Unlock faster sales cycles with CPQ software for manufacturers
Unlock faster sales cycles with CPQ software for manufacturers
CPQ solutions can help manufacturers achieve 67% higher on-time releases and 85% better cost/reliability by integrating design data into quoting and sales.
CPQ solutions can help manufacturers achieve 67% higher on-time releases and 85% better cost/reliability by integrating design data into quoting and sales.
What is CPQ software?
What is CPQ software?
CPQ stands for Configure, Price, Quote. CPQ software is a solution that helps businesses configure complex products, price them, and generate quick, consistent, accurate quotes for customers. In industries like manufacturing, where products often have hundreds of customizable options, CPQ solutions help you select and offer the right product at the right price.
Let’s say you manufacture industrial machinery. A customer might need a specific model with added features like additional sensors, custom sizing, or different materials. Doing this manually, you’d have to dig into your price lists, check inventories, and make sure every customization is feasible before you can accept and price the request.
With CPQ solutions, all of this happens automatically. The software takes care of the complex configurations based on customers’ requirements, ensuring nothing is missed while generating a fast and accurate quote. CPQ software connects to your customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, integrating the process of quoting on work seamlessly into your workflow.
CPQ stands for Configure, Price, Quote. CPQ software is a solution that helps businesses configure complex products, price them, and generate quick, consistent, accurate quotes for customers. In industries like manufacturing, where products often have hundreds of customizable options, CPQ solutions help you select and offer the right product at the right price.
Let’s say you manufacture industrial machinery. A customer might need a specific model with added features like additional sensors, custom sizing, or different materials. Doing this manually, you’d have to dig into your price lists, check inventories, and make sure every customization is feasible before you can accept and price the request.
With CPQ solutions, all of this happens automatically. The software takes care of the complex configurations based on customers’ requirements, ensuring nothing is missed while generating a fast and accurate quote. CPQ software connects to your customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, integrating the process of quoting on work seamlessly into your workflow.
Why use CPQ software?
Why use CPQ software?
Speed, accuracy, and customization are everything in manufacturing. Staying competitive means adopting tools that help you work faster and smarter. One such tool is Configure Price Quote (CPQ) software.Â
If you’re new to CPQ or unsure how it fits into your manufacturing process, think of it as a "super calculator" for generating price quotes for complex orders.
Speed, accuracy, and customization are everything in manufacturing. Staying competitive means adopting tools that help you work faster and smarter. One such tool is Configure Price Quote (CPQ) software.Â
If you’re new to CPQ or unsure how it fits into your manufacturing process, think of it as a "super calculator" for generating price quotes for complex orders.
Autodesk CPQ manufacturing solutions
Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection
Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection
Solve complex problems efficiently with the ultimate set of engineering applications.
 per year
Solve complex problems efficiently with the ultimate set of engineering applications.
 per year
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor
Gain access to powerful 3D CAD tools for mechanical design, simulation, and documentation with integrated modeling, manufacturing, and model-based definition capabilities.
 per year
Gain access to powerful 3D CAD tools for mechanical design, simulation, and documentation with integrated modeling, manufacturing, and model-based definition capabilities.
 per year
Autodesk Fusion
Autodesk Fusion
Transform your team’s product development process with integrated design, manufacturing, electronics, and data management in a single cloud-based solution.
 per year
Transform your team’s product development process with integrated design, manufacturing, electronics, and data management in a single cloud-based solution.
 per year
Autodesk Platform Services integrates CPQ with design and manufacturing solutions
Autodesk Platform Services integrates CPQ with design and manufacturing solutions
Autodesk Platform Services, formerly known as Autodesk Forge, integrates CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) capabilities with comprehensive manufacturing solutions through a rich set of APIs and cloud services. This integration connects design and engineering data with CPQ systems, enabling manufacturers to create interactive 3D product configurations, generate accurate pricing, and produce dynamic proposals directly from their CAD models.
 By automating the quoting process, Autodesk Platform Services streamline workflows, reduce errors, accelerate sales cycles, and enhance customer satisfaction by delivering precise, customized solutions quickly.
