CS-Enterprise (Version 2.0), Configuration Solutions Software Suite Spans Entire Product Lifecycle Manufacturing (PLM) Spectrum for Manufacturing

New Collaborative Solution Allows Manufacturers With Variations in Their Product Lines to Accommodate for Customization in Real-Time Throughout The Factory - From Front-End Order Processes to Engineering and Factory Floor Workflow Efficiency. New Solution to Increase Productivity, Lower Costs, As Well as Compress Response and Delivery Times.

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Configuration Solutions, Inc., a leading developer of configuration software, is pleased to announce that its CS-Enterprise (Version 2.0) is now available in general release. CS-Enterprise is a fully integrated suite of collaborative configuration software applications designed for product and service providers that must contend with product variations and complex service offering portfolios.

CS-Enterprise includes a suite of applications that address challenges faced by engineer-to-order (ETO), make-to-order (MTO) and assemble-to-order (ATO) manufacturers and service providers who are looking to compress the time, reduce the errors and lower the costs of bringing variable products or service offerings to market based on specific customer specifications.

The collaborative solution addresses the need to seamlessly deliver common threads of information to all users throughout the organization, and can integrate with any ERP, CRM, CAD/CAM and B2B environment.

According to Configuration Solutions' CEO Dale Colosky, "Recent studies show that more than 75% of manufacturers will have to address the issue of variations in their product lines to support customer requirements. Among the biggest challenges these companies have to contend with are: incomplete or inaccurate order entry; time- and labor-intensive processes to generate quotes, costing and job orders; multi-level Bills of Material and/or complex manufacturing sequencing; and - all too often - a high volume of engineering changes."

"These are areas in which rules-based configuration technology can make a huge difference," Colosky continues. "We developed CS-Enterprise to provide configure-to-order manufacturers and service organizations with a practi cal, cost-effective software solution that extends from order management, through product design and engineering, to the factory floor, and even out to suppliers, partners and customers."

One of the first to deploy CS-Enterprise is Hose Master, Inc., a Cleveland, Ohio-based provider of flexible metal hose and custom hose assemblies for industry. According to Hose Master project manager Adrienne Gray, CS-Enterprise offers robust capabilities far beyond those delivered by the basic product configurator the company had used previously. "CS- Enterprise's robust formulation capabilities and flexible user interface tools have allowed us to transfer complex and disparate technical data from our sales engineers to the configurator," notes Ms. Gray. "This will enable our inside and outside sales personnel - and eventually our customers - to quote a wider range of assemblies without engineering intervention. As a result, we expect to see significant reductions in our operating costs and lead times."

Tom Burr, Configuration Solutions' Vice President of Product Development, notes: "The rich functionality of CS-Enterprise Version 2.0 delivers measurable value and ROI by maximizing efficiency and productivity, minimizing errors and speeding information flow across the entire supply chain ? regardless of product or order complexity. If you simplify the plant and effectively manage front-end demand, this will reduce materials, inventory and logistics costs, cut waste - and make a major difference in customer response and delivery times."

CS-Enterprise Application Components

CS-Enterprise (V2.0) is a complete enterprise configuration management system that includes the following fully integrated applications:

- - CS-Quote, a comprehensive and secure quotation management solution, including quote revision levels, customer data and catalog items, with complete integration to CS-Sales and CS-Execute for configured items.

- - CS-Sales, a Web-enabled guided selling and pricing configurator that provides pricing, costing and margin scenarios, validation, instant real-time messaging and multiple user interface support.

- - CS-Execute, an industrial-strength manufacturing and engineering configurator that generates user-defined Bills of Material and multiple process routings; also configures attributes to generate 2D/3D CAD drawings and other graphics and visual representations.

- - CS-Connect, an intelligent integration control system providing visibility, and total data sharing and access, from and to new and existing enterprise and supply chain systems.

- - CS-Publish, a rules-driven proposal and document generator that automatically creates and manages documents containing highly variable textual and graphics content, such as customer proposals and manufacturing production specifications.

- - CS-Remote, a powerful Web-based CRM and synchronization tool that enables mobile salespeople to configure, store, retrieve and share product, pricing and other critical sales information, from customer sites and other remote locations.

- - CS-Flow, a real-time demand flow solution that synchronizes production with demand, generates capable-to-promise schedules using finite material and/or capacity availability, as well as "cell" product schedules and sequence of events data.

The entire CS-Enterprise suite is built on open, object-based architecture for optimal portability across computing environments and integration with existing systems such as CRM, PDM, B2B, ERP, CAD, APS and Supply Chain Management. Its flexible user interface is highly configurable to accommodate diverse business and functional user communities. A built-in Knowledge Warehouse provides users with a "Best Practices" library for CTO products, as well as industry-specific product templates that encompass: Architectural, Industrial Systems, Hydraulic/Pneumatic Electrical Controls, Capital Equipment & Machinery, Transportation, Industrial Products/Control, Furniture and Process Manufacturing.

About Configuration Solutions

Configuration Solutions, Inc., a 14 year-old technology company, supports its manufacturing and other related industry customers by helping them meet their customer requirements across all facets of the business, from front-end sales and order management, to more sophisticated engineering and factory floor operations.

Configuration Solutions' CS-Enterprise software solution suite is designed to maximize efficiency and productivity, minimize errors and hasten information flow across the enterprise and beyond ? regardless of product order or process complexity. Built on open architecture, Configuration Solutions' technology offerings are used by make-to-order and engineer-to-order manufacturers and related service companies to drive out excess operating costs and eliminate rework of orders, while improving profits and agility in serving their markets.

 

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