CPQ in machinery and plant engineering
Germany’s machinery and plant engineering sector is traditionally one of the country’s top-performing industries.
Rising global competition and growing product variety are creating new challenges. Complex products, tailored customer requirements, and multi-level quoting processes make a powerful CPQ solution a strategic success factor.
Why is digitalization necessary
in the machine manufacturing industry?
Global competition
Competition demands high-quality technology at competitive prices.Complexity
Despite modular construction methods, calculations remain costly and complex.Price fluctuations
Raw materials, energy and preliminary products are subject to strong price fluctuations.Uncertainty in the course of the project
Long-term price calculations must be reliable despite subsequent changes.Non-transparent cost structures
Missing or out-of-date data increases the risk of miscalculations.Lack of specialists
Individual calculations require experience and technical expertise.Leveraging quotation calculation for smarter machinery sales
Digitization for your configuration
CPQ makes it possible to digitally map different types of quotes in the machinery manufacturing industry.
- ETO orders (engineering-to-order): Machines and systems are developed and designed on the basis of individual customer requirements.
- CTO orders (Configure-to-Order): Machines are produced on a modular basis from a selection of predefined parameters.
- ATO orders (Assemble-to-Order): Machines are planned exclusively from predefined components.
- Faster quotation processes: CPQ makes machine configuration more efficient and automatically checks the compatibility of machines within a production line.
Optimized sales in the machine construction industry
- Integrated cross-selling: With CPQ, relevant materials are automatically included in quotations.
- Clear definition of service contracts: CPQ allows standardized service packages to be offered efficiently and easily.
- CPQ for global sales structures: A CPQ solution takes into account country-specific standards and regulations to develop machines for international use in compliance with guidelines.
- Regulatory requirements: With CPQ, compliance with strict regulations is automatically validated during quotation preparation.
Optimized processes
- Constructability check: Technically valid quotes are essential in machinery sales. CPQ automatically checks whether assemblies and machine combinations are compatible and feasible.
- Digital quote adjustment in real time: Digital Quote makes the quotation process digital and interactive: customers can respond directly to quotation items, initiate changes and make queries.
- Workflows & ETO approvals: Sales, technical and production departments remain seamlessly connected via CPQ. Workflows for approvals, technical queries or ETO processes are triggered directly in the system clearly, quickly and transparently.
- Simple adaptation of proposals: CPQ solutions enable customer-side changes to configurations to be considered automatically.
Inspiring best practices
Our customer testimonials
As an innovative company, we use advanced technologies such as the CPQ solution to offer our customers customised and powerful complete solutions.
Jörg Bittenbinder, EPC Manager Europe at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH
To success story
Firstly, CAS Merlin CPQ impressed us with its extensive functions, graphical modelling and wide range of design options. Thanks to its agile and intuitive usability, no programming knowledge is required and it is really enjoyable to work with the CPQ solution.
Alexander Riegel, Head of System Configuration at SOMIC
To success story
CAS Merlin CPQ supports SUSS in preserving knowledge and experience.
Dr. Tim Bruchmüller, Director Platform & Systems at SUSS Solutions GmbH
To success story
Together, we succeeded in optimising the entire process with CAS Merlin CPQ while providing our sales staff with an optimal tool.
Khaled Boukhalfa, Jungheinrich Project Manager for the introduction of the Jungheinrich Group Configurator
To success storyAdvantages of CAS Merlin CPQ at a glance
Sales CPQ - optimization of complex quoting processes CPQ reduces manual effort, presents multidimensional requirements transparently and supports global sales work through multilingualism, currency options and portfolio management- Use of Augmented Intelligence Assistants (AIA®) AIA® supports CTO, CTO+ and ETO processes in special machine construction through automated workflows and ensures reliable pricing and discounting.
- Intelligent recommendation systemsIndividual customer requirements are taken into account through the intelligent selection of suitable components. This reduces complexity and increases efficiency when configuring technical solutions.
- Modeling without programming knowledgeThe intuitive rule modeling in the Modeler relieves the burden on experts, while a logic check prevents invalid combinations. Expert knowledge is managed centrally and used for error-free configuration.
- Customer CPQ - customer-centric requirements captureCustomers capture their requirements themselves. This saves queries, reduces coordination effort and leads to more precise, tailor-made offers.
Reseller CPQ - Efficient reseller processesResellers receive intuitive access to current price lists and knowledge. This allows everyone involved to keep track of leads, customer requirements and sales status - worldwide and in real time.
FAQ
Why is the quoting process in mechanical engineering particularly complex?
Individual customer requirements, complex products and variable costs make costing challenging.
How does CPQ help with the quotation process in the mechanical engineering sector?
With our standard interfaces - including a flexible Excel importer and connections to common third-party systems - you can easily transfer existing data structures to our CPQ system. This saves time, reduces manual effort and speeds up the start of the project.
What distinguishes ETO from CTO in mechanical engineering?
While ETO stands for individually developed machines, CTO Maschinenbau is based on preconfigurable modules.
Is my business model suitable for a CPQ tool?
If you sell complex or multi-variant products, CPQ is worthwhile. CPQ offers clear efficiency benefits, particularly in the case of technical dependencies, individual customer requirements or international sales structures.
How much effort is involved in transferring our existing data structure?
We offer various standard interfaces with which existing data structures - for example from Excel product configurators or internal tools - can be efficiently transferred to our CPQ system. This saves time and reduces manual effort when setting up the system.
More from the world of CAS Merlin CPQ
Do you have any questions?
We are happy to help you.
Our experts will provide you with help and advice by phone or e-mail. Further, our Info Center contains handy tips and detailed information on current CRM and CPQ topics.
Customer support
CRM: +49 721 9638-188
CPQ: +49 721 9638-901