Rules-based configurator
Sales or dealers pick options, and the rules block combinations your plant can't build. Works on your website or in a dealer portal.
Dealer & B2B portals →We engineer software around how your operation actually works.
Product configurator and CPQ development services
For make-to-order manufacturers
Your best estimator prices a strange part in their head. We build configurators, CPQ and quoting tools that capture how your team prices work, so quotes go out faster and the numbers hold up on the floor. Connected to the ERP and CAD you already use.
The quoting problem
Where a quote's time goes
The estimating itself is rarely the slow part. Custom quoting software development usually starts with the hours around it.
- 01 · RFQ arrivesA PDF, an email thread and two drawings. Someone retypes the details into a spreadsheet.
- 02 · LookupsMaterial prices, last year's similar job, an email to a supplier about outside processing.
- 03 · Best guessSetup and cycle times on one-offs. Two estimators would price the same part differently.
- 04 · Quote goes outMost quotes never turn into orders, so much of this effort goes to work you won't win.
- 05 · Won, start overEngineering rebuilds the BOM and routing from scratch, because nothing carried over.
None of these steps is hard on its own. Together they explain why a simple quote takes three days and why margins drift when steel prices move.
Quote to production
From quote to work order without retyping
The part most quoting tools leave out. A won quote becomes a production job in one click, and engineering doesn't enter it all over again.
- 1RFQ or dealer request
- 2Configure and estimate
- 3Internal approval
- 4Drawings and BOM generated
- 5Sales order in ERPERP →
- 6Work order and routing on the floorMES →
Change a dimension, and the price, the drawing and the BOM update together.
Modules
Custom product configurator development: what we build
We rarely build all of this at once. Most projects begin where your estimators lose the most hours.
CPQ engine
Prices each configuration with your rates, customer price lists and margin rules. Approvals kick in when a discount crosses a limit.
Estimating for custom parts
Machine rates, setup times, material costs and outside processing to price one-off and low-volume work.
Drawing and BOM output
The drawing package and BOM come from the chosen configuration, ready for engineering review.
RFQ triage
Scores incoming requests so estimators spend time on the ones you're likely to win.
Actual vs. estimate feedback
Real setup and run times from the shop floor show where your estimates drift.
Honest fit check
CPQ software development or an off-the-shelf tool?
products follow a standard catalog
pricing rules are simple
you can live with the vendor's idea of how quoting works
We'll recommend a product and help connect it. The simplest answer is what we look for first.
products are engineered or built to order
pricing depends on your own rates and history
the quote has to flow into your ERP and shop floor without a person in the middle
Human review
Your estimator stays in charge
The fear we hear most is a quote that's wrong in an expensive way. Every tool we build keeps a person in the review step.
Every price shows how it was built. Nothing is a black box.
Material prices update from suppliers or the ERP, so a quote uses this week’s steel price.
Every shipped job feeds real times back. Estimates get better the longer you use it.
Your best estimator gets faster, and what they know stays in the company when they retire.
Proof
Built on what we learned from MillTrue
Our own product · make-to-order quoting and configurationMillTrue by Attract Group
Building it taught us where quoting breaks in real plants. We use the same patterns in custom projects.
Visit MillTrue →
Logistics · autoquotingMovewheels
A CRM that calculates shipment estimates automatically and sends quotes in seconds, so managers spend their time closing deals instead of pricing by hand.
View case study →Process
How a configurator project runs
- 01Rules discoveryWe sit with estimators and sales and write down how they price, including the exceptions they handle by instinct.
- 02Test on past quotesThe first version runs against about 20 past quotes and is compared with what the jobs really cost.
- 03ConnectThe tool links to your ERP, CAD and price lists.
- 04Launch with your teamEstimators use it on live RFQs, and we adjust rules as they find gaps.
- 05SupportWe keep it running and update rules as products and prices change.
Scope and cost for each step are agreed before it starts. You own the code, the rules and the documentation.
FAQ
Quoting and configurator questions
Can software quote one-off or low-volume parts accurately?
It can get close, as long as it uses your own rates and setup data and an estimator reviews the result. For repeat and family parts it's often more consistent than manual quoting. For unusual work it gives the estimator a solid starting point.
Can the tool learn from what jobs actually cost?
Yes. If your shop floor records setup and run time (or you add an MES), those actuals flow back and show where estimates are off.
How does it handle changing metal prices and outside processing?
Material prices come from your ERP, a supplier feed or a price table your buyer updates. Outside processing can use supplier price lists or a quick request built into the quote.
Can AI read our drawings without hiding mistakes?
AI can pull dimensions, materials and hardware from drawings, but it misses things. That's why the estimator sees every item it found and confirms it before the price is final (AI for manufacturing).
Can a quote generate the BOM and routing?
Yes, for configured products with clear rules. For engineered-to-order work, the tool creates a draft BOM and routing that engineering reviews.
Do we still need an experienced estimator?
Yes. The software takes the copy-paste and lookups off their plate, so they can spend their time on the judgment calls.
What should we look for in a configurator development company?
Ask to see how they capture pricing rules, how the tool connects to your ERP, and who maintains the rules after launch. Ask too whether you'll own the code. With us you do.
How long does a configurator project take, and what does it cost?
That depends on how many product families and systems are involved. After rules discovery we give you an estimate with scope and cost agreed before the build starts.
How long does your next quote take?
Send us five recent quotes, won or lost. We'll walk through them with you and show where the hours go and which parts a configurator or CPQ tool could take over.
Or call us directly:+1 888-438-4988