CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
27 February 2007
Company News
Catalog Data Solutions Presents Free Configurator Whitepaper; "Next Generation CAD Configurators Save Time and Money"
Catalog Data Solutions ( CDS ) announced the release of a new whitepaper entitled "Next Generation CAD Configurators Save Time and Money."
The whitepaper available at http://www.catalogdatasolutions.com/ details 5 key trends in the manufactured products market that have converged to create a new opportunity for manufacturers and distributors to drive revenue growth, lower costs and increase customer loyalty. Increased online searching for products by design engineers, new configurator software innovations (like the patent-pending 'visual constraint feedbackT' and integration with CAD download, pricing and stocking systems provide instantaneous price and shipping information) and lower costs are driving greater adoption and use by design engineers of configurators. The result is that by providing online configurators for your complex and multi-option products you:
• Increase sales by making it quicker and easier for customers to select your products rather than your competitors.'
• Attract customers and increase existing customer loyalty by reducing their time to market and, incidentally, speeding up their purchases of your products.
• Free your engineer's time to focus on new product design instead of helping customers configure products.
In the case of Emerson Power Transmission, Marc Macaluso, eBusiness Manager said, "In a complex product, users usually don't know the constraints and they almost certainly don't know the interdependence of those constraints (i.e. if you select X you are giving up option Y in selection Z). The Visual Constraint FeedbackT makes you aware of what effects any selection has on future choices. Substance is vital, but customer perception is even more important for successful adoption."
"We are delighted to publicly share this whitepaper on the 'state of the market' for Configurator solutions," said John Major, chief executive officer, Catalog Data Solutions. "Online Configurator are an important sales and marketing tool for all industrial suppliers and distributors with configurable or made-to-order products. With many customers moving from 2D to 3D CAD systems, it is also important to couple online Configurators and online 3D CAD model downloads to 'lock' products into a design so suppliers later benefit from the sales success of that design. Suppliers of configurable and made-to-order products without Configurators and 3D models on their website are at risk of losing customers to their competition who do offer them."
Catalog Data Solutions enables industrial manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors to have their products selected at the design stage by the design decision maker, ahead of the traditional buying stage. Studies show that more than 80% of the time what the engineer spec'd in stays in. With over 90% of designers and engineers now using the Internet to locate and select components for their new designs, Catalog Data Solutions unique domain expertise creates low cost sales B2B sales lead generation and gets components 'locked and loaded' at the design stage.
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