary on the fly. As Mike had said, you won't have to build up every possible solution ahead of time since our tool acts like a digital user following your design and engineering rules to build anything you need in the Creo environment.

Joel Beckley

Application Engineer

SIGMAXIM