5 CPQ Solutions to Solve Packaging Machinery Headaches

by RenaissanceTech | Nov 18, 2024 | Distribution

Packaging Machinery and CPQ Software

Man stands in front of a packaging machine

Manufacturing

After attending the PACK EXPO Trade Show in Chicago and connecting with a variety of companies in the packaging industry, I gained valuable insights into the key challenges and priorities shaping the field right now.

Companies are grappling with workforce management, the push for automation, and the need to optimize productivity—issues that demand innovative solutions to remain competitive in this market.

One such solution is CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software. A CPQ solution can help companies overcome many of these obstacles by simplifying complex quoting and estimating processes and improving the customer experience from order to delivery

Key Challenges in the Packaging Machinery Industry

According to PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the packaging industry is dealing with several critical issues:

Productivity and Asset Optimization: Companies must streamline operations to meet deadlines, improve equipment effectiveness, and make the most of limited resources.
Complex Packaging Formats and Rapid Changeovers: Packaging machinery must be adaptable to new materials and quick changeovers, requiring better collaboration and communication across the supply chain.
Labor Shortages: Companies struggle to find and retain skilled and unskilled workers, prompting a need for more user-friendly equipment and career development support.
Need for Enhanced Automation: The demand for automation and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is growing, but challenges remain around system flexibility, scalability, and ROI.

How CPQ Solutions Address These Challenges

CPQ technology offers powerful tools to overcome these hurdles, improving the quoting and estimating process, workforce efficiency, and production flexibility:

Improving Productivity and Time-to-Market: By speeding up complex quoting and integrating with ERP and CRM systems, CPQ reduces lead times and improves resource management, helping companies meet deadlines and on-time delivery performance.
Facilitating Rapid Changeovers: CPQ enables quick configuration adjustments and instant price recalculations, allowing companies to stay agile in response to new materials and unique customer needs, without extensive manual intervention.
Guided Selling for Workforce Efficiency: CPQ platforms include guided, user-friendly selling tools, helping less experienced staff configure products accurately and reducing dependency on specialized knowledge.
Automating Complex Configurations: CPQ streamlines the process by automating configurations, drawings, and routings, ensuring that only compatible features and components are selected. This reduces the time sales and engineering teams spend on estimates and allows customers to receive accurate quotes faster, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and trust.
Supporting Flexibility and Scalability in Automation Efforts: CPQ technology enables easy customization of equipment configurations, allowing companies to adapt quickly to markets that are demanding more automation and optimize production.

CPQ technology is a game-changer for the packaging industry. It simplifies complex configurations, boosts workforce efficiency, supports automation, and expedites time-to-market—helping companies stay competitive in an increasingly demanding environment.

Ready to tackle the challenges facing the packaging industry head-on? Learn how RenaissanceTech can transform your operations. Visit our website today to discover how our CPQ solutions can drive efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and support your automation goals. Chat with one of our experts to explore how we can help you optimize your workflow and accelerate growth.

Your Guide to Infor CPQ Support

by RenaissanceTech | Oct 31, 2024 | Services

CPQ support, RenaissanceTech, support portal, ticketing system, support plans, dedicated consultant, response times, Infor CPQ, flexible plans, ad hoc support

Perfect Your CPQ Performance with RenaissanceTech Support

At RenaissanceTech, we’re committed to helping you get the most out of your Infor CPQ system. With the transition to a formal support portal in 2024, customers can now experience streamlined ticketing and service transparency. Here’s what our updated support plans include:

Why the Portal?

Our support portal centralizes all requests, ensuring visibility for the team and faster response times. Every request is tracked, so nothing gets missed, and we can help you more efficiently.

Support Plans

We offer four tiers based on monthly hours, from 10 to 75, with discounted rates and tiered response times. All plans, except the basic option, provide a dedicated consultant, ideal for businesses that rely on frequent or complex CPQ configurations.

Basic Plan: Suitable for occasional support needs without dedicated consulting.
Bronze & Silver Plans: Include faster response times and dedicated consultants, making them ideal for mid-sized businesses needing regular assistance.
Gold Plan: Ideal for large enterprises, offering the most hours and fastest response time.

