Configure-to-Order and Assemble-to-Order Software
Aquilon is ERP software for small and mid-size businesses in Canada, the United States, and across the Commonwealth that configure and assemble products to order. It connects the choices made during the sale with inventory, purchasing, costing, and production.
Some products are best sold as a combination of parts selected for each customer. A warehouse may need racking or shelving in particular widths, heights, and layouts. A pump or other piece of power equipment may need a specific combination of components and accessories. The business has to quote the right combination, get the parts, and assemble or supply what was ordered.
PRODUCTS CONFIGURED TO ORDER
Lockers
Warehouse racking
Shelving systems
Pump packages
Power equipment assemblies
Other products built from selected components
Serving Canada, the United States, and the Commonwealth
The challenge of selling products with many options
A product range can contain a large number of possible combinations without needing a separate stocked item for every finished version. Racking and shelving may be built from frames, beams, shelves, and accessories. Equipment assemblies may combine a base product with components selected for the application.
That flexibility creates work for sales and operations. They need to capture the customer’s requirements, price the selected components, check what is available, and give the assembly team clear instructions. If the quotation, parts list, and work order are kept separately, a change to one can be missed in the others.
Frames + Beams + Shelves + Accessories = One configured order
How Aquilon supports configure-to-order
Configure during the sale
Aquilon’s configurable kits let staff select components, labour, and specifications as they prepare an order. They can start from an established kit and adjust it for the customer, or build a more unusual assembly when the job calls for one.
Prepare a clear quotation
The selected parts and work give a basis for costing and quoting the configured product. A detailed quotation helps the customer and sales team confirm what is included before the order goes ahead.
Connect the order to fulfillment
Once the order is accepted, its configuration carries into production documentation. Inventory and purchasing information shows which components are on hand and which must be ordered. The assembly team works from the details of the accepted order.
Know the cost of what you quoted
When products vary by order, their costs vary too. Aquilon brings the selected components and labour into the configuration, so the business can see the cost of what it has quoted.
Set the selling price your way
Apply a markup to the configured item’s cost, or add together the standard selling prices of the selected components to arrive at the final price.
Manufacturing modules
See how Product Definition, Production Planning, and Work-In-Progress support configured and assembled products.
Two ways to price a configured product
Aquilon offers more than one way to calculate the selling price of a configured item, so each business can price the way it already works.
| Pricing method | How the selling price is calculated |
|---|---|
| Markup on cost | A markup is applied to the cost of the configured item, built from its selected components and labour. |
| Sum of component prices | The standard selling prices of the selected components are added together to arrive at the final selling price. |
Configure-to-order examples
Lockers, racking, and shelving
Racking and shelving systems are built from frames, beams, shelves, and accessories to fit particular widths, heights, and layouts. Lockers are configured to each client’s needs.
Pump packages and power equipment
A pump or other piece of power equipment may combine a base product with the components and accessories selected for the customer’s application.
Pre-hung and custom doors
Door manufacturers configure each door from its slab, frame, hardware, and specifications.
Other assemblies
The same approach works for any product built from selected components. Each business defines the products and choices that make sense for its work, and Aquilon carries those choices from the sales order into the steps needed to fulfill it.
Businesses configuring orders with Aquilon
WareX Sales, Burnaby, BC
WareX Sales supplies storage and warehouse products. The company moved from Sage 50 to Aquilon, bringing its full history across, and now configures lockers to each client’s needs.
“Aquilon moved us very quickly from Sage 50 and took all our history across to their system. We now have a live inventory control system, and more importantly, I have the ability to configure lockers to meet clients’ needs.”
Frequently asked questions
What is configure-to-order software?
Configure-to-order software lets a business sell a product as a combination of components selected for each customer, without keeping a separate stocked item for every finished version. The choices made during the sale then carry through to purchasing, costing, and assembly.
What is the difference between configure-to-order and assemble-to-order?
Configure-to-order means the customer’s choices define the product at the time of sale. Assemble-to-order means the finished product is put together from components after the order is received. Many businesses do both, and Aquilon supports both.
How does Aquilon configure a product during the sale?
Aquilon’s configurable kits let staff select components, labour, and specifications as they prepare an order. They can start from an established kit and adjust it for the customer, or build a more unusual assembly when the job calls for one.
Can Aquilon quote a configured product?
Yes. The selected parts and work give a basis for costing and quoting the configured product, and a detailed quotation helps the customer and sales team confirm what is included before the order goes ahead.
How does Aquilon calculate the selling price of a configured product?
Aquilon offers two methods. You can apply a markup to the configured item’s cost, or add together the standard selling prices of the selected components to arrive at the final selling price.
How does a configured order get to the assembly team?
Once the order is accepted, its configuration carries into production documentation. Inventory and purchasing information shows which components are on hand and which must be ordered, and the assembly team works from the details of the accepted order.
What kinds of products can be configured to order in Aquilon?
Examples include lockers, warehouse racking and shelving, pump packages, power equipment assemblies, and pre-hung doors. The same approach works for any product built from selected components.
Can a business move from Sage 50 to Aquilon?
Yes. WareX Sales, a storage and warehouse products supplier in Burnaby, BC, moved from Sage 50 to Aquilon quickly and brought all of its history across. It now uses Aquilon for live inventory control and to configure lockers for clients.
Is Aquilon suitable for small and mid-size businesses?
Yes. Aquilon is built for small and mid-size manufacturers and distributors.
Where is Aquilon used?
Aquilon serves businesses in Canada, the United States, and Commonwealth countries.
See Aquilon in action
If your team keeps rebuilding parts lists in spreadsheets or re-entering configuration details after a sale, we can show you how Aquilon handles a representative order from quotation through assembly.