Autodesk Platform Services, formerly known as Autodesk Forge, integrates CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) capabilities with comprehensive manufacturing solutions through a rich set of APIs and cloud services. This integration connects design and engineering data with CPQ systems, enabling manufacturers to create interactive 3D product configurations, generate accurate pricing, and produce dynamic proposals directly from their CAD models.
 By automating the quoting process, Autodesk Platform Services streamline workflows, reduce errors, accelerate sales cycles, and enhance customer satisfaction by delivering precise, customized solutions quickly.
Autodesk customers using CPQ tools
CIDEON cuts lead times by 30% with CPQ integration, accelerating sales
CIDEON cuts lead times by 30% with CPQ integration, accelerating sales
CIDEON, German systems integrator and process consultant, used CPQ tools to connect different departments and improve collaboration.
CIDEON, German systems integrator and process consultant, used CPQ tools to connect different departments and improve collaboration.
CODEO boosts revenue with 30% faster quotes and 25% greater accuracy
CODEO boosts revenue with 30% faster quotes and 25% greater accuracy
Turkish engineering firm, CODEO, used CPQ to move from design to product quickly, allowing them to keep up with fast-paced industry demands.
Turkish engineering firm, CODEO, used CPQ to move from design to product quickly, allowing them to keep up with fast-paced industry demands.
LIXIL cut drafting time by 30%—see how CPQ boosted their margins
LIXIL cut drafting time by 30%—see how CPQ boosted their margins
LIXIL, a Japanese company known for household fixtures, used CPQ to cut drafting time by 30%, making their design process more efficient.
LIXIL, a Japanese company known for household fixtures, used CPQ to cut drafting time by 30%, making their design process more efficient.
Benefits of implementing CPQ software
Manufacturing is all about personalization. Customers want products tailored to their specific needs, whether in size, color, functionality, or material. But personalization can lead to errors if managed manually. CPQ software eliminates these issues by automating the customization process, reducing the chance of errors and speeding up the quoting process.Â
Manufacturing is all about personalization. Customers want products tailored to their specific needs, whether in size, color, functionality, or material. But personalization can lead to errors if managed manually. CPQ software eliminates these issues by automating the customization process, reducing the chance of errors and speeding up the quoting process.Â
Increased efficiency
Increased efficiency
Instead of spending hours configuring products, pricing them, and drafting quotes, CPQ does all the heavy lifting in minutes. This allows your sales and engineering teams to focus on other tasks.
Instead of spending hours configuring products, pricing them, and drafting quotes, CPQ does all the heavy lifting in minutes. This allows your sales and engineering teams to focus on other tasks.
Accurate quotes every time
Accurate quotes every time
CPQ ensures all pricing is accurate. You won’t have to worry about underpricing, overpricing, or missing details from the configuration. It reduces human error, making your quotes more reliable.
CPQ ensures all pricing is accurate. You won’t have to worry about underpricing, overpricing, or missing details from the configuration. It reduces human error, making your quotes more reliable.
Faster time to market
Faster time to market
The faster you provide a quote, the faster you can close a deal. CPQ cuts down quote generation time from days to hours, helping you stay ahead of your competitors.
The faster you provide a quote, the faster you can close a deal. CPQ cuts down quote generation time from days to hours, helping you stay ahead of your competitors.
Scalability
Scalability
As your business grows, manually creating quotes becomes unmanageable. CPQ scales with you, handling increased complexity and volume without sacrificing speed or accuracy.
As your business grows, manually creating quotes becomes unmanageable. CPQ scales with you, handling increased complexity and volume without sacrificing speed or accuracy.
How CPQ works in manufacturing
Let’s break down how CPQ fits into your manufacturing workflow, from configuration to the final quote.
Let’s break down how CPQ fits into your manufacturing workflow, from configuration to the final quote.
Product configuration
CPQ software allows your sales team to input the customer’s desired product specifications. Whether customizing a product’s size, adding extra features, or changing the material, CPQ makes it simple to configure even the most complex products. This feature is particularly useful for manufacturers offering a wide range of product variations, such as machine tools, electronics, or furniture.
