Lift AG: Complex Elevators,
Simple Quotes.

When Ambition Outgrows the Tools

Before introducing Elfsquad, Lift AG relied on established processes and the expertise of its team to create quotations. Pricing calculations, product configurations, and quote documents were handled through separate tools, which served the company well in supporting its customers and projects over many years.

As Lift AG's product portfolio grew and the ambition to scale increased, the quotation process naturally became more complex. Managing product knowledge, pricing rules, and technical dependencies across multiple systems required more manual coordination. To support continued growth and maintain consistent quality, Lift AG decided to take a more integrated approach: embedding product logic directly into the configuration process to streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and ensure that every configuration aligns with technical requirements from the start.

"I was looking for a company where most, or all, of the customers are at the same level of the CPQ. Not where the important customers are still on the old version and we, as a new customer, are just beta testers for the new one."

Raffael Frommenwiler

Project Manager, Lift AG

A New ERP, A New CPQ, One Deliberate Choice

The decision to find a solution was part of a broader digital transformation. Lift AG was already planning to modernize their ERP and move to Microsoft Business Central. Instead of carrying the old quoting process into the new setup, they chose to replace both at the same time.

Raffael led the evaluation of both systems in parallel. For the CPQ, two requirements narrowed the shortlist quickly. First, it had to integrate cleanly with Business Central. Second, it had to be a platform that Lift AG could own and maintain themselves, without depending on specialist developers for every change. There was also a more strategic consideration. Raffael had seen how larger, legacy CPQ vendors managed their customer base, with newer customers effectively testing functionality that established clients had not yet migrated to. That was not a position he wanted Lift AG to be in.

The recommendation of using Elfsquad CPQ came through a partner in Lift AG's network, and the initial conversations with Elfsquad's team confirmed the fit.

Live in One Go

The implementation started with a single product: the 630 kg standard lift. Rather than modelling the entire portfolio at once, Raffael and his colleague built the first configurator around that single product. After going live, they used the 630 kg standard lift model as the foundation for everything that followed.

The integration between Elfsquad and Business Central became the backbone of the new process. Quotes flow seamlessly between the two systems, with pricing and configuration always in sync. Sellers always work with up-to-date information without having to manage it themselves.

Two quoting modes came out of the configuration work, the quick mode and the detailed mode. The quick mode is designed for early-stage conversations. You just have to fill in the number of floors, the load capacity, and the elevator type to get a reliable price estimate in around five minutes. The detailed mode goes further, specifying every element, for example the door type and finish on each individual floor. Either way, the quote comes out correctly, every time.

What Changed After Go-Live

While Lift AG has not formally measured the impact, team members with firsthand experience of both processes consistently describe the new approach as faster, more reliable, and significantly easier to manage.

Quotes now come out of a single, integrated system. The configuration and the pricing always match. Technically impossible combinations are blocked before they can be submitted. What previously required manual checks and careful coordination now happens automatically, a big step has been made when it comes to speed and accuracy.

Not every lift Lift AG builds will ever be fully configurable. Some lifts will always require custom engineering, but also those projects need a quote. The base of a custom lift can run through Elfsquad. Elfsquad captures that baseline in a structured, priced document, which can be used as a reliable commercial starting point for the more complex ones. For manufacturers who assume CPQ is only for fully standardized products, Lift AG's approach tells a different story: you do not need 100% configure-to-order to benefit from the platform. You just need to know where your standard ends and your engineering begins.

That is the version of Elfsquad that Lift AG is building toward. Not a finished system, but a platform that grows with the business. New product lines can be added as they come, and the knowledge that once lived in individual heads is now visible, consistent, and owned by the team.