Variant diversity: striking a balance between customer orientation and economic efficiency

The multitude of products and customer solutions is causing substantial problems for companies. These primarily involve higher costs in development, procurement and production due to smaller economies of scale and increasing risks due to individualized solutions that are less well established. What measures can companies take to nevertheless raise their profile by means of systematic customer orientation and attractive solutions?

Benefits

  • Combine the advantages of configure to order and engineer to order with the CTO+ process pattern  
  • Manage variability consistently and efficiently throughout the entire product lifecycle
  • Ensure a clear overview and reliable decision-making, even in complex variant spaces
  • Automatically supply ERP, CRM, digital shops and IoT with appropriate data

Combine the advantages of configure to order and engineer to order

Offering the best of both worlds is the order of the day when it comes to our combination of ETO and CTO – we call it CTO+. This process pattern makes it possible for you to strategically align your portfolios using modular product systems and reduce the time and effort required for variant configuration by up to 80 percent. Emphasis is placed on the comprehensive digital organization of data and processes, for example in order to generate product documentation largely automatically.

Offering the best of both worlds is the order of the day when it comes to our combination of ETO and CTO – we call it CTO+. This process pattern makes it possible for you to strategically align your portfolios using modular product systems and reduce the time and effort required for variant configuration by up to 80 percent. Emphasis is placed on the comprehensive digital organization of data and processes, for example in order to generate product documentation largely automatically.

Manage variants throughout the product lifecycle

Build feature- and rule-based variability models for your platforms and modular systems. This rigorously model-driven approach ensures procedural reliability and automation potential for downstream processes.  For example, generate CAD models of the variants automatically, transfer the variant parameters to the ERP system and supply the digital twin with the configuration data for every variant delivered.

Variant configuration in the product life cycle

Build feature- and rule-based variability models for your platforms and modular systems. This rigorously model-driven approach ensures procedural reliability and automation potential for downstream processes.  For example, generate CAD models of the variants automatically, transfer the variant parameters to the ERP system and supply the digital twin with the configuration data for every variant delivered.

Outstanding user experience even for complex variant spaces

Benutzeroberfläche des CONTACT Elements Baustein Variantenmanagement

With its dashboards and direct access to all the necessary context information, such as the 3D preview, Variants offers outstanding transparency and a clear overview. Focus in this context is place on the 150% BOM and the rules for determining variants and configuring them as articles. The basis for this is provided by the CONTACT Elements platform and its InSync Design System.
 

Outstanding user experience even for complex variant spaces

With its dashboards and direct access to all the necessary context information, such as the 3D preview, Variants offers outstanding transparency and a clear overview. Focus in this context is place on the 150% BOM and the rules for determining variants and configuring them as articles. The basis for this is provided by the CONTACT Elements platform and its InSync Design System.
 

Benutzeroberfläche des CONTACT Elements Baustein Variantenmanagement

With its dashboards and direct access to all the necessary context information, such as the 3D preview, Variants offers outstanding transparency and a clear overview. Focus in this context is place on the 150% BOM and the rules for determining variants and configuring them as articles. The basis for this is provided by the CONTACT Elements platform and its InSync Design System.
 

Automatically supply downstream processes such as ERP and product catalogs with appropriate data

Teileliste innerhalb der Benutzeroberfläche des CONTACT Elements Baustein Variantenmanagement

Make it possible for BOMs, classification data and image information like illustrated parts lists and digital mock-ups to be prepared automatically once you complete the detailed configuration of a variant and release it. For example, supply your PIM system or your online catalogs for spare parts and accessories with the latest data error free and thus reduce the amount of manual routine work involved to a minimum.

Automatically supply downstream processes such as ERP and product catalogs with appropriate data

Make it possible for BOMs, classification data and image information like illustrated parts lists and digital mock-ups to be prepared automatically once you complete the detailed configuration of a variant and release it. For example, supply your PIM system or your online catalogs for spare parts and accessories with the latest data error free and thus reduce the amount of manual routine work involved to a minimum.

Teileliste innerhalb der Benutzeroberfläche des CONTACT Elements Baustein Variantenmanagement

Make it possible for BOMs, classification data and image information like illustrated parts lists and digital mock-ups to be prepared automatically once you complete the detailed configuration of a variant and release it. For example, supply your PIM system or your online catalogs for spare parts and accessories with the latest data error free and thus reduce the amount of manual routine work involved to a minimum.

"With CONTACT Variants, companies can organize their portfolio even more efficiently to offer product variants faster while also reducing costs and complexity due to the increasing number of variants. This capability is critical for companies pursuing configure-to-order (CTO) and engineer-to-order (ETO) strategies. CONTACT believes this solution will help companies go beyond CTO to what they call “CTO+” which includes elements of ETO. Many companies are striving to meet the Industry 4.0 vision and the need to profitably serve markets of one through CTO and ETO strategies. CIMdata believes this essential capability will help CONTACT better serve its demanding customers worldwide."

Stan Przybylinski, Vice President, CIMdata, Inc.

Related Elements

The easier way from requirements to product

Implement requirements in a comprehensible and function-oriented way

Make use of requirements directly within the project and product context

Link requirements and present a clear overview of interrelationships

Monitor the degree of fulfillment and take corrective action

Greater clarity when controlling product and project portfolios

Achieve systematic frontloading with the right ideas and initiatives

Structure your portfolios to achieve greater clarity

Inspect projects at the touch of a button throughout the entire lifecycle

Seamlessly integrate design and operations of smart products

Analyze and evaluate field data for targeted product enhancements

Involve your customer communities in the ongoing optimization of your products

Use tried-and-tested procedures such as ticket systems and engineering change management for integration in your development processes

Use DMU models to validate products early, fast and cost-effectively

High-end DMU functions at every workstation

Validate technical changes with automated geometry comparisons

Collision calculations for optimal decisions on variant-specific geometry

High-quality image data for documentation or marketing directly from CAD models

Further information

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