Simplify the Furniture Manufacturing buying process with Infor CPQ
The quoting process is a critical inflection point in the furniture manufacturing customer engagement cycle—and one of the factors that sets the tone for the entire customer experience. During a webinar presented by Infor, Kerry Davis, VP of North America Applications at Herman Miller, discussed what this $2+ billion company hoped to achieve through the implementation of advanced Configure Price Quote (CPQ) – and how Infor CPQ best equipped Herman Miller to meet the challenges of higher customer expectations in today’s omni-channel era.
According to studies by Aberdeen Group and Nucleus Research, furniture manufacturing companies see CPQ software as one of their primary weapons in combating declining sales, higher costs, and brand commoditization. By streamlining and automating the quote process, CPQ software can drive five-fold increases in revenue, nearly five percent increases in profitability, and boost customer retention by as much as 88 percent. It allows companies to follow-up more quickly on customer inquiries and accelerates the sales cycle dramatically. It also helps brands differentiate themselves through a richer, more responsive customer experience.
These findings echo Herman Miller’s expectations for its own CPQ implementation. Headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, the company has an extensive network of manufacturing facilities in the United States, China, Italy, and the United Kingdom, with sales offices, dealers, licensees, and customers in over 100 countries. The company saw CPQ as the means to increase sales and quote-to-order conversion rates, and drive higher quote volumes and accuracy.
Herman Miller Increased Customer Engagement with CPQ Software.
Herman Miller’s product line is the antithesis of one-size-fits all. The company offers an array of options, sizes, and finishes that allow customers to get products tailored to their exact needs and specifications.
“Our Aeron chair, our most iconic chair, has 6 million SKU capabilities [options]. We are dealing with a ton of options on all of our products, we have lots and lots of data that feeds into
With Infor CPQ, Herman Miller was able to provide self-service capabilities for configuring special finishes and options, identify and order service parts, and order ancillary product from additional brands. Dealers can generate 2D and 3D outputs of their order and integrate the results into their own specification systems. The new CPQ solution not only accelerates the time-to-order for custom orders, it also improves quote accuracy and allows dealers to secure manufacturing lead time in Herman Miller’s plants, which leads to quicker deliveries.
The new CPQ solution replaced the company’s manual, phone-based process. Not only does the new system save time for Herman Miller’s sales reps and customers, it also creates a richer customer experience that empowers customers with the options and flexibility they want—which encourages repeat orders and ongoing loyalty to the brand.
Continued Customer Success and a Positive Customer Experience with CPQ
So, what factors made Infor CPQ the right choice for Herman Miller? As Davis noted, the company had a long-term relationship with Infor and was looking for a complete solution from a single vendor that could help lower its total cost of ownership. Instead of dealing with the ongoing maintenance and integration challenges of multiple configurators, the company took the opportunity to create the cross-enterprise consistency that would benefit customers and internal users alike. Also, Infor CPQ offered smoother integration with the company’s existing LN, SyteLine, and selling systems. That translates into a quicker, smoother implementation and a shorter timeline between the go-live date and seeing the actual benefits of the solution.
Finally, the webinar audience had the chance to weigh in with their own views on the challenges that a CPQ solution could address. A total of 71.8 percent of attendees identified “Creating a quote takes too long” as the challenge that resonated with them the most, while 61.5 percent chose “We want to improve quote-to-order conversion rates and accuracy.” In other words, Herman Miller isn’t alone in identifying the speed accuracy of the quoting process as defining elements of the customer experience—and the catalyst for improving order conversions. Strengthening customer loyalty and retention is crucial for any business. For Herman Miller, Infor CPQ was the clear winner in the quest for a CPQ solution that could help it deliver the customer experiences that will strengthen its iconic brand for years to come.
Tucker Door has been in the business of delivering high-quality doors and windows for decades. But, like many companies in the building materials industry, they hit a point where their sales process just wasn’t keeping up. Their old system was clunky, outdated, and made getting quotes out the door way harder than it needed to be. They knew it was time for a change.
That’s when they turned to a CPQ solution for door and window manufacturers—a move that didn’t just improve their process but completely transformed how they sell.
The Breaking Point
For years, Tucker Door relied on a legacy system that worked... until it didn’t. Sales reps had to manually enter orders, memorize product codes and tribal knowledge, and rely on workarounds just to get quotes out. Reporting was a headache. Worst of all? Customers had to wait longer than necessary for pricing and product configurations.