Ad Hoc Support

For businesses with minimal CPQ needs, we offer ad hoc support. Though at a higher hourly rate, this is a flexible option without guaranteed response times.

How to Submit Requests

If you’re part of our support portal, all requests should be submitted through our ticketing system. For those not enrolled, reach out to Request Support Portal Access. Direct requests to consultants are now rerouted to this system to ensure prompt attention. For project work, Asana remains accessible but is reserved for ongoing projects only.

Visit our support page to explore our plans and find the best option for your business.

Introducing SwiftSell V2: A Smarter, More Efficient Dealer Portal

by RenaissanceTech | Sep 26, 2024 | Dealer Network, SWIFTSELL, Syteline

Welcome to SwiftSell V2!

We’re excited to announce the release of SwiftSell V2, bringing a host of new features designed to make your experience smoother and more collaborative. Here's what's new:

Groups: Organize your teammates and dealers into groups, allowing users to work individually or as part of a team. Manage dealer activities more efficiently with dealer group setups.

Active Directory Support: SwiftSell now supports single sign-on (SSO) through Active Directory, making it easier for teams to manage access securely.

Enhanced Product Catalog: Get real-time inventory tracking with direct ERP integration, and access product SKUs right from your ERP for a more accurate and up-to-date catalog.

PDF Quote Creation: Easily generate professional PDF quotes, making it simple to send and track documentation with customers.

Streamlined Customer Information Input: We’ve simplified the customer data input process, keeping our focus on speed and ease of use, so you can get more done in less time.

RMA Handling: SwiftSell now supports product returns, allowing users to create new return orders or process returns by selecting existing orders or lines.

Updated User Interface & Form Design: Enjoy a refreshed look and improved usability with a modernized UI and redesigned forms.

Theme Designer Enhancements: Customize your experience further with improvements to our theming panel, including new light and dark mode options.

SwiftSell V2 is all about delivering a faster, more intuitive dealer portal that works for you. Please feel free to reach out for a free SwiftSell demonstration and consultation.

7 Innovative Ways to Use CPQ Software

by RenaissanceTech | Aug 5, 2024 | Dealer Network, Order Accuracy & Error Reduction, Sales Quoting Process

Aside from CRM and ERP integration, what can CPQ do?

Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) systems are powerful tools typically used in sales to streamline the process of configuring complex products, pricing them accurately, and generating quotes. While CPQ is often integrated with CRM and ERP systems, it can also be used effectively as a standalone solution. Here are seven unique ways to utilize CPQ on its own:

E-commerce Customization Engine:

Application: CPQ can power an e-commerce in business by allowing customers to configure and customize products in real-time. This is particularly useful for businesses selling customizable products, such as furniture, computers, or personalized products.
Benefit: Enhances the customer experience by providing a visual and interactive configuration process, leading to higher engagement and increased sales.

CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software, E-commerce, Product customization, Subscription management, Sales enablement, Dealer portal, Spare parts selling, Product visualizations, Business optimization, Sales automation, Customer experience

Dealer Partner Portal:

Application: CPQ can be used to create a self-service portal for channel partners and resellers. This enables partners to configure products, access up-to-date pricing, and generate quotes independently.
Benefit: Reduces the dependency on the internal sales team, speeds up the sales process, and ensures consistent pricing and product information across all channels.

Subscription and Service Management:

Application: CPQ can manage subscription-based products or services, allowing businesses to configure different subscription plans, calculate pricing based on usage or tiered models, and generate quotes or invoices.
Benefit: Simplifies the management of recurring revenue models and ensures accurate billing and quoting for complex service offerings.

Product Options Rollouts & New Additions:

Application: In industries with rapidly changing product configurations (e.g., technology or automotive), CPQ can be used to manage and update product configurations and pricing throughout the product lifecycle.
Benefit: Ensures that sales teams and customers always have access to the latest product options and pricing, reducing errors and improving market responsiveness.
By leveraging CPQ in these ways, businesses can enhance their sales processes, improve customer satisfaction, and optimize their overall operations.

