In the space of a few short months, the manufacturing industry lurched forward five years in digital adoption. Now product visualization and visual CPQ are helping manufacturers adjust.How did manufacturing change in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? And how likely are these changes to endure? How is product visualization revolutionizing sales, engineering, and production, and enabling some manufacturers to thrive in the new normal while others sit on the sidelines? Read on to find out.
Key Takeaways
The COVID-19 crisis had many short-term effects on manufacturers around the globe. Some short-term changes are likely to become long-term shifts, creating a new post-COVID normal for manufacturers. Manufacturers are now struggling to contend with:
To deal with worker shortages during the pandemic, many manufacturers increased automation and the use of robotics in the production process. Experts estimate that almost two-thirds of all working hours spent on manufacturing-related tasks are automatable. This shift towards automation goes beyond the factory floor to include sales and engineering staff, as well.
Over time, manufacturers come to rely on a limited number of trusted suppliers. But many of these supply chains broke during the COVID-19 crisis, forcing companies to expand the number of suppliers they deal with to ensure a constant source of materials. Not all manufacturers want to return to their old supply chain partners.
The rapid changes in business models necessitated by the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic have proven how important it is for businesses of all types to access reliable real-time data. To turn on a dime, you need to know what’s happening in your business and beyond – you can’t wait weeks or months for data when you have to make decisions today. The more data you can access quickly, the more reactive and competitive you’ll be in the new normal.
To rapidly adapt to changing market conditions, your company needs to embrace new technology that will help you get the job done. Embracing new technologies can help you collect more data and develop new, more efficient processes. This is undoubtedly the case for product visualization, a technology that can affect all aspects of your manufacturing business.
Product visualization is a technology that enables sales reps or customers to design custom products and see their designs onscreen in real-time. As part of the CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) process, 3D product visualization shows customers what they’re configuring. It also prices the configuration-in-process – and, when finished, automatically generates a detailed quote for the customer. The process starts with a list or menu of available configuration options – sizes, colors, add-ons, and the like. The 3D product visualization software displays a rendering of the product as it’s being configured, and the customer can then rotate or zoom into the rendering to see more detail. When the customer finalizes the design, the product visualization software automatically generates pricing and a custom proposal. Detailed specifications are sent to your engineering team to approve and, if necessary, modify. And these specs are then transmitted to manufacturing to be produced. The process reduces the need for human intervention (on the part of both sales and engineering), reduces design and manufacturing errors, and speeds up the workflow. Accenture estimates that product visualization can cut quote times in half.
Many companies, such as KBMax, offer 3D product visualization. The technology is ideally suited for manufacturers who provide configurable or customizable products of all types.What are the benefits to manufacturing from product visualization technology? In addition to streamlining the sales process, here are eight of the most critical manufacturing benefits.
By enabling the sales rep or customer (self serve) to configure the product from pre-selected options and then having that configuration automatically translated into detailed design specs, the typically lengthy product design process is virtually eliminated. Product and pricing rules built into the product visualization software guarantee that every configuration is optimized for customer satisfaction, profitability, and engineering efficiency.
Product visualization technology can handle even the most complex customer orders. Sales reps don’t have to contact engineering to determine which parts and processes are available – the product visualization software only presents options that are actually in stock and feasible. Even the most complicated configurations are made simple.
Engineers tire quickly of churning out technical drawings for every customer request. Product visualization software takes the engineering staff out of this process, automatically generating technical drawings and instructions for Solidworks and similar CAD systems. All your engineers have to do is look them over to validate or customize them, if necessary.
Product visualization software automatically configures the product that the customer wants while ensuring it meets your design and engineering requirements. The process eliminates paper scribblings and handwritten notes that your engineering staff has to struggle to interpret.
You know how expensive it can be to prepare products for manufacturing. By automating design and engineering processes, product visualization software significantly reduces engineering costs – and lets your engineers do more creative, strategic work elsewhere.
The most complex configurable products can be configured, priced, and quoted in seconds. This makes for more efficient scheduling on your part and puts products into the hands of customers more quickly.
Product visualization software automatically turns sales orders into manufacturing orders. The entire production process is streamlined, tedious back-and-forth communications are eliminated, and everything is more accurate.
Product visualization isn’t just for sales. The use of product visualization, combined with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, is invaluable for training staff on new machinery and new processes. Sales and manufacturing staff can now train in front of a computer screen, increasing learning efficiency by up to 570%.
If your company only manufactures a handful of products without customization, you can probably get by using traditional manufacturing methods. But suppose your company, in response to the new post-COVID normal or for other reasons, offers a variety of complex, configurable, and customizable products. In that case, 2D and 3D product visualization is a must. Product visualization software, such as that offered by KBMax, enables your company to handle complicated customer orders better, reduce design and manufacturing mistakes, get more work done in less time, improving your bottom line.