CREALIS® – QUOTE GENERATION INCLUDING PURCHASED PARTS

Within the Viessmann Group, the complexity of products and systems is mastered through the use of the innovative CREALIS® product configurator, which supports the generation of quotes for turnkey projects.

VIESSMANN Group

The Viessmann Group is one of the leading international manufacturers of heating, industrial and cooling systems. Viessmann’s comprehensive range offers individual solutions with efficient systems and outputs from 1.5 to 120,000 kilowatts for all applications and all energy sources. With 22 production companies in 11 countries, sales companies and representatives in 74 countries and 120 sales offices worldwide, Viessmann has an international outlook.

THE TASK

Highest possible efficiency, functionality and flexibility in quote generation, order confirmation and order processing The Viessmann Group’s product categories of industrial boilers, CHP units, biomass and large heat pumps are complex and require a great deal of consultation. From this portfolio, products and systems as well as complete turnkey projects are offered to industrial customers and municipal facilities. The ever more extensive quotes were becoming increasingly difficult to handle in terms of effort. In order to achieve the greatest possible efficiency and flexibility in quote generation and order processing, Viessmann decided to use a product configurator developed specifically for their needs.

THE PROCESS

Advantageous approach from data analysis to specifications and prototype concretised the approaches at any time As CREALIS® largely met Viessmann’s expectations, ORISA was commissioned to draw up specifications. A product-oriented analysis of the data stored in the SAP® system was mandatory. For optimal implementation, extensive discussions took place with those responsible from sales, marketing and engineering. Parallel to the specifications, a prototype was already created, which incorporated both the sales and technical criteria from the design area. Characteristic-specific material groups were defined. Among other things, it had to be decided whether the products were created in-house or whether they were bought in. Many approaches became concrete, so that feasibility and acceptance already accompanied the project at this point. This was followed by the development and provision of the interfaces. Furthermore, intensive work was done on the user interface and it was aligned to the individual needs as well as to the corporate design. Prior to the roll-out of the 1st version of the product configurator in March 2015, the sales staff in the product categories underwent appropriate training.

THE OUTCOME

Web service enables current inclusion of purchased parts in the configuration process Based on ORISA’s CREALIS® product configurator, a solution was designed specifically for Viessmann’s needs. By means of the cross-product configurator, it is possible to obtain an exact product pre-selection as well as specifications with just a few entries in order to generate a quote quickly and without errors. In principle, the product configurator presents itself as a black box. Users are not burdened with the tasks of the change service, the administration of materials, part numbers and documents. They are guided in a product-compliant manner from the product pre-selection via technical data – framework conditions, parameters – to the specification. This approach turns out to be an optimal filtering process. In the background, the associated technical values are calculated, which then flow from CREALIS® into the Viessmann request for quotes. In addition to the three coordinated and deployed software systems (CREALIS®, quote portal and SAP®), a web service in the sense of B2B between the companies was created. When configuring an industrial boiler, for example, there is also the selection of a suitable burner. Since Viessmann does not manufacture burners, they are bought in. During the configuration process, these burners are fully integrated. “With the web service, using the example of the burners, we have succeeded in integrating purchased parts into the configuration process in real time with a uniform user interface without media breaks,” explains Bobby Harke.

THE OUTLOOK

Extension of the web service application and alignment of the layout in responsive web design After the roll-out of the 1st version of the Viessmann configurator for four production companies, the addition of a further subsidiary, Elektronik GmbH, is now imminent. In addition, a roll-out of the configurator to all sales companies is planned. In further development, a superordinate approach is to be created in order to accommodate users even more in the product pre-selection. Based on the successful web service application, plans are in place to set up three more B2B implementations with cooperating companies. This concerns the pressure maintenance systems, pumps and fittings products. In addition, the layout of the configurator is also to be adapted to the displays of mobile end devices such as tablets and smartphones, so that users do not have to scroll, but can drag the images smaller or larger. The creation of an additionally selectable offer form almost as a budget quote in the style of a management summary is in the design phase.

“The configurator leads to a reduction of the error rate to almost zero, to faster responsiveness to enquiries and to a significant gain in time for the actual sales work.”

Mr Bobby Harke, Viessmann Industriekessel Mittenwalde GmbH

THE ProjeCt in FIGURES

80%

of all portal quotes via the product configurator

40%

Increase in the number of quotes

26

Languages

> 95%

Time saving with complete systems

> 1 Mio.

Variants for heat generators

THE CUSTOMER BENEFITS AT A GLANCE

Cross-product configuration for quote generation with product pre-selection and automated acceptance of product-specific characteristics
Country-specific product specifications and management of language versions
Interfaces to SAP, to the portal request for quotes and to suppliers
Provision of calculation results and product features for automatic acceptance in modularised and dynamic sales texts