Internal Sales Enablement Tool:

Application: Sales teams can use a standalone CPQ system to streamline their workflow by quickly configuring products, calculating prices based on complex discount structures, and generating professional quotes.
Benefit: Improves efficiency and accuracy in the sales process, allowing sales representatives to focus more on customer interactions and closing deals.

Spare Parts Selling:

Application: Businesses can use CPQ standalone to access a quality catalog of all their available spare parts and price them for ordering.

Benefit: Enables dealers and sales reps to easily quote and sell spare parts. Customers and representatives can receive on the spot feedback on part availability.

Visualizations:

Application: CPQ enables manufacturers to show 2D, 3D visual models, and augmented reality versions of their products configured to their customers' requirements.

Benefit: Captures interest for highly visual products and builds product trust. Seeing is believing and believing is buying. Allowing the customer to see their future product increases the chance that they will make a purchase.

Infor Configure Price Quote 04.24 Release Highlight

by RenaissanceTech | Apr 16, 2024 | CPQ Software, Product Updates

In a recent Infor CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) townhall meeting, several significant enhancements were unveiled to revolutionize the user experience and streamline business processes. Let's delve into the executive summary of these changes, their potential business impact, and the technical advancements they bring.

Enhancement Executive Summary:

ERP Pricing for Standard (Non-configurable) Items: This update introduces the ability to leverage CloudSuite Industrial’s (CSI) sophisticated, industry-specific pricing within Enterprise Quoting (EQ). Standard, non-configurable items can now retrieve pricing defined within CSI and update on the quote or order within EQ. This reduces duplication of pricing and data maintenance between the two systems. While also providing the ability to leverage contract specific or customer specific pricing defined within CSI.

Example of Pricing at Contract Level
ERP Order Status: Enterprise Quoting users will now be provided order and line information, read directly from CSI/Syteline. This provides real-time updates to users and allows for increased order status visibility. ERP order information includes order status, pricing details, and shipping information.
Example of Order Status Information
ERP Multi-Site CPQ: EQ can now simultaneously route Quotes and Orders to their associated Site in CSI/Syteline. This allows manufacturers to quote products built at multiple facilities and have the order routed appropriately to the correct site. All while retaining one singular quoting platform for the manufacturer to maintain.
Actionable Messages: Introducing a new product configuration functionality, actionable messages. Actionable messages provide a comprehensive view of recommended changes, any impacts of those changes, and allows the user to accept or reject the recommended changes. When accepted, the actionable message will automatically update item changes within the current configuration. The end result empowers users to make faster, more informed decisions.
Example of an Actionable Message
2D Design for CAD: Infor CPQ has long been able to display 2D real-time parametric drawings, but the file types were previously constrained to picture format outputs. With this update, configured product images can now be converted into 2D CAD file formats: .DXF and .DWG. This adds the ability to automate creation of detailed drawing files, which can be imported into CAD tools for further manipulation or utilization with other models. Currently supported integrations with Infor CPQ include: SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor and PTC Creo. Automation of CAD files allows for accelerated quoting and quicker turnaround time, when a drawing is required as part of the quote to order process.
3D Product Visualization: Infor CPQ 3D Visualization takes product presentation to the next level, dynamically changing images based on user selections and enabling interactive experiences. This enhancement delivers many increased capabilities to build onto the already robust toolset that is included with Infor CPQ. Some key enhancements include new API integration, layout containers, product instances, collision detection and “snapping” of images.

Example of 3D Product Configuration

Potential Business Impact:

The unveiled enhancements hold the potential to significantly impact business operations:

Enhanced Flexibility: With ERP pricing at the contract line level and support for multi-site CPQ, businesses gain flexibility in managing pricing and operations across different levels and locations.
Improved Efficiency: Streamlined order status tracking and actionable messages translate into improved efficiency and faster decision-making, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and retention.
Competitive Edge: Cutting-edge features like 2D design for CAD and 3D product visualization not only improve internal processes but also provide a competitive edge by enhancing product presentation and user experience.

The CPQ townhall meeting unveiled a series of enhancements aimed to elevate business processes, user experience, and technical capabilities. With these advancements, users are able to unlock new levels of efficiency, flexibility, and competitiveness in their operations.

If you would like to learn more about any of these new enhancements. Contact us today!

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