For manufacturers planning to use Dynamics 365 Business Central or those already doing so, adding a product configurator can have a major impact on manufacturing operations. Why is this? Product configurators remove the time-consuming task of manual entry of customized product orders and eliminate costly mistakes in customizing sales orders. In this blog we’ll discuss the capabilities and benefits of using a product configurator in Business Central and how to get started implementing one.

Product configurator capabilities

So what does a product configurator actually do within an ERP system like Business Central? A good product configurator will provide ERP users with an easy-to-use form where they can fill out a sales order with any necessary customization. This form will trigger pre-determined rules based on setup product options and variations within the product configurator to update the related BOM and routing options for the order. For routing specifically, rules can be created that determine which operations are conducted and in what order. BOMs work in a similar way with individual rules being created for each BOM item.

Operational benefits

What are the benefits of using a product configurator in Business Central? The most notable benefit that managers will notice right away is the time saved by end-users that would typically need to manually quote and order customized items. Automating this manual data entry process will also lead to other benefits as well. Less manual input will decrease mistakes made within customized orders and improve efficiency of the Business Central users.

Product configurators can also automatically generate assembly, BOMs, and routing for quotes and orders. As additional products get added to the system, configurations can be re-used or additional configurations can be created to ensure all product offerings are available for ERP users to utilize.

Who should use a product configurator?

Should all manufacturers use a product configurator? That is dependent on their unique processes. For manufacturers utilizing the manufacturing module within Business Central, a product configurator will almost certainly provide some benefit. Most product configurators allow for as much or little complexity in product options and variations as needed meaning it is easy to configure for unique product offerings.

If you are only managing manufacturing processes with jobs functionality in Business Central, product configurators may provide less of a benefit depending on existing processes. This is because configurators rely on set rules for product offerings. If products are considered one-off projects and utilize unique items each time in Business Central, it may be difficult to program a configurator to be efficient.

Companies that use both manufacturing and jobs functionality in Business Central will like benefit from using product configurators in their manufacturing processes. The configurator can be applied to the early stages of the manufacturing process before jobs come into play. If you are still evaluating manufacturing vs. jobs capabilities in Business Central, we explore the feature sets and use cases for both in a separate blog.

How to get started

If you’re looking to implement a product configurator in Business Central right away, there are at least six of listed on Microsoft AppSource through various add-on providers. If you are unaware with Microsoft AppSource, it is an online marketplace for Microsoft partners and add-on designers to sell their software and services directly to companies that use Dynamics 365.

Some configurators can be purchased directly through AppSource and some require contact with the configurator provider. Once purchased, either the provider or your Microsoft partner can assist with the implementation. Most Business Central product configurators listed on Business Central are good options depending on your situation.

Get started

We are happy to discuss the various options available to you, provide a recommendation based on your unique needs, or even assist with implementation. Schedule a call with our Business Central team to get started.