CPQ software allows your sales team to input the customer’s desired product specifications. Whether customizing a product’s size, adding extra features, or changing the material, CPQ makes it simple to configure even the most complex products. This feature is particularly useful for manufacturers offering a wide range of product variations, such as machine tools, electronics, or furniture.
Pricing
CPQ uses predefined rules and real-time data to calculate the price. It factors in everything from raw material costs and production expenses to market demand and profit margins. By automating this process, you ensure pricing is consistent and accurate, no matter the complexity of the configuration.
CPQ uses predefined rules and real-time data to calculate the price. It factors in everything from raw material costs and production expenses to market demand and profit margins. By automating this process, you ensure pricing is consistent and accurate, no matter the complexity of the configuration.
Quote generation
After the product is configured and priced, CPQ generates a professional quote you can send directly to the customer. This quote often includes detailed product specifications, pricing breakdowns, and delivery timelines. It also ensures everyone on your sales team is working with the same information, maintaining consistency across the board.
After the product is configured and priced, CPQ generates a professional quote you can send directly to the customer. This quote often includes detailed product specifications, pricing breakdowns, and delivery timelines. It also ensures everyone on your sales team is working with the same information, maintaining consistency across the board.
How CPQ solutions impact the manufacturing sales process
How CPQ solutions impact the manufacturing sales process
CPQ software doesn’t just help the manufacturing process—it transforms how you sell your products. By integrating CPQ into your existing CRM system, you can create a flow from initial customer inquiry to final product delivery.Â
Here’s how CPQ impacts manufacturing sales:
Accelerated sales cycles: With automated product configuration and pricing, CPQ allows your sales team to respond to customer inquiries more quickly. Faster responses mean quicker decision-making and a higher chance of closing the sale.
Better customer experience: Customers receive quotes faster, and the quotes are more accurate. They don’t have to wait around for days while you manually figure out pricing or configuration options. Instead, they get what they need in minutes, improving their overall experience with your company.
Improved collaboration: CPQ bridges the gap between sales, engineering, and production teams. Everyone has access to the same data, reducing miscommunications and improving collaboration across departments.
CPQ software doesn’t just help the manufacturing process—it transforms how you sell your products. By integrating CPQ into your existing CRM system, you can create a flow from initial customer inquiry to final product delivery.Â
Here’s how CPQ impacts manufacturing sales:
Accelerated sales cycles: With automated product configuration and pricing, CPQ allows your sales team to respond to customer inquiries more quickly. Faster responses mean quicker decision-making and a higher chance of closing the sale.
Better customer experience: Customers receive quotes faster, and the quotes are more accurate. They don’t have to wait around for days while you manually figure out pricing or configuration options. Instead, they get what they need in minutes, improving their overall experience with your company.
Improved collaboration: CPQ bridges the gap between sales, engineering, and production teams. Everyone has access to the same data, reducing miscommunications and improving collaboration across departments.
The financial benefits of CPQ
The financial benefits of CPQ
Beyond improving workflows, CPQ has a tangible impact on your bottom line:
Increased revenue: Faster quotes mean faster sales cycles. By reducing the time it takes to get a quote in the customer’s hands, you shorten the sales cycle and increase the likelihood of closing deals.
Reduced costs: CPQ reduces the chance of errors in both the configuration and pricing stages, which means fewer costly mistakes. You won’t need to spend extra money fixing problems caused by misquotes or misconfiguration.
Higher profit margins: CPQ helps you better manage pricing, ensuring that you’re charging appropriately for every product variation and customization. By eliminating underpricing and ensuring that all costs are factored in, you can protect your profit margins.
Beyond improving workflows, CPQ has a tangible impact on your bottom line:
Increased revenue: Faster quotes mean faster sales cycles. By reducing the time it takes to get a quote in the customer’s hands, you shorten the sales cycle and increase the likelihood of closing deals.
