EXPERIENCE
Nearly three decades of experience managing industrial product complexity.
Since 1997, we have helped technology companies manage product variety cost-effectively – from modularization and variant management through CPQ to end-to-end product, data and system architectures.
Our work connects modularization and variant management, CPQ and product configuration, and end-to-end product, data and system architectures across PLM, CPQ and ERP.
450+
Projects in variant-rich product environments.
From mid-sized companies to internationally active family businesses and DAX- and MDAX-listed groups.
140+
Client companies
from technology-driven industries.
80 %
Repeat clients
reflecting long-term collaboration.
4 out of 5
Projects involving implementation support
We don’t stop at concepts.
PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTS AND INDUSTRIES
Industry is not the defining factor. The complexity of the challenge is.
What matters is not so much the industry itself, but the complexity of the products, variants, data structures and system landscape.
Machinery and Plant Engineering
Machines, plants, lines and subsystems with high technical variance, multi-level configuration and transitions between CTO, CTO+ and ETO.
Components, Electrical and Automation Technology
Drives, controls, assemblies and components with global markets, high levels of recurring demand and tight coupling of product model, configuration and ERP.
Suppliers and Vehicle Manufacturing
Platforms, product ranges and customer-specific derivatives with high cost pressure, global plants and demanding variant and change management.
Medical, Pharmaceutical and Regulated Technology
Products and systems with high documentation, verification and approval requirements, where product structure, validity and reproducible configuration are especially important.
Further product worlds: Drive technology · Valves and pumps · Filling and packaging machinery · Compressors · Conveying technology and robotics · Process engineering · Energy and environmental technology · Machine tools · Printing and paper technology · Agricultural machinery · Special-purpose vehicles · Intralogistics
TYPICAL ENGAGEMENTS
Recurring patterns – combined in different ways.
- Modularization and modular product systems
- Variant management and product architectures
- Product structures and bill-of-materials concepts
- CPQ strategy and system selection
- Guided selling and quote configuration
- Pricing and rule-set concepts
- PLM, CPQ and ERP target architectures
- Data models and master data structures
- Process classes from MTS to ETO
- Pilots and proofs of concept
SELECTED PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Starting points, contributions and outcomes.
SERVO DRIVE TECHNOLOGY
Redesigning product structure and configuration architecture
Situation: Historically evolved variant structures, high part variety and several sales and logistics entry points.
Contribution: Variant-optimized product structure, process classes, sales and production configuration, PLM/ERP target architecture and a pilot data model.
Outcome: Clearer product families, a controlled variant space and a solid basis for configuration and end-to-end system consistency.
MACHINERY AND PLANT ENGINEERING
CPQ end-to-end from customer need to bill of materials
Situation: Long quotation times, early engineering involvement and unclear boundaries between CTO, MTO and ETO.
Contribution: Structured guided selling, configuration model, pricing, quotation output, configuration outputs and system integration.
Outcome: Faster and more reliable quotes, fewer errors and a better handover to order and bill of materials.
COMPONENT INDUSTRY
Reducing variant variety and product portfolio
Situation: A high number of technical variants, low reuse and little transparency about high- and low-runners.
Contribution: Portfolio analysis, product families, modules, preferred solutions and a configurable target modular system.
Outcome: Less internal variety, clearer standards and better economic control.
ELECTRICAL AND AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY
Clarifying PLM–CPQ–ERP architecture and data ownership
Situation: Product models, characteristics, rules and bills of materials spread across several systems.
Contribution: Defined object semantics, data ownership, eBOM, maximum structure, 100% bill of materials, mBOM and system roles.
Outcome: Less duplicate maintenance, more stable releases and traceable handovers between engineering, sales and production.
SAP S/4HANA-MIGRATION
Preparing variant configuration and master data for S/4HANA
Situation: Upcoming S/4HANA migration with a grown LO-VC model, inconsistent master data and an open question about the future configuration logic.
Contribution: Assessment of AVC versus LO-VC, adaptation of the configuration models, revision of material and characteristic master data, and development of a target architecture for variant management under S/4HANA.
Outcome: Cleaned-up master data, a decision-ready configuration architecture and reduced migration risk.
MACHINERY ENGINEERING / CPQ RESTART
CPQ restart after an aborted implementation project
Situation: An aborted CPQ implementation without a robust target state, with unclear requirements and open system suitability.
Contribution: Root-cause analysis, clarification of use cases, configuration outputs and data model, a vendor-neutral reassessment and a structured system selection.
Outcome: A viable target architecture, a well-founded system decision and a de-risked second attempt.
Confidentiality as part of our consulting
The majority of our projects are subject to confidentiality agreements. We therefore name clients and projects only with explicit approval or once their completion dates back more than five years. For this reason, many engagements of recent years remain deliberately unnamed.
We regard the confidential handling of projects, data and decisions as a natural part of our work.
SELECTED REFERENCE COMPANIES
A representative cross-section.
The following overview shows a representative cross-section of projects whose completion dates back more than five years or for which explicit approval has been granted.
- ABB
- ASMPT
- Binder
- Bühler
- CWS
- EBRO Armaturen
- Felss
- GEALAN
- Jensen
- KraussMaffei
- Lenze
- Progress Group
- Schorch
- Siempelkamp
- Steinmüller Babcock Environment
- Windhoff
- AERZEN
- Atlas Copco
- Bosch Packaging Technology (now Syntegon)
- Burckhardt Compression
- Diehl Metering
- Elopak
- Festo
- Heidelberg
- Koenig & Bauer
- Krones
- Memmert
- Rittal
- Schwarzmüller
- Siemens
- TOPWERK Group
- Wilo
- Aichelin
- AUMUND Group
- Brückner Maschinenbau
- Bürstner
- Dürr Group
- ERCO
- Flender
- Hilti
- KHS
- KSB
- Olbrich
- Rommelag
- SEEPEX
- Siltronic
- Uhlmann
- ANDRITZ Separation
- Belimed
- Bucher Emhart Glass
- CLAAS
- ebm-papst
- Superior Essex
- GEA
- HOMAG
- Kistler
- Leistritz
- Philips
- Samsung
- SEW-Eurodrive
- SSI Schäfer
- Voith
Does your challenge match our experience?
In an initial conversation of 30 to 45 minutes, we clarify the starting situation, objectives, scope and key risks. We then assess openly whether and where we can deliver substantial value.