They needed something better—something that could handle complex product configurations, automate pricing, and make ordering a breeze for both their team and their customers.
After exploring their options, they landed on Infor CPQ, a CPQ software with ERP integration that became the key to their digital transformation.
Rolling Out CPQ—And Getting Buy-In
Switching to a new system is never easy. Tucker Door’s first big step was rolling out cloud-based CPQ software with real-time pricing to their sales team, with the goal of speeding up quoting and reducing manual order entry errors.
At first, there was some hesitation—some reps worried it would replace personal sales interactions. But over time, they saw that CPQ wasn’t a competitor—it was a game-changer.
With quoting streamlined and order accuracy excelling, Tucker Door decided to take things further. They extended CPQ access to their dealers, allowing them to place orders directly; no more emails or phone calls required.
Taking It to the Next Level: A Cloud-Based System
Once dealers started using CPQ, adoption skyrocketed. Customers loved the freedom to configure and order products anytime, without needing back-and-forth communication.
That’s when Tucker Door made their next big move: moving to a cloud-based CPQ software with real-time pricing and ERP integration. This upgrade meant:
✔ Automated pricing adjustments based on inventory, customer agreements, and delivery schedules. ✔ Accurate product configurations without manual updates. ✔ Seamless sales and manufacturing alignment with always-up-to-date data.
The CPQ Effect: What Changed?
CPQ wasn’t just an upgrade—it was a total sales transformation. Here’s what changed:
✅ A Smarter Product Catalog – No more memorizing SKUs or digging through spreadsheets. Customers can now filter by material, size, and style in a visually rich catalog to find exactly what they need.
✅ Less Back-and-Forth with Sales – Customers can now check invoices, proof of delivery, and order statuses themselves, freeing up the sales team to focus on high-value conversations.
✅ Faster, More Accurate Orders – Since rolling out CPQ, Tucker Door has processed a huge number of orders automatically, reducing manual order entry errors and saving valuable time.
✅ Real-Time Pricing & Smart Routing – No more static pricing. CPQ dynamically adjusts prices based on inventory levels, customer agreements, and delivery schedules, ensuring quotes are always accurate.
✅ Built-in Marketing Power – CPQ isn’t just for ordering. Tucker Door now uses it to promote new products and special offers, with high-performing email campaigns and homepage promotions built right into the platform.
What’s Next?
Tucker Door isn’t stopping here. They’re constantly refining their system, adding new features, and making sure both their sales team and customers get the most out of their CPQ software for door and window manufacturers. What started as a way to speed up quoting and improve order accuracy has become a core part of their long-term growth strategy.
"It's our #1 salesman every day without having to do any manual intervention."
— Wil Coughlin, Manager of Information Systems, Tucker Door
For any business still struggling with outdated quoting processes, Tucker Door’s story proves that the right technology doesn’t just make things easier—it completely transforms the way you sell.
The Surge in CPQ Adoption: Unleashing Business Efficiency
In Business it’s understood staying ahead of the competition often hinges on the ability to streamline operations and enhance sales processes. Enter Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions—a modern quoting platform that is gaining traction across diverse industries. This surge in adoption is not merely a trend; it's a strategic move by businesses to unlock unprecedented efficiency and innovation in their sales workflows.
Recognizing the Advantages of CPQ:
Manufacturers are waking up to the numerous advantages offered by CPQ solutions. From automating complex product configurations to ensuring accurate pricing and quotes, CPQ tools significantly reduce the time and effort required in the sales process. As organizations delve deeper into the capabilities of CPQ, they recognize its potential to transform how they sell, ensuring greater accuracy, consistency, and strategic branding tool to speed quote delivery to their customers.
The Ripple Effect:
As more businesses integrate CPQ into their operations, a ripple effect is observed throughout the industry landscape. Companies that were once skeptical or hesitant to adopt CPQ are now witnessing the positive outcomes experienced by early adopters. This has sparked a broader realization that CPQ is not just a tool; it's a strategic asset that will continue to evolve and advance.