Reduced costs: CPQ reduces the chance of errors in both the configuration and pricing stages, which means fewer costly mistakes. You won’t need to spend extra money fixing problems caused by misquotes or misconfiguration.
Higher profit margins: CPQ helps you better manage pricing, ensuring that you’re charging appropriately for every product variation and customization. By eliminating underpricing and ensuring that all costs are factored in, you can protect your profit margins.
Integration with other systems
Integration with other systems
To maximize the value of CPQ, it should integrate with other tools your company already uses. For manufacturers, this often means linking CPQ with your ERP or CRM systems. This integration helps ensure that the entire process—from configuration to manufacturing to final delivery—is streamlined.
For example, by linking CPQ with your ERP, you can check real-time inventory data to ensure that the customized product you’re quoting can be made and delivered on time. By integrating with your CRM, your sales team can pull up past customer interactions, helping them make better-informed decisions during the quoting process.
To maximize the value of CPQ, it should integrate with other tools your company already uses. For manufacturers, this often means linking CPQ with your ERP or CRM systems. This integration helps ensure that the entire process—from configuration to manufacturing to final delivery—is streamlined.
For example, by linking CPQ with your ERP, you can check real-time inventory data to ensure that the customized product you’re quoting can be made and delivered on time. By integrating with your CRM, your sales team can pull up past customer interactions, helping them make better-informed decisions during the quoting process.
Choosing the right CPQ software
Choosing the right CPQ software
When choosing the right CPQ for your manufacturing business, consider the following:
Industry-specific needs: Look for CPQ solutions tailored to your industry. For manufacturers, this means software that can handle complex configurations, dynamic pricing, and product personalization.
Scalability: As your company grows, you want a CPQ system that can scale with you, handling more configurations, customers, and quotes without slowing down.
Ease of use: The software should be user-friendly, especially for your sales and engineering teams. A steep learning curve can lead to frustration and delays.
Integration capabilities: Ensure that the CPQ software integrates smoothly with your existing business systems.
When choosing the right CPQ for your manufacturing business, consider the following:
Industry-specific needs: Look for CPQ solutions tailored to your industry. For manufacturers, this means software that can handle complex configurations, dynamic pricing, and product personalization.
Scalability: As your company grows, you want a CPQ system that can scale with you, handling more configurations, customers, and quotes without slowing down.
Ease of use: The software should be user-friendly, especially for your sales and engineering teams. A steep learning curve can lead to frustration and delays.
Integration capabilities: Ensure that the CPQ software integrates smoothly with your existing business systems.
CPQ resources
CPQ capabilities in iLogic for Inventor
iLogic in Autodesk Inventor is a powerful tool for automating product configurations. It enables customizable rules for assembling products efficiently, making it an ideal foundation for CPQ.
iLogic in Autodesk Inventor is a powerful tool for automating product configurations. It enables customizable rules for assembling products efficiently, making it an ideal foundation for CPQ.
Extracting data for CPQ from Inventor
Learn how to pull data from Inventor and use it in a CPQ system through Autodesk’s Forge Design Automation. This process allows for seamless data integration and efficient product configuration.
Learn how to pull data from Inventor and use it in a CPQ system through Autodesk’s Forge Design Automation. This process allows for seamless data integration and efficient product configuration.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on CPQ
CPQ stands for configure, price, quote—the three components of CPQ software.
Configure, price, quote systems automate a process that lets a customer choose specific product variables and get accurate costs.
Trying different colors, materials, dimensions, or other changes is done in a few clicks, using the product taken directly from the 3D design file and deployed in a simple browser window.
Throughout the process, product pricing is automatically updated, and the cost of their final choice of variables is transposable into a formal quote from within a CPQ manufacturing business system.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a business-development tool that tracks customer contacts, organizes records of interactions, and maintains professional connections and prospects.
CPQ manufacturing software integrates directly with the data from your design, letting customers choose from available product variables.
Throughout that process, the system displays updated pricing and lets you provide an accurate quote based on their choices.
Although the two are different, good CPQ software will provide the means to share data with your CRM system for a more comprehensive overview of your interactions with a customer.