We are configurator professionals

Helsingborg-based Rollco, a manufacturer of linear systems and automation solutions for industry, is responding to the crisis with efficiency improvements. Corona frees up time for us, says designer Oskar Friberg.

We have grown rapidly and now that inquiries are decreasing, we are intensifying our digitalization efforts. We are now working on optimizing the basis for our information flows to be more efficient throughout the chain, from sales and quotes to manufacturing and delivery.

Every day, products and goods are moved in industry using Rollco belt conveyors and linear systems. They are customized and tailored to meet the customer’s specific needs and Rollco has a rich component library that provides a wide range of options.

Twenty times faster with the configurator

However, developing proposals takes time, which increases the more advanced the solution the customer wants. Therefore, the process has been automated with a digital configurator in collaboration with KonfigDesign. The configurator brings together data from the CAD database and the ERP system in an efficient way.

We did a time study that showed that it takes one hour for one person to produce an ordinary and customized conveyor, says Oskar. The configurator does the same in under five minutes.

Thanks to automation, the process is more than 20 times faster. The seller benefits from this. Instead of collecting all the data at the customer’s premises, going to the office to calculate a transportation solution and preparing a quote that is then sent to the customer to wait for a response, the salesperson can present a solution directly to the customer, who can make a decision quickly. This saves further valuable time.

Configurator makes CAD data easy to manage

An important link for everything to work is a special module that makes the CAD data manageable for Monitor ERP, Rollco’s business system. So no matter how complex the data is or how much data it contains, the module ensures that the amount of information is adapted to the business system so that the salesperson can easily produce the quote during the customer visit.

Working in this standardized way also supports Rollco’s production by providing a uniform basis. It also supports product development.

The configurator helps us to ensure that all our processes are right from the start and that we can eliminate the human factor. This means less time at each stage,” says Oskar.

During the current coronavirus crisis, the configurator documentation is being updated to further streamline tender management and other processes. Working with automation and the configurator helps to cut lead time, which has positive effects throughout the company. As requests start to come back after the pandemic, Rollco is breathing a sigh of relief and can better respond to customer requests.

When the corona is over, we will be better equipped,” says Oskar.

Are you also interested in a configurator for your business?

Feel free to contact us, or read more about how we can help you here

During the winter of 2018/2019, we have worked intensively to renovate our new premises in the old power plant at Stationsgatan 6. Parts of the premises had been empty for 70 years, so there was a lot to fix.

Now we are completely moved in and we are of course very happy. Welcome in if you are passing by!

A big thank you to family, friends and all the great companies that have been there to help us:

• Svedja Carpentry
• Tuna tools
• Ödeving VVS
• Gerling Painting
• Scaffolding and industrial services
• Per Sundin Electrical Service
• Sörens Electricity
• Focus Neon
• Midroc
• Hagmans Flooring & Paint
• Hudik Osmosis
• CanLock
• The goods company

We are very excited to have the opportunity to move to this cool place, Hudiksvall’s old power plant, which reminds us of when the second industrial revolution came to town. Now the building can contribute to the fourth!

We will be working on renovation and furnishing to hopefully move in by the end of the year. Follow us on our Instagram!

instagram.com/konfigdesign

The development of a customized ventilation device has several steps, from calculation to manufacturing. Repus Ventilation AB is now working on introducing an automated process that will save the company time. The idea is to make it more efficient to produce drawings, quotes and production documentation using a configurator. This benefits the company, which is in the middle of an expansionary phase.

Mattias Krantz, CEO Repus Ventilation

The construction industry is booming. The favorable economic situation increases Repus Ventilation AB’s opportunities to grow. The company develops, manufactures and sells ventilation solutions. In order to take advantage of the situation and expand, they want to streamline their operations.

We are developing new ways of working that will automate our processes, says Mattias Kranz, CEO. It frees up time for us.

A standard supply air diffuser can be difficult to position if the space is tight. Therefore, a customized actuator is required whose dimensions are calculated taking into account different requirements. It is carried out by a ventilation consultant who can make the calculations in the web-based tool that Repus Ventilation has on its website. The results of the calculations are then used in different areas.

