Elfsquad is more than a CPQ software. We ensure that manufacturing businesses preserve their right to exist and are progressive in the field of configuration software. Cube is a platform in which we showcase videos, blogs, and functionalities, where we give partners and customers the chance to tell their story, and offer you resources to really advance.
Recently we recorded a webinar with Walpole Partnership, the company provides unparalleled expertise in the fields of CPQ. This webinar is about the importance of de-risking the implementation process of CPQ software. The webinar shows how important it is to have autonomy about the software you have in use. Both Andy Pieroux (Walpole) and Ingmar Hermans (Walpole) have decades of experience regarding CPQ, so expect a structured and proven approach.
Guided selling is definitely a thing you’ll encounter when you dive into the world of CPQ software. Guided selling and CPQ have a lot to do with each other, and when handled correctly they also enhance one another. On this page, you will read all about the dream marriage between CPQ software and guided selling.
Quote-to-cash is a process that shortens turnaround times, reduces the chance of errors and increases your profits. Because no matter how much you enjoy producing your machines, ultimately, of course, you have to make money. In this article you will read what quote-to-cash or QTC is, what an optimal quote-to-cash process looks like, and we […]
Guided selling is a term originating from B2C, but is becoming more and more important to B2B. Guided selling is a method to guide your in-house salesforce, your dealers and even your end-customers to choose the products to their needs. Especially companies that sell complex products experience tremendous benefits from guided selling. In this blog, you learn all about guided selling.
The late nineties were the heyday of ERP. These large packages allowed you to tackle a lot of things; from purchases to planning, and from relation management to production. At the time, it was an enormous step forward. But in this item, you will find out why you would rather upgrading your outdated IT landscape […]
So, you already know what CPQ is. In short: CPQ is a business tool that helps companies streamline their sales process, making it easier and faster to get quotes to customers. But what are the benefits of a CPQ solution? And how does CPQ make your salesprocesses scalable?
CPQ stands for Configure Price Quote software. CPQ is a solution for businesses that makes it simpler, quicker and significantly more efficient to provide quotes to clients. It takes the manual effort out of the process, which allows salespeople to focus on what they do best: selling. With the use of CPQ software, sales teams […]
Elfsquad can proudly claim to be the only product configurator on the Zapier platform. With Zapier, in partnership with Elfsquad, you can create and manage workflows at lightning speed. You can connect Elfsquad to 5,000+ other business applications and that brings many benefits. For example, with just a few clicks you can link Elfsquad to Outlook, making manual actions a thing of the past. You can read more about these easy-to-create integrations in this blog.
Everyone knows about the Industrial Revolution, but actually we have already had four industrial revolutions: the steam engine, the developments of assembly lines and the rise of computers are well known. These revolutions not only brought improvements in productivity and efficiency, but also a complete change in production. The fourth revolution is perhaps not even implemented at your company, and then we haven’t even started to talk about Industry 5.0. In this article you will read all about it.
Product lifecycle management, also commonly known as PLM, is a systematic process for managing the whole lifecycle of a product, from creation to sales, and even end-of-life. One of the most important goals of every company is to keep the lifecycle of all products as long as possible preserving its efficiency. To truly be able to […]
It has been less than a year since the proud Frisian company Elfsquad opened its new premises and it is already time for a second office. Providing the team with more space in the building next door. There will soon be enough space to further shape the international ambitions.