Fostering a Community of Users:
The growing embrace of CPQ has given rise to a dynamic user community. This community acts as a hub for sharing best practices, insights, and success stories. Businesses now have the opportunity to glean insights from one another, harnessing the collective wisdom of the CPQ community to enhance their own implementations. This collaborative ecosystem speeds up the learning process for newcomers and underscores the significance of CPQ in various business scenarios. Notably, Infor’s CPQ community boasts a thriving and active user platform, complemented by the success of the recent CPQ Connect Conference held in Columbus, Ohio. Planning for CPQ Connect 2024! - RenaissanceTech (recap)
Encouraging Innovation in the CPQ Space:
The growing community of CPQ users is a catalyst for innovation within the CPQ space itself. As businesses push the boundaries of what is possible with CPQ, solution providers respond by enhancing features, improving user interfaces, and exploring new integrations. This cycle of demand and innovation creates a dynamic landscape where CPQ solutions evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of businesses. Read how Renaissance Tech rose to meet the needs of Sutphen here: CPQ Connect 2023: Sutphen's Story & Key Takeaways - RenaissanceTech
The Future of CPQ:
As we move forward into 2024 and beyond, the trajectory of CPQ adoption shows no signs of slowing. Businesses that have embraced CPQ are experiencing tangible benefits in terms of increased sales efficiency, reduced errors, and enhanced customer satisfaction. For those yet to make the leap, the success stories and collaborative spirit within the CPQ community provide compelling reasons to explore the transformative potential of CPQ solutions. Hear from Overhead Door: Overhead Door drives revenue | Infor CPQ case study video | Infor
In conclusion, the increased adoption of CPQ is not just a reflection of current market trends; it's a strategic response to the evolving demands of modern business. As more businesses recognize the advantages of CPQ in streamlining sales processes. The journey towards efficiency and excellence in sales has found a reliable companion in CPQ, and the road ahead promises even greater possibilities for those ready to embrace this transformative technology.
We had the ability to meet with Maguire Iron (IT Director, Rod Lindstrom and COO Mike Farnsworth) to discuss how they are using the integration RenaissanceTech built to connect Infor’s configurator to Syteline’s Project Module. We learned the key reasons the integration was needed, the benefits it provided the business, and best practices to keep in mind for a CPQ implementation, particularly when integrating a configurator for services.
Why Use a Configurator for Services and Projects?
Traditionally, we hear more about CPQ as a way to configure Products. But what about offered services and entire projects? Maguire can perform water tank projects of all sizes: from service, repair, and maintenance to concept and construction. Offering a variety of services including: relocation, part replacement, painting, and repairs, means that they were faced with the challenge of creating thousands of quotes and hundreds of projects. Manual, paper processes could not keep up with the growing demand for their services. When they made the decision to implement Infor’s configurator (CPQ) and have RenaissanceTech integrate it with Syteline ERP’s Projects Module, everything changed. Quotes that previously took hours to complete, now take a mere 60 seconds. As the quote is built, the Project is simultaneously being created in the background according to selections made in configuration. All of this information is passed directly into the Syteline Projects Module when it’s time to convert the quote to a real project.
Check out a client-led demonstration of this integration!
Best Practices When Implementing CPQ for Service-based Projects
So what are the best practices to keep in mind during the implementation process? It is suggested that you go into your CPQ and Projects Integration with a clear picture of architecture, such as naming conventions and organization of pricing and cost. Maguire also emphasized the importance of understanding how Field Services works and involving sales in the process to ensure that the tool makes sense to everyone.
The benefits of implementing a configurator are significant, such as the ability to handle thousands of projects consistently and tie project and service orders together. This gained scalability allows service-based businesses to do more work while saving time and effort in the process.
If you're new to configurators, Mike suggests starting from the quote setup and next working on the contract instead of the other way around to save time and effort. He also recommends exporting the options list and matrices to a spreadsheet for troubleshooting and simulations with errors to better understand the process.
Overall, implementing a configurator can be challenging, but the benefits are worth it. It can help tie your project, service order, and invoice processes together, saving time and effort in the long run. So why not consider it for your business? Contact us to learn more about the Infor CPQ and Syteline Projects Integration.
An Infor CPQ review and interview from long time configurator users, MOGAS industries. Director of IT at Mogas, Troy McDonald, and RenaissanceTech Founder, Jeremy Finley, discuss why this Engineer-to-order manufacturer chose Infor CPQ and how they are using it today. Watch Troy's Infor CPQ Review and Interview Below!
Troy proves that no process or product is too complex for CPQ. With the right enterprise software setup, and an experienced service team, any quoting and ordering challenges can be solved.
Looking for support in your product configurator and CPQ research? Talk to us today to see if Infor CPQ is the right fit for you.
