CP Pumpen AG is a leading manufacturer of premium-quality centrifugal chemical process pumps and a provider of services dedicated to helping customers increase energy efficiency and achieve sustainable environmental improvements in fluid-handling systems.
Established in 1948 and based in Zofingen, Switzerland, CP Pumpen operates internationally in more than 40 countries.
Poor performance, complicated administration and inaccurate technical output led some users back to internal Excel tools.
Configuration logic helps prevent combinations that cannot be built while preserving flexibility for non-standard requirements.
- Eliminate configuring incompatible options
- Streamline BOM generation with accelerated, dynamic BOM drill down
- Integrate product configuration with Dynamics AX
- Improve technical documentation for complex pump configurations
Challenge
CP Pumpen AG, also known as CP Pump Systems, is an independent Swiss pump manufacturer with an international scope and a strong focus on technology.
The company had deployed Dynamics AX 2012 R3 in 2016 and developed an external pump configuration tool alongside the ERP implementation. The configurator upgrade, however, did not perform as expected.
Users were unhappy with the application and its performance. Administration was complicated, and the configurator could not reliably produce the valid technical documentation the business required.
As a result, many users bypassed the system and returned to internal Excel programs they had developed themselves.
Users frequently bypassed the external configurator and returned to familiar Excel tools.
The existing system struggled to produce reliable pump datasheets, pricing information and bills of materials.
Product combinations could be selected even when they could not actually be built.
The external configurator was cumbersome to administer and performed below expectations.
Solution
Two years into the original configuration initiative, CP Pumpen restarted the project with clearer goals.
Technical document generation was identified as the critical gap in the previous configurator. Inaccurate pump datasheets, pricing information and bills of materials had made the old system difficult to use. The new solution needed to handle these requirements with greater speed, precision and accuracy.
CP Pumpen returned to CPQ for a new evaluation. The team had considered Experlogix during its earlier configurator search and now revisited the platform with the lessons of the previous implementation in mind.
“CPQ had gained a lot of interest back then but did not win the race. After our experience with the choice made, the new project team was more than happy to get back to CPQ for a re-evaluation.”
Technical documentation was one of the primary drivers. Integration with Dynamics AX simplified that part of the process, while the configuration modeling interface aligned well with the technical capabilities of CP Pumpen's team.
Product configuration and technical information could work more closely with the company's ERP environment.
Configuration logic helps prevent incompatible combinations that cannot be manufactured.
The initial project deliberately focused on generating the manufacturing bill of materials.
Accurate technical information was placed at the center of the new configuration strategy.
Result
With the unused configurator still fresh in mind, CP Pumpen took a deliberately incremental approach to the new project.
Rather than attempting a full-scale deployment immediately, the team started with a lean configuration tool containing only the need-to-have functionality. The first priority was BOM generation.
CP Pumpen wanted proof that CPQ could handle its hardest configuration requirements, so the project began with its most complex pump model.
BOM generation was selected as the core need-to-have capability for the initial configuration tool.
“We wanted our sales tool to generate valid selections. With the old configuration tool, we had too many cases where combinations were selected which could not be built. This is now a thing of the past, while maintaining the flexibility to handle non-standard requirements.”
Product logic prevents combinations that cannot actually be built.
CP Pumpen retained the flexibility required to handle non-standard customer requirements.
Manufacturing BOM generation became the foundational capability of the initial configuration model.
CP Pumpen intentionally validated the solution against its most complex pump model first.
- Complete configuration models for the remaining product portfolio
- Determine the organization's future CRM direction
- Define the roadmap for additional CPQ functionality
- Evaluate future access for agents and resellers
- Potentially extend configuration access to customers
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