Whether you’re experiencing it yourself or just reading the headlines, the facts don’t lie: staff shortages in the manufacturing industry in the Netherlands are getting worse. The sector is growing well, but the right personnel is hard to be found. And if they can be found, it is difficult to retain them. The Netherlands is […]
One of the great advantages of an online product configurator is that your customers or dealers can see exactly what their desired configuration looks like. This not only makes their choices immediately visible, but it also makes it easier for you to sell products. If users can see their configuration in front of them, the […]
With a built product structure in Elfsquad your configurator is user-friendly and users can configure products without errors. To properly sell your product, you need a document that represents the quality of your product and that can be generated at the touch of a button. This shortens the quotation process time and increases the chance […]
At the basis of working with Elfsquad CPQ software and thereby improving the critical processes in the pre-production phase, lies product modularity. By building up your products in a modular way, you get control over your process. It is a lot easier to sell and build known, well-defined modules. Product modularity thus provides the necessary […]
It wasn’t that long ago that designing in CAD was nothing more than drawing lines on a screen, rather than on paper. A lot has improved since then, but it’s time for the next step. With CAD/Design automation, you’ll benefit from some great advantages and beat your competitors in many areas. In this blog, you’ll […]
Once you’ve chosen Elfsquad, the real work begins. You have already thought about how to make products modular, but another important step is to think about how to put the product structure in Elfsquad. This is not difficult, but does require some preparation. In this blog, you can read which steps we take together to […]
As you know, we are proud that Elfsquad integrates with everything that goes without saying. Of course, our CPQ software can also be used as a stand-alone application, but it is at its best when you integrate it with the rest of your IT infrastructure. For this reason, we’ve been working hard on two nice […]
In the nineties, everyone had to have ERP-software as an all-in-one solution. When it turned out that this resulted in a one size fits no one-situation, it was time for custom made software. The development of custom made product configurators surged, supported with a relatively large investment in consultancy. The results of this are still […]
A technical-looking configurator is a pretty handy tool to sell your complex products. Customers no longer have to dig endlessly into datasheets, but instead can choose from available options. But a technical configurator is still very… technical-looking. And that often is not what your customers want. A configurator that uses 3D visualization is what they want. In this blog, you will read how 3D visualization will make it easier to sell your products.
Quoting, a process that is often seen as ‘boring’ and ‘time-consuming’. As a salesperson you want to do what you are good at: selling. You want to avoid administrative hassles as much as possible. Integrating Elfsquad CPQ into your sales process is the solution to quote successfully. In this blog, you can read how to make your quotation process faster, more effective, and above all: more scalable.
As a manufacturing company, you want to help your customer as efficiently as you can. Working conform to the Engineer to Order principle is not an acceptable method anymore for creators of configurable products. The customer demands a large amount of customization possibilities, and also expects a fast delivery along with sharp pricing.
In modern times, a supplier of complex, customer-order driven production cannot work without an ERP- and CPQ package in their pre-production process. How does integration between these two work? ECI Software Solutions and Elfsquad enhance their respective platforms so that it becomes beneficial for every possible manufacturing business. By constantly further developing the platforms and making cooperation and integration flexible, both parties create a flawless, digital, and scalable pre-production process for every type of manufacturer. In this blog Robin Dijkstra, Content Marketeer at ECI Software Solutions, and Jelmer Reitsma, Marketing Coordinator at Elfsquad explain all about the advantages of an ERP- and CPQ-software integration.
It is important to extend the benefits of CPQ into all your distribution channels. For exact this reason, the suborganization module of Elfsquad CPQ was created. In this video we tell you everything about the suborganization module and its possibilities for your manufacturing company.
By now it is known that CPQ software creates a lot of benefits for businesses in the manufacturing industry. You might be interested in an application that creates flawless quotations and BOMs at the speed of light, and in turn prevents costly errors and shortens your processes. But with selecting and implementing CPQ software there are some things to keep in mind.
In this item you will read how in only 4 steps you are able to choose CPQ software that best fits your company and generates the most value. And along with that: a successful future for your business.
The Showroom module is an extra Elfsquad CPQ functionality that you can use to directly connect your customers to the production process. With the online showroom you make your product package available to your customer. Even if you have multiple sales channels!
