Selling industrial automation solutions is a complex, technical, and often slow process. Whether you’re a manufacturer of robotic arms, an OEM offering turnkey automation cells, or a distributor supporting dozens of product lines, chances are your sales and quoting process is overdue for an upgrade.
In an era of real-time expectations and digital-first buying, product configurators are becoming the secret weapon for companies looking to scale efficiently without sacrificing accuracy or customer experience.
Let’s explore what a modern configurator does, how it empowers your sales process, and what to look for when choosing one built for the automation industry.
What Is a Product Configurator?
A product configurator is a digital tool that allows users such as sales reps, customers, or channel partners, to build custom product solutions by selecting from pre-defined options, rules, and constraints.
In the world of automation, these products are rarely off-the-shelf. A robotic palletizer, for example, may vary based on:
- Payload capacity
- Throughput
- Gripper type
- Safety enclosure
- Conveyor dimensions
- Integration needs
A product configurator guides the user through these variables, ensuring valid configurations and enabling quick, confident decisions.
When integrated with CPQ software, they enhance the entire sales process by automating pricing calculations and generating accurate quotes rapidly.
These tools also reduce the potential for human error, as they automate complex calculations and decisions that would otherwise require significant manual input. By doing so, they ensure consistency in the configuration process, which is crucial in maintaining the integrity of complex industrial solutions. Product configurators can also store previous configurations, enabling quick retrieval for repeat orders or future reference, thereby saving time and resources.
The Role of CPQ Tools in Industrial Automation
CPQ tools are indispensable in the context of industrial automation sales. They allow sales teams to configure complex product offerings swiftly, ensuring accuracy in pricing and reducing the time taken to deliver quotes. CPQ tools, when combined with product configurators, offer a comprehensive solution to overcome the challenges of complex configurations and slow quoting processes.
These tools also facilitate seamless communication between sales and engineering teams by providing a shared language and understanding of product configurations. This is essential for delivering solutions that are both technically feasible and commercially viable. Additionally, CPQ tools can integrate with other enterprise systems like CRM and ERP, ensuring that all departments are aligned and informed, leading to better coordination and customer satisfaction.
Benefits of Integrating Product Configurators with CPQ
By integrating product configurators with CPQ systems, businesses can achieve a level of efficiency and precision that was previously unattainable. This integration streamlines the entire sales process, from initial inquiry to final delivery, by ensuring that all configurations are accurate and feasible. It also provides sales teams with real-time data and analytics, which can be used to tailor offerings to meet specific customer needs and anticipate future demands.
Moreover, the integration facilitates the creation of detailed and accurate quotes that consider all variables, such as material costs and manufacturing constraints. This not only speeds up the quoting process but also enhances the credibility of the sales team, as customers receive reliable and transparent pricing information. Ultimately, this integration allows for agility and responsiveness, which is critical in the competitive landscape of industrial automation.
Why the Old Way Doesn’t Scale
Let’s face it, traditional quoting methods are broken. Here’s what they look like for many automation companies:
- Dozens of spreadsheets and PDFs floating between sales, engineering, and distributors
- Product rules and pricing stored in employees’ heads
- Long delays waiting on engineering approvals for quotes
- Manual errors in quotes that kill margin—or worse, damage trust
This model creates four major risks:
- Slowness: Customers wait days (or weeks) for a quote.
- Inconsistency: Reps price the same product differently.
- Inaccuracy: Invalid combinations slip through.
- Bottlenecks: Engineering is stuck in pre-sales support.
In a fast-moving, competitive market, that’s not just inefficient, it’s unsustainable.
The Power of Product Configurators in Automation Sales
A modern product configurator software does more than help you choose components. It transforms your sales infrastructure and empowers your teams to:
1. Quote Faster and Smarter
The most immediate benefit?
Speed.
When the configurator includes built-in rules, pricing logic, and even dynamic suggestions, quotes that once took hours (or days) now take minutes. You reduce back-and-forth with engineering, respond faster to customers, and increase your overall win rate.
Example: A distributor inputs a customer’s needs (payload, throughput, footprint). The configurator filters out invalid options, recommends the top 3 robot cell configurations, and generates a quote with pricing and specs on the spot.
2. Reduce Sales Training Time
With automation products becoming more sophisticated, onboarding a new sales rep can take months. But with a product configurator:
- Sales teams learn as they go.
- They don’t have to memorize tribal knowledge.
- The system itself enforces product compatibility.
Think of it as a just-in-time training engine, embedded inside the quoting workflow.
3. Empower Distributors and Channel Partners
Your partners can’t wait on emails and engineering support. A self-serve product configurator allows them to:
- Configure and price products independently
- Access always-up-to-date product data
- Sell confidently without needing deep product expertise
This is especially critical if you’re managing dozens, or even hundreds, of distributor relationships.
4. Enhance Customer Experience
Today’s B2B buyers want the same digital buying experience they get as consumers: interactive, real-time, and guided.
A 3D product configurator or visual sales tool allows buyers to explore options, understand trade-offs, and get pricing, all before even talking to sales.
This builds trust, reduces friction, and positions your company as a modern partner, not a legacy supplier.
5. Create a Scalable Sales System
As your product catalog grows, and your sales team expands, tribal knowledge and spreadsheets simply won’t scale.
A robust configurator ensures:
- Every quote follows the same rules
- Pricing stays consistent across reps, regions, and partners
- Engineering and product teams stay focused on innovation
This becomes the foundation of your digital sales infrastructure and one that grows with your business.
From Rule-Based to AI-Powered Configurators
Early CPQ tools relied on static rules. If the user selects “Robot A,” only “Gripper X” is valid. This works until your catalog expands, or the logic changes.
That’s where AI-powered configurators change the game.
AI-Driven Features You Should Expect:
- Conversational configuration: The user describes what they need (“I need a robot for machine tending under 10kg”), and the system guides them with suggestions.
- Intelligent recommendations: Based on similar past quotes, best-selling configurations, or deal outcomes.
- Dynamic pricing: Adjust pricing based on order volume, past customer behavior, or real-time constraints.
- Continuous learning: The more the system is used, the smarter it gets.
This isn’t just about quoting. It focuses on empowering representatives and clients to make quicker, more informed choices.
Key Features to Look For in Product Configurator Software
Choosing the right configurator can make or break your digital sales strategy. Here’s what to look for:
How ReshapeX Does It Differently
At ReshapeX, we’ve built a configure price quote platform specifically for the industrial automation industry.
It combines:
- An AI sales assistant trained on your real catalog
- Dynamic CPQ logic that reflects your rules and pricing
- A visual, guided interface that makes configuration fast and intuitive
- Integration hooks for your existing ERP or CRM stack
Whether you’re building a quoting tool for your internal team or a self-serve portal for channel partners, ReshapeX provides the infrastructure you need to scale with confidence.
Final Thoughts: From Manual Chaos to Sales Clarity
Let’s recap what we’ve learned:
- Traditional quoting processes are too slow, too risky, and not scalable.
- Product configurators help you quote faster, train better, and enable everyone in your sales chain—from reps to customers.
- AI-powered configurators take it even further by learning, guiding, and adapting with every deal.
If you’re serious about growing your automation business without growing your headcount, or slowing your sales cycles, it’s time to modernize your quoting engine.
Product configurators aren’t just a nice-to-have. They’re the future of industrial automation sales.
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