How Hive CPQ helps industrial equipment manufacturers
As an industrial equipment manufacturer, you’re always looking to reduce quoting times, avoid engineering bottlenecks, and streamline production. Hive CPQ helps you transition from Engineer-to-Order to Configure-to-Order, so you can save time, cut costs, and deliver a smoother experience for your customers. How?
CPQ is built to tackle typical machinery manufacturing challenges
Building machines involves countless details, which is why it often ends up as an Engineer-to-Order process. With smart CPQ software, you can move towards a Configure-to-Order approach, overcoming these challenges:
- ETO-heavy workflows slow down quoting and production
- Manual pricing and estimation take time and are prone to errors
- Sales teams often lack validated options to work with independently
- Project feasibility checks depend on engineering
- Complex machines mean BOMs are prone to errors and hard to build manually
- It’s hard to support resellers without losing control on margins and pricing
- Most ERP, CAD and CRM systems aren't built for this kind of configurability
Configure modular machines based on your parameters
With Hive CPQ, configuring custom machines becomes easy. With our smart configurator, you can define flexible building blocks adapted to your parameters, decreasing your engineers workload.
- Define modular rules once, and let Hive CPQ apply them dynamically. For example, if a conveyor exceeds a certain length, Hive can automatically add support legs and fasteners.
- Add built-in validation rules for sales so they can create correct quotes confidently, without needing approval from engineering.
Automated accurate pricing and Bill Of Materials
Stop worrying whether your pricing or BOMs are correct – our advanced pricing engine takes care of it. Some of our customers manage over 2,500 price lists in Hive CPQ, with full automation in place.
- One central source of truth, instead of outdated price books or Excel files.
- Smart pricing logic, in which installation, transport, labour, and even regional variations are included.
- Detailed Bill Of Materials, automatically generated based on the actual configuration.
Support dealers and resellers
Support your resellers and dealers in doing business. Hive CPQ doubles as a user-friendly dealer platform, allowing your partners to configure and quote confidently.
- Lock or predefine configurations: limit or guide configuration options to ensure valid configurations.
- Control end-customer pricing, define price visibility and guard your margins across regions and resellers.
- Connect to your ERP and CRM to keep your sales and production fully aligned.
Machines are configured in Hive CPQ, and orders flow straight into our ERP – fully ready for production.
Connect your workflows
Hive CPQ connects all your workflows – from quoting to production – so even the most complex industrial equipment is manufactured more efficiently, with fewer errors along the way.
- Automatic document generation: instantly create BOMs, CNC instructions, procurement lists, assembly docs, and routing documents.
- No more manual work needed, as all output is based on the configuration logic.
- ERP, PIM, and PLM ready: seamless integration with your existing systems for a fully connected way of working.
Boost your sales process
By automating manual tasks like quoting, order management, and pricing, Hive CPQ helps you shorten the sales cycle and close deals faster.
- Up to 70% time savings: create quotes and proposals in a fraction of the time, saving costs – even with the investment in CPQ software.
- Stronger position in negotiations: offer competitive pricing while protecting your margins, and use Hive CPQ as a unique selling point that showcases your efficiency.
- Fast onboarding, easy to use: thanks to the intuitive interface, both sales and engineering get up to speed quickly.
Improve customer satisfaction and retention
Faster project execution and clear communication boost customer satisfaction, improving customer loyalty and returning business.
- Faster project delivery thanks to efficient project management and the accurate pre-installation details provided by Hive CPQ.
- Error-free configurations, leading to a better customer experience and minimizing the need for on-site corrections.
- Clear and transparent communication: customers get a reliable view of pricing and timelines, which builds trust.
- Immersive product simulations: the configurator lets clients see exactly what to expect, boosting confidence and buy-in.
- Easy setup and installation of the machinery, thanks to the automatically generated BOMs and installation guides.
Grow your equipment manufacturing business
By reducing manual work and errors, saving time and cuttings costs, and Hive CPQ creates the foundation for long-term growth, so you can scale more easily without adding headcount.
- Save costs through efficiency: fewer errors mean fewer corrections, fewer hours in sales and aftersales, and lower overall costs.
- Scale without extra staff: serve more orders and support more dealers thanks to automated workflows that do the heavy lifting.
- Faster time-to-market: launch new products or variants quickly by adding them to your configurator without extensive engineering.
Want to move from ETO to CTO?
Hive CPQ is built for machinery manufacturers with complex, configurable products. Whether you're already partly modular or starting from a fully custom setup, we’ll help you design a CPQ architecture that grows with you.
The benefits of CPQ for industrial equipment manufacturers
Save time for engineering
Use predefined rules so engineering doesn’t need to check every configuration or quote. Sales teams can create accurate quotes with confidence.
Boost your sales process
Shorten lead times and support your dealers with error-free pricing – fast, reliable, and easy to use.
Enhance internal workflow
Automate pricing, BOMs and documentation, while connecting all processes into one streamlined workflow.
Improve customer satisfaction
Impress customers with realistic product simulations and clear communication, and make installation easier with automatic documentation.