As soon as you have decided to work with CPQ software, an important choice awaits you: will you choose cloud CPQ? Or traditional CPQ, installed locally? This choice is one of great importance, as it has a large influence on factors such as implementation length, how fast the software is able to work, the costs, […]
In 2015 Jan Brolsma, together with Johannes Heesterman, started the company Elfskot. Its goal: developing the product configurator for manufacturing businesses in the SME world. By now, a rebranding to ‘Elfsquad’ has happened, the milestone of a hundred customers has been reached and the duo has expanded to a growing team and an experienced Advisory Board. Back then it did not seem like a simple task to convince the traditional manufacturing industry of the importance of user-friendly, AI-based CPQ software. Fully in the cloud, on top of that. “But with a clear vision and proven software we managed to get more and more customers on board.”, Jan Brolsma explains.
You have Bills of Materials (BOM), and then you have Bills of Materials for the manufacturing industry. Often in this industry you will deal with more complex things than a couch or other furniture, and iwn turn the bill of materials will be much more complex. More often than not you will have to deal […]
Elfsquad’s CPQ software originates in the manufacturing industry. More specifically: it all started at producers of agricultural machines. With our software these producers make it much easier for their dealers to sell their products. In this item you will read how. Spoiler: this is also interesting when your dealer sells something else than agricultural machines!
Late in August, Wessel de Haan (Commercial Director at Elfsquad) had a conversation with Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau (Startup Ambassador at Techleap). On the one hand to congratulate Elfsquad with their new office. On the other hand it was mostly about facilitating growth in start-up and scale-up situations.
Before the corona crisis started, we ran into a small problem: Elfsquad is growing. The office at the Berglaan in Drachten quickly turned out too small, but as a result of working from home that was no issue for a long time. Until in 2021 the decision was made: Elfsquad was going to move.
By now, you know that producers in the manufacturing industry require solid CPQ software. Such a tool not only brings you benefits, but your dealers and customers too. Yet numerous manufacturers will not take this step, because they think that they need to have all root data designed in advance. In this item you will read why they’re better off thinking the other way around.
The fact that CPQ software is essential for businesses in the manufacturing industry probably does not come as a surprise. But not every software package is the same, so making a choice can be difficult. What exactly are the components that ensure you do not only choose CPQ software that fits your company right now […]
From a large scale research among decisionmaking in the B2B market, it appeared that a lack of speed often was an important obstacle. It was named the most often as a reason why a deal does not go through. Especially when buying complex products, building valuable long term relationships is something that requires time. Which is why speed is so important in the quotation process. So that your salespeople can directly focus on offering the best support, instead of doing complex calculations and searching for data in enormous Excel files. Where speed gets you even more, is your dealer channel. With fast and flawless quotations it becomes a lot easier for them to sell your products.
Seeing a term like ‘omnichannel’ might give you the chills and make you long for the good old times. When the air was clean, and having a good dealer network and presence at conventions would get you plenty of customers. Unfortunately that won’t do anymore, but in this blog you will read that omnichannel isn’t […]
The numbers do not lie: at this moment, a quarter of the workforce is millennial. And in 4 years time that will have increased to 75%. And millennials work in a different way than you are used to. It is not as if they only have high expectations about the digitalization within your organization: they know- and want no less than that. In this article you read about how to live up to these expectations and attract the best technical personnel possible.
Configure-to-order, engineer-to-order, and make-to-order are 3 terms you regularly hear in the manufacturing industry. With creating complex products, it used to be feasible to work according to make-to-order or engineer-to-order, but thanks to technological developments more and more businesses move to configure-to-order. In this item you will discover the benefits of configure-to-order, and how you […]
In this item you will read why you’re better off picking a product configurator that is built on the basis of the API-first-principle. This looks like open source, but is actually a bit better.
In the past you were able to buy Ford’s T Model in every color you liked, as long as that color was black. A well known example of the luxury position the manufacturing industry of that time was in. By now times have changed, and as a manufacturer you are forced to serve an increasing […]
As a fast-growing CPQ supplier, Elfsquad enters the search CPQ scene. Wessel de Haan (Commercial Director at Elfsquad) tells Elfsquad’s story during the largest CPQ podcast in the world: the Novus CPQ Podcast.
