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The "Front-end"
The 'front-end' refers to the activities and support systems for interacting with customers from the moment of an enquiry through the
consideration and quotation phases to the point of order placement.
The product configurator is a key software tool in front-end systems.
Within the configurator are the criteria and rules for interpreting and converting a customer's
requirements into a buildable product configuration.
There are four basic types of configurator:
| Hierarchical |
these are tree-based, simple sequential structures with only one path. For
example, in choosing a vehicle the customer might have to pick the engine size first, then the colour and then the options.
This has disadvantages because customers may find towards the end that the engine size is
not permitted with the other choices already made, and that may mean starting the selection process all over again. |
| Attribute based |
where the items to be configured are linked by certain rules and attributes that permit
the customerto select choices in any sequence and see the effect immediately. |
| Constraint-based |
where there is a pool of possibilities (for example all permutations of car
options) and each customer selection removes a number of permutations that are not feasible, until
only a few are left to choose from. |
| Knowledge-based |
where parts are selected by inference (for example the selection of tyres, based
on the terrain the vehicle is expected to be used on). Different applications require different levels of
complexity and there is a trade-off between simplicity in set up and maintenance, versus function
and capability of the configurator, versus ease of use, versus cost of the software tool. |
Click here to see a list of configurator packages.
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Article from Manufacturing Engineer; You Choose |
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Useful links:
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Nottingham
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