PIAB Selects Tacton for Configuration of Complex Vacuum Products
With Tacton's configurator, PIAB will streamline the process for handling quotes and orders, all the way from the sales organization to the business system. Using the configurator, sales personnel can easily, quickly and accurately put together combinations of component modules to form complex vacuum products.
PIAB is a global leader in industrial vacuum technology and, with innovative solutions, improves the productivity and working environment of vacuum users around the world. Today, PIAB has approximately 120 employees, some 70 of whom work at the company's headquarters in Täby, Stockholm, and around 50 at the production facility in Hede, Härjedalen. PIAB's products are of modular construction and the company wants to be able to offer partners the possibility of ordering on the Internet, something that would be too complicated without configuration.
The Tacton Configurator is to be implemented in three stages:
In stage one, the order office will be able to enter a product code that is transferred to a so-called "structure list" that contains the most up-to-date combination of product modules. The configurator validates the combination of modules to ensure a fast and simple flow of customer-adapted product modules to the business system. This results in an efficient and optimal business process from the sales organization to the business system.
In stage two, the configurator solution will be launched on the Internet. It will then be able to provide information about product availability and delivery times. A major finesse of the solution is that it increases know-how out in the sales organization - precisely where business is conducted. In other words, knowledge moves from the engineers out to the market.
Stage three is still on the drawing board. The idea is that users, by simply selecting different customer requirements, such as pressure, traction force, flow, etc., can find out which configurations (i.e. products) are possible and can then fine-tune the selection by choosing more detailed technical parameters. At all times, the user can view all possible component selections and is guided by the configurator. This ensures that the customers get optimal solutions according to their needs, while simultaneously preventing unsuitable or incorrect solutions.
For modeling, PIAB will use Tacton Studio, a user-friendly and easy-to-use tool for creating model rules. The person modeling, while usually product knowledgeable, requires no programming skills.
Tacton's integration with the Jeeves business system will make the business process for handling quotes and orders both effective and simple.
PIAB evaluated many configurator vendors before making its final choice. "The Tacton Configurator has the advantage of being both embeddable and open, without being locked into one particular business system. It is reassuring for the future to know that it can integrate with any system. In addition, we liked the solution Tacton developed in response to our specifications," says Stig Andersson, IT Director, PIAB.
"PIAB is ideal for configuration applications since there is business benefit both in the form of more effective construction and production processes and because it becomes simpler and faster for the sales organization and the end user to put together optimal products and services. We look forward to being able to contribute to creating a product solution that both PIAB and its customers gain great benefit from", says Christer Wallberg, CEO, Tacton Systems.
For more information, please contact:
Christer Wallberg, CEO, Tacton Systems
Telephone: +46 (0)8-690 07 50
E-Mail: christer.wallberg@tacton.com
Anders Israelsson, Tacton Systems
Telephone: +46 (0)8-690 0750
E-Mail: anders.israelsson@tacton.com
Stig Andersson, IT Director, PIAB
Telephone: +46 (0)8-630 25 00
E-Mail: stig.andersson@piab.se
PIAB
PIAB's mission is to be a global leader in industrial vacuum technology and, with innovative solutions, improve the productivity and working environment of vacuum users around the world. PIAB is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries around the world. PIAB strives to offer products and services that not only satisfy the requirements, needs and expectations of our customers, but exceed them through the application of our broad knowledge and experience. PIAB, as a matter of course, takes responsibility for our common environment and we encourage our suppliers to research and develop materials that allow environmentally friendly manufacture, function and recycling of our products. www.piab.com
Tacton Systems AB
Tacton Systems develops and sells embeddable software for sales configuration. Customers including GE Healthcare, Ericsson, ABB, Getinge, Cardo Door, Black Box and FläktWoods use Tacton configurator solutions to sell their tailor-made, complex products effectively both off-line and on-line. The Tacton Configurator can be integrated with surrounding systems and has standard integrations with many leading e-commerce, ERP, CRM, PDM, PLM and CAD systems. www.tacton.com