All of us have probably played around with a visual configurator at some point, for example to discover what your dream car could look like. Choosing a color scheme, interior, rims: everything is directly visible on your screen. Unfortunately the price also rises along, but that aside. Years ago, the visual configurator made its entrance in the B2B world, and successfully at that. More and more businesses see its advantages, and your product or machine, too, is more easily sold in an attractive visual form. In this blog we concisely describe what a visual configurator is, and more importantly: what its advantages for your business could be.
The B2B manufacturer in the industry knows the importance of engineering models like no other. CAD files often give customers the first impression of the actual product. It becomes tangible. Being able to deliver CAD files as early as possible in the sales process creates trustworthiness. This comes forth from eliminating miscommunication, and the proneness to error. Especially as a system integrator, which delivers CAD files with quotations. To grant insight in the offered solution in an early stage.
Solutions to save time and money, and to meet customer demands: something a lot of organizations are searching for. In this blog we focus on the valuable connection between CAD and CPQ software. Which enhance each other in many ways. For instance, it is possible to minimize use of the engineer as a link between […]
The B2B buyer has changed. The manufacturing industry demands online CPQ tools that enhance the customer experience. A convincing text, a static image or boasting the end-customer’s visual capabilities is no longer enough. The customer should be able to completely compose their product based on their own wishes (remember the IKEA-effect?). By offering your products online with a CPQ configurator, the customer can convince themself in an intuitive and visual manner. Visual user experiences increase conversions and order values.
What is Elfsquad Cube? What is Elfsquad Cube? Cube serves as a platform for the manufacturing industry and as a knowledge center for our own content. Read and view interesting how-to’s and best practises. Gain insight in Elfsquad functionalities and read fun facts about us as people. Additionally, you will find many videos where we […]
25 February Elfsquad will be present at the Boston MIT European Career fair 2021! Next to Daimler, Airbus, Vandervelde and many more, Elfsquad offers workplaces in the European technical sector. With more than 90 other organizations we show students and young professionals how European businesses are impactful globally. The 25th edition of the ECF takes […]
Samen met onze nieuwe Exact partner AB geven wij een webinar op 10 maart.
Drachten – 4 February 2021 – AB and Elfsquad start a partnership to let businesses in the Dutch manufacturing industry grow, by supplying them with the smartest digital solution. The partnership did not form out of thin air. Both parties are known players in the industry and both AB and Elfsquad are premium Exact partners. With Elfsquad’s product configurator AB expects to be able to support innovative producers of high complexity products even better, as a valuable expansion to Exact ERP.
Advisie is always looking for products that can offer added value next to Exact. With Elfsquad, Advisie offers customers the possibility to further optimize both the production process and customer contact. With the multifunctional product configurator it becomes a successful ‘on-top-of Exact’ solution.
‘s-Hertogenbosch, January 11, 2021 – ISD Benelux from ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Elfsquad from Drachten join forces to combine the 3D CAD world with the benefits of a product configurator. By choosing for this cooperation, customers in the manufacturing industry can automate their processes and sell, engineer, and produce their products more successfully, faster, and without failure costs.
Today, Elfsquad announced the availability of Elfsquad CPQ on AppSource, an online cloud marketplace providing tailored line-of-business solutions. Elfsquad has been developing configuration software (CPQ software) for SMEs in the manufacturing industry since 2016. Initially for Dutch production companies, the software has always been developed with internationalization in mind. Listing Elfsquad on Microsoft AppSource is […]
Where digitalization has been on the rise in the manufacturing industry for years, 2020 and COVID-19 have made it even more urgent. Digitalization is not just a desired dot on the horizon now, but a condition to remain competitive in the industry both during and after the pandemic. A condition that will eventually grant a lot of advantage to the manufacturing industry.
