Configure-to-Order (CTO) Software
Rules-based product configurator with automatic BOM, routing, and pricing generation — built for US industrial equipment manufacturers whose configuration logic is the product.
Industrial equipment manufacturers earn margin from configuration complexity. The same chassis sells at five price points based on options. The same compressor frame sells across six application profiles. Sales and engineering know the rules; ERPs usually don't, leading to incorrect quotes, mis-built equipment, and engineering re-runs that consume the margin the configuration was supposed to capture.
Volvsoft builds custom configure-to-order software for US industrial equipment, capital goods, and complex-product manufacturers. Sales selects options against compatibility rules; pricing rolls up automatically; manufacturing BOM and routing generate from the configuration; engineering reviews only the cases the rules can't resolve. Sales gets faster quotes, manufacturing gets correct builds, engineering gets time back.
What you get
Visual configurator
Sales-friendly UI that walks through options with images. Compatibility rules enforced at selection time, not at engineering review.
Rules-based logic
Compatibility, exclusion, prerequisite, and recommendation rules. Authored by your engineers, executed by the configurator.
Automated BOM generation
Configured BOM generates from the option selection — multi-level, with effectivity dates, ready for ERP MRP.
Routing generation
Operations and routing time generated from configuration. Standard time per option propagates to the manufacturing schedule.
Dynamic pricing & margin
List, dealer, and special pricing per option with rule-based discounts. Margin visibility at quote time.
Drawing & document generation
Customer drawings, spec sheets, and submittals auto-generated from configuration. Sales sends complete packages, not partial PDFs.
Where configurators pay off fast
ROI on a configurator is fastest in operations with these patterns:
- Quote turnaround time is competitive — faster quoting wins more orders
- Engineering reviews 30%+ of quotes for configuration validity
- Mis-builds happen because configurations are interpreted differently across sales and shop floor
- Pricing is often estimated rather than calculated — leading to margin leak
- Drawing packages take engineering time on every customer-specific package
What 'rules-based' actually means
A real configurator engine handles four rule categories. Vendors that handle only some are the source of complaint we hear most.
- Compatibility — option A is compatible with option B; the rule fires at selection time
- Exclusion — option A excludes options X, Y, Z; selecting A clears those choices
- Prerequisite — option A requires option C be selected first; the UI guides accordingly
- Recommendation — given selections so far, options M, N are recommended (not required)
Integration with sales and manufacturing
A configurator that doesn't connect to CRM and ERP is a sales tool that creates rework. We build the integrations that make it real.
- CRM — Salesforce, Dynamics, HubSpot (quote and opportunity sync)
- ERP — quote-to-order conversion with configured BOM and routing
- PLM — feature definitions and engineering rules sourced from PLM
- CAD — automated drawing generation (SolidWorks DriveWorks, Inventor iLogic, NX KBE)
- E-commerce — customer-facing online configurator for self-service quoting where applicable
Frequently asked questions
How does this compare to vendor CPQ like Salesforce CPQ or Oracle CPQ?
Salesforce CPQ and Oracle CPQ are sales-focused — strong on quote generation, lighter on manufacturing-side BOM and routing logic. Custom configurators win when the configuration logic has heavy engineering and manufacturing implications, or when the rule volume / complexity exceeds vendor template capability.
Can engineers author rules without coding?
Yes — the rule authoring UI is engineer-friendly (decision tables, formula editor, exclusion matrices). For very complex products with thousands of rules, we deploy a constraint-solver back-end that scales without performance degradation.
What about KBE and CAD automation?
We integrate with SolidWorks DriveWorks, Inventor iLogic, NX Knowledge Fusion, and Creo Behavioral Modeling for CAD-side automation. Configuration data flows from the configurator to drive CAD model regeneration and drawing generation.
How do we handle pricing exceptions?
Rule-based pricing handles 90%+ of cases. Exception pricing flows through an approval workflow with margin visibility and audit trail. Sales managers approve exceptions; the configurator records the decision for future analysis.
Related solutions
Other Volvsoft platforms US manufacturers commonly pair with this one.
Industries we serve
Manufacturing verticals where Volvsoft has shipped production systems for US clients.
Ready to talk to a manufacturing software team?
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll scope your platform.
- Email: sales@volvsoft.com
- Phone: +1 415-729-8811