Mattias is now planning to streamline this workflow. By connecting the RuleDesigner configurator, many tasks will be automated. The company is in a transition phase where old routines are to be replaced with new ones, and KonfigDesign is a supportive partner in this process. Mattias explains how it is supposed to work.

– With the help of a plug-in, calculation data should be automatically downloaded to the CAD systems used by the consultant. A 3D drawing is automatically generated. Together with technical data, the information will be passed on to the construction project and inserted into their drawings and BOM lists

Configurator at every step

A flow occurs and flows from calculation to projected don in the automated process. Repus Ventilation is then contacted by a ventilation contractor to obtain a price for the designed units. This too is automated with the configurator.

– In the next step, our CRM system will be connected to the configurator which will retrieve customer details, prices and other data and generate a quote to be sent to the contractor.

When the actuator is finally manufactured, the configurator converts the drawing data into production data. There’s no need for manual intervention, it’s automatic in the digitized process.

Digitization saves time

Once the new way of working is in place, Mattias or his colleagues do not need to be involved in every step. This is done by the configurator, which collects data and sends it to the right user in a digitized flow. From the calculations carried out by the consultant to drawings, quotes and production documents.

– We can already see how much time we will save,” says Mattias. This leaves more time to support consultants as much of the administrative work of managing tenders has been scaled back.

Every day, the automated process will bring benefits to the company.

– What takes hours today, we can do tomorrow at the touch of a button.

Love Janson

With the help of a configurator, Movomech automates the sales process

Profiles form the backbone of a rail system.

A configurator can be used in more areas than manufacturing and construction. Movomech in Kristianstad uses a configurator to streamline sales efforts where contacts are made online.

Movomech in Kristianstad supplies industrial companies around the world with lifting equipment. It supplies rails, trolleys and lifting devices in a customized rail system. The company wanted to create a better way to communicate with its sellers and retailers on the international market. This approach was therefore automated using a web-based configurator. This was customized by KonfigDesign in Hudiksvall in the RuleDesigner program.

With the help of the configurator, the salesperson at the customer’s premises can make various choices and thus determine the characteristics and dimensions of the rail system. This is done in a web browser. Once all the choices are made, the customer receives a quote with all the data, a parts list and a 3D model. This model is generated from the CAD system. The seller does not need to contact Movomech to obtain various data, everything is done via the configurator via the web.

Efforts have also been made to make the web-based configurator as educational as possible with clear icons containing illustrations. This should work on computers, tablets and smartphones. As this function is linked to Movomech’s ERP system, the customer can get a price that is consistent with discounts.

When this flow of information is automated in this way, Movomech saves time.
– We have cut several hours and reduced the time per order by about 85%, says project manager Göran Nilsson. The number of sources of error is minimized because fewer people are handling the information. It ensures our delivery quality, shortens the sales process, and makes transactions easier and safer.

For more information contact:

Göran Nilsson, Movomech, tel. 044-28 29 57, mobile: 0705-10 57 51
E-mail: goran.nilsson@movomech.se

Andreas B Hallberg, KonfigDesign, tel: 0650-133 00, mobile: 076-337 11 62
andreas.b.hallberg@konfigdesign.se

Movomech manufactures lifting devices for customers around the world. By automating the flow from the salespeople with a configurator, the customer immediately receives a proposal for the rail system, a 3D model and a price. We cut unnecessary steps and sales work is improved,” says project manager Göran Nilsson.

The web-based configurator has an easy-to-use interface with large and illustrative icons.

Keeping track of flows is becoming increasingly important. Especially when you operate in a global market with both your own sales organization and dealers spread across the world. This is the case with Movomech, which supplies lifting equipment to industrial companies in several sectors.

– We supply rails, trolleys and lifting equipment in a customized rail system that meets the need that you have, says project manager Göran Nilsson. We can also help with individual components if the customer wants to complete their own device.