After the success of Exact LIVE 2020 we, along with Exact, put a mutual customer in the spotlight: Giesen Coffee Roasters. Davey Giesen spoke together with Wessel de Haan (Elfsquad) & Edwin Weteling (YALA Canvas Lodges) during an interactive session at Exact Live. They considered optimization of the pre-production process, the distinguishing power of a […]
The IT-landscape in a modern manufacturing business is extensive. It no longer consists of one ERP package. These traditional ERP systems are overtaken by a best-of-breed focus. A focus where software packages granting the best prestations of their kind are sought after. As where the manufacturing industry dives into niches more and more, so does the corresponding software. ERP should not want to be a CRM system in disguise. And not all of your products should have to be managed in your CRM package. The best solutions, which you would like to work with, should be able to work together seamlessly if they are to optimize your business processes.
We are proud of the manufacturing industry. And from this pride, we build configuration software. To grant manufacturing businesses the handles towards (international) competitive advantage. From first customer contact to aftersales. You require a digital thread throughout all of your business processes. This thread also traverses your dealers. Since without them you would lack (local) visibility and expertise to firmly grow.
We do not only publish our own developments. When one of our partners launches a new functionality or goes through another kind of development, we will gladly report this. That being said, Ridder is launching their very own Ridder iQ Appstore. To provide customers with new functionalities even faster. The Ridder iQ Appstore is separated […]
From 2 through 6 November you are able to witness a very inspiring online event, free of charge: Exact LIVE Netherlands. As a premium partner, Elfsquad is an important part of this event.
“For this reason, now can be a very interesting moment for a digital transformation.” These were the concluding words from Theo van Andel (Equinix) in an interesting article on Linkmagazine.nl. In this article, a finger is laid upon the sore spot in the Dutch manufacturing industry: the speed of the digital transformation. However, our experience […]
Every manufacturing business uses a significant amount of business applications. Think ERP, CAD, CRM, PDM, PLM, and your Office packages. On top of this comes financial software, planning software, service software, et cetera. Many of these packages are rigidly built because they must be able process a large amount of data in a structured way. These transactional systems bring many advantages with them in the fields of security, data conformity, structure, and stability. But they are not exactly flexible, and this makes it difficult to respond to the rapidly changing customer needs.
Complexity does not require a complex interface. In fact: complexity should never have a complex interface. Like Mark Bouter (Sales – Vredo) told us: “What surprised us the most has to be the ability to explain such complex machines in such a clear manner.” This is the power of Elfsquad’s sales configurator. Users experiencing the software for the first time are a bit sceptical at times. Machines, installations, incredibly complex products configured within a few clicks, implemented into your IT-landscape, and a cleanly generated quotation on top of that. But it is possible.
A few months ago we announced the partnership between Leapforce and Elfsquad. Elfsquad creates CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software for the manufacturing industry and Leapforce adequately employs this as a sales tool. Together, we offer the best software and a stainless implementation process.
This whitepaper is written for the manufacturing companies looking for international growth. The businesses going further and further into niche projects by realizing detailed customization.
Thousands of filled cells, long-winded formulas, hundreds of ‘if-then-else’ statements… The Excel specialist within your organization can peer at this for hours. But does it improve your business processes? Probably not.
This checklist is aimed at manufacturers looking for the last push towards the best CPQ solution for their business.
Thousands of filled cells, long-winded formulas, hundreds of ‘if-then-else’ statements… The Excel specialist within your organization can look at this for hours. But does it improve your business processes? Probably not. CPQ software has outgrown the Excel Configurator in every area, yet Excel perseveres. In this blog we show you why an Excel Configurator cannot […]
Short delivery times, unique specifications, strict environment- and certification requirements: customers are asking more and more of ordered truck bodyworks. The fact that Dutch manufacturers are able to find a smart and sustainable solution for nearly every transport problem is seen at Goes-based Smartbox. This producer of lightweight truck boxes consists of about 20 employees and is rapidly taking over the European transport world.
The title appoints the “inconvenient truth” of many a supplier in the construction industry. On the daily they solve inconsistencies on project level through human action. They unconsciously maintain the outdated document-driven design process. Luckily, at CADblanche we are regularly asked to analyze how customers’ information processes are looking and how we can thoroughly improve them using the knowledge of tomorrow. Especially when focussing on Industry 4.0 the source information of the to-be-produced construction concepts are of vital importance. Together with Elfsquad, CADblanche has the solution for you: the CADblanche Framework.
