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by Nynke Dijkstra on Jun 12, 2025 2:18:05 PM
In the manufacturing industry, chaos often feels like the norm. Sales is rushing to close deals with outdated tools. Operations is fixing problems that started way before they even got involved. IT is busy with temporary solutions. Engineering is constantly dealing with questions from sales and overwhelmed by custom requests. And management? They're stuck waiting for the right time to act.
The irony? Everyone's busy putting out fires, yet few are stopping to ask where the fire's actually coming from.
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone! The good news? The solution already exists. It's called CPQ software (Configure, Price, Quote), and it's how leading manufacturers are moving from chaos to control.
The Real Cost of Delay
Across departments, the reasoning for postponing a CPQ solution might sound different, but the core is the same:
- ''We'll revisit this next quarter.''
- ''We got other priorities first.''
- ''We're still updating our ERP.''
Understandable? Sure. But also pretty costly.
While your teams delay, quotes go out late or with errors. Orders arrive in production half-baked. IT builds patchwork solutions. Engineers correct mistakes instead of innovating. And the product strategy slowly drifts off course due to growing complexity and custom orders.
Every delay isn't just time lost, it's margin lost, credibility lost, and growth postponed.
Where Chaos Begins
Most production issues don't begin in manufacturing. They start much earlier, right when a customer's order first enters your business. If your quoting process relies on spreadsheets, informal knowledge, or manual calculations, errors are bound to happen. A configuration that doesn't quite fit. A pricing mistake. A delivery date that was more of a guess than a plan.
These small missteps quickly turn into bigger challenges. Production teams are forced to improvise. Engineering gets pulled away from real work to solve issues. IT scrambles to connect disconnected systems. And leadership sees plans and projections thrown off course.
This isn't just a 'sales problem'. It's a process problem. And it's one that impacts every part of your business.
It all starts with the quote
Elfsquad CPQ turnes the quoting process into a streamlines, scalable engine. It gives sales teams the power to configure even the most complex products quickly and accurately, without relying on engineering. It ensures every quote is correct, priced right, and ready for production. And it connects with your ERP and CAD tools to eliminate double work and handover errors.
When quoting becomes streamlined, every team benefits:
- Sales responds faster with accurate quotes - and win more deals.
- Operations receives clean, production-ready orders - no surprises later on.
- IT spends less time fixing and more time innovating.
- Engineering focuses on product development instead of correcting errors.
- R&D keeps modularity on track - without custom chaos.
- Leadership gets reliable margins, scalable processes, and a peace of mind!
The Longer You Wait, the Harder It Gets
Delaying CPQ might seem like the safer option, but it usually makes things more complicated. More customer quotes. More mistakes. More disconnected systems and quick fixes just to keep things moving. And the longer you wait, the harder it gets to fix it all up.
Your competition isn't waiting until they are 'ready'. They're acting while the pain is clear and the opportunity in front of them even clearer. Because there's never a perfect time.
Elfsquad CPQ is built for complex products, fast-changing teams, and the real challenges of modern manufacturing.
Would you like to know more about how CPQ can support your team? Book a free 30-minute demo - no strings attached.