A customized rail system has a multitude of characteristics to be defined, ranging from different types of rails and profiles, suspensions and to lifters. Several choices have to be made to produce a device that meets the customer’s requirements. However, the program used to specify this was no longer up to scratch.

– It was an older text-based system that was difficult to update and did not keep up with our developments. We wanted to distribute the information in several ways and we realized that it had to be replaced with a more efficient solution.

But the need was greater than that. The company also wanted to create a better way of communicating with both its own sellers and several retailers around the world. The chain of information was long and not productive. Enquiries were sent to the sellers who in turn contacted the designers who produced a proposal for the rail system. The proposal was then sent back to be presented to the client. The workflow also depended on everyone being available, having time and having the right data at all stages.

Tailor-made configurator

Karin Domeij, Göran Nilsson and Emil Månsson have worked with the configurator at Movomech.

The need to automate the way we work grew. A collaboration was initiated with KonfigDesign in Hudiksvall, who customized a configurator in the RuleDesigner program. It specifies the characteristics of the device in choices that are made in a defined order. You also decide what strength to apply.

– Entering the rail system load produces values that the configurator uses to select the profiles that allow the load and discards those that do not.

Once the selections are made, the configurator has put together a working rail system with parts list. All information is stored in a database.

– The system has a safety feature as you cannot skip any step in the selection. Then the regulations sound the alarm.

The technical documentation is provided to the customer in 3D. While determining the characteristics of the rail system, the same information is generated in a CAD file by the configurator. The customer can place this 3D model in their digital factory layout and conclude if it fits. Designer Emil Månsson has worked on integrating the configurator with Movomech’s CAD system. The information flows from the CAD system to the customer via the configurator.

– A feature of RuleDesigner is that the configurator retrieves data from Inventor’s library automatically and creates documents directly.

The company wants to be self-driven and able to work in a flexible way.

– We have built this system so that we can customize the configurator ourselves if we want to update values or add new profiles. The information should be conveyed in a simple way to the sellers.

Profiles form the backbone of a rail system.

The web supports sellers

Sellers can access the configurator in a web browser.

– The programming of the HTML code is done automatically without our intervention. However, we have decided what the interface should look like to work on computers, smartphones and tablets. Everything is hosted on our server and is available as long as you have an Internet connection.

On the Movomech website, the configurator is available under the EConfig tab on the menu where the user logs in.

– We want to make this site as simple and educational as possible,” says Karin Domeij, who has worked on the graphic communication. We have chosen to have large icons with illustrations rather than having to scroll the page.

The configurator is also integrated with the ERP system.

– “The customer receives a proposal for a rail system and at the same time gets a price from the business system, a price that is correct and linked to the discount they have,” says Göran Nilsson. In addition, the quotes are standardized using the configurator and are provided with our logo.

When the salesperson visits a customer, a proposal for a lifting device with specifications and dimensions, parts list, 3D model and an accurate price can be provided directly at the factory. Everything is available via the web once the properties are entered and presented directly. There is no need to call or email anyone, nor to take time differences into account. A retailer receives a document which he can modify, add his logo and add his final price to the offer.

When the customer accepts the quote, the data from the configurator goes to the warehouse where the components are picked and delivered.

Simpler flow saves time

The flow of information is automated. The salesperson no longer needs to contact departments, but can make a proposal for the hoist himself in a conversation with the customer and get the right price. The quotation is provided with 3D data and the customer can immediately see if the dimensions of the rail system are correct. A new way of working is emerging in the company. This saves time, says Göran.

– We have cut several hours and reduced the time per order by around 85%. The number of sources of error is minimized because fewer people are handling the information. It ensures our delivery quality, shortens the sales process and makes flows easier and safer.

Love Janson

Here is a selection of some pictures of the project work of the Master of Science in Engineering students on the course Technical Design, project course, Mid Sweden University. Andreas B Hallberg from KonfigDesign is training in Cad during fall/winter 2014-2015 and is impressed by the students’ work effort.