In the case on Tilbox we shortly covered that Elfsquad Product Configurator has been changed into ‘Tilsmart’ in their environment, their own online configurator. Where the manufacturing industry is often a bit too reluctant in employing digital solutions, Tilbox put the pedal to the metal. And last week their online configurator hit the outside world […]
PRESS RELEASE
Nazareth, April 14 2020 – Northern Netherlands based software company Elfsquad has engaged in a partnership with ESC to reach the Belgian market. Elfsquad connects the sales- and production processes, and enables both seller and buyer to flawlessly configure, calculate, and quote very complex products. Belgian ESC is an established partner of Exact and Microsoft, and supplies about a thousand customers with ERP from Microsoft Dynamics and Exact Globe. Together, they offer a wide solution preparing assembly businesses for the inevitable changes in the market. Together they look at the future: from quotation to production in no-time.
Flatten the curve: it is not the first time that the manufacturing industry hears this term. Stabilizing and estimating demand is the key to an efficient production. But how is that possible if your product portfolio keeps on expanding and becomes less and less clear?
JASA Packing Solutions is an international producer and supplier of complete weighing- and packaging lines. And in Elfsquad they found the product configurator they had been looking for for ages. JASA saw a noticeable shift in customer demand: “Our customers are asking for more and more functionalities within the weighing- and packaging machines.”, Marleen Bakker explains (Design Engineer, Jasa Packaging Solutions).
Ridder Data Systems & Elfsquad are organizing a joint webinar to answer all your questions on configuration in combination with ERP. Vincent Veenman (Sales Consultant at Ridder Data Systems) & Wessel de Haan (Sales Engineer at Elfsquad) are experts in the field of ERP, CTO, Guided Selling, and everything to do with the pre-production process of the manufacturing businesses of 2020.
In 2017 the Noordz editorial visited Elfsquad, to see how they as a start-up transitioned into a new phase of marketing. And now, in 2020, the same editorial visited once again to discover that their team had doubled.
Working Engineering-to-order is not just outdated. It poses a threat to the right of existence of manufacturing businesses that could just start working modularly. The transition to Configure-to-order is the survival opportunity for manufacturing companies. And we will show you why.
On March 12th, Elfsquad partner Greenock|Arkance Systems is organizing the Innovation Forum for the second year in a row. Together with DP Technology, Autodesk and Datech the latest developments in the field of CAD and 3D visualization are showcased.
Judging by the packed hall during the break-out session at Ridder Connects, it was clear that there was a lot of interest. Which is a good thing, because manufacturing companies have to reorganize their pre-production process. And with a product configurator as backbone, we are dying to tell them how to approach this situation. To top it all, Elfsquad was handed the Partner Award 2019. Which confirms out innovation power in the manufacturing business. And also motivating us even more to complete our mission: ensuring businesses in the production industry are able to thrive.
As said in the previous blog, a lot of production companies move from Engineering to Order (ETO) to Configure to Order (CTO). As such, they attempt to adhere to the customer specific wishes, shorten run times, and lower costs. Product configuration and ERP play an important role here. The transition from ETO to CTO usually […]
Elfsquad Ltd. was nominated for Deloitte Technology Fast 50 2019’s prestigious Rising Star Award. The Rising Star is created especially for technology companies younger than four years old. The nominated businesses faced each other through elevator pitches in Amsterdam on October 10, to battle for the titles Rising Star 2019 and Most Disruptive Innovator 2019.
For many production businesses that provide custom-made wares, it is only normal to make a new design for every order (Engineering to Order, or ETO). A time-consuming task, which also puts a lot of pressure on the engineering department. The preparatory process takes long, and it could be weeks, if not months, before the engineering department has the product ready. On top of this, redeveloping asks for an investment every time.
Curious as to how we would recommend that Elfsquad takes care of your pre-production process? Contact us to schedule a demo.
Bring in the Elfsquad