This is an Infor CPQ excerpt pulled from this longer interview and webinar with our partner, SourceDay.
Munich, Bavaria, Germany, 2019/03/13- Infor, a global leader in business cloud software for Enterprise and SMB companies, today announced it is supporting J. G. ANSCHÜTZ GmbH & Co. KG by renewing its IT infrastructure. The family-owned company from Ulm (located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg), a renowned manufacturer of sports and hunting rifles, will introduce the Infor CPQ product configurator to strengthen its foreign sales business. In addition, the old enterprise resource planning (ERP) system will be replaced by the new Infor LN solution and the Infor OS technology platform. By undertaking this project, ANSCHÜTZ intends to meet the increasing challenges of the digitization age as well as the growing demands of its customers.
Founded in 1856 in Zella-Mehlis, Thuringia, ANSCHÜTZ has made a name for itself mainly in the world of sports: More than 97 percent of all professional biathletes use the manufacturer's rifles and appreciate the workmanship and precision of ANSCHÜTZ products. The business is thus strongly geared to international markets.
To comply with national and international legal regulations and, at the same time, organize sales in a profitable manner, efficient IT is indispensable. Recent years have also shown a clear trend towards individualization and personalization of products, which is forcing suppliers to differentiate their portfolios.
To meet these requirements, ANSCHÜTZ decided to roll out new technology. Among other things, the company was looking for connection options to an existing, external web shop for middlemen in the United States. Infor convinced the management of another approach: after a thorough review, ANSCHÜTZ decided to seek direct contact with resellers instead by leveraging Infor Configure Price Quote (CPQ).
Infor CPQ gives companies the ability to customize their configuration and quote generation. This allows the CPQ process to be tailored to the needs of sales channels, distributors, or end users. The solution offers document automation (automatic creation of quotation documents or functional descriptions) and 2D/3D automation (including integration of the design).
The ANSCHÜTZ implementation project will be followed by an upgrade from the previously used Infor ERP system to Infor LN, which is specifically designed to meet the requirements of manufacturers. In addition, the Infor OS (formerly Infor Xi) technology platform, which includes the Infor ION open network middleware and the Infor Ming.le™ social collaboration platform, will ensure that other software and/or other companies, such as those in the supply chain, can be connected smoothly.
“Globalization and digitalization have been challenging our business model,” says Jochen Anschütz, CEO, ANSCHÜTZ. “If you want to be competitive, there is no way around efficient IT. Thanks to Infor CPQ, we will be able to deepen our relationships with local wholesalers, especially in North America. This will strengthen our sales activities tremendously.”
“Consumers are increasingly demanding highly personalised products. Manufacturers can only offer these if they use the appropriate software to deal with complex manufacturing requirements,” says Jörg Jung, managing director Central and East Europe, Infor. “This can only be done with software that is tailored to companies’ industry-specific needs. ANSCHÜTZ shows there is a great need for such solutions and that our approach at Infor is the right one.”
About the J.G. ANSCHÜTZ GmbH & Co. KG The J.G. ANSCHÜTZ GmbH & Co. KG, Ulm, is one of the leading producers in the world of high-performance hunting and target rifles. The family-owned company was founded in 1856 by Julius Gottfried Anschütz in Zella-Mehlis, Thuringia. After world war II, the company was re-established in Ulm. ANSCHÜTZ stands for innovation and perfection. The name ANSCHÜTZ is inseparably connected with innumerable Olympic, international and national shooting triumphs. Thanks to the pioneering efforts in biathlon, more than 97 percent of all biathletes are shooting with ANSCHÜTZ products.
ANSCHÜTZ is successfully operating all over the world. The export share is approximately 60percent. Beside the traditional production of hunting and target rifles, ANSCHÜTZ is investing increasingly in the newest machining technologies. The ANSCHÜTZ high-performance products enjoy an extraordinary worldwide reputation because of their precision, workmanship, and accuracy. Since its foundation, the company has always been owned by the Anschütz family.
“Our Aeron chair, our most iconic chair, has 6 million SKU capabilities [options]. We are dealing with a ton of options on all of our products, we have lots and lots of data that feeds into
Tucker Door has been in the business of delivering high-quality doors and windows for decades. But, like many companies in the building materials industry, they hit a point where their sales process just wasn’t keeping up. Their old system was clunky, outdated, and made getting quotes out the door way harder than it needed to be. They knew it was time for a change.
