Cellro Halves Work Preparation Time With a 100% Correct Story

Cellro: Built From Practice, Growing Fast

"By employing these kinds of hardworking and smart automated coworkers, we gain more time for monitoring and optimizing our customers' production process," Elise de Koning explains. Bram de Koning adds: "We originate in the machining industry ourselves. As a result, everyone is passionate about the market and the product. We are not just any integrator on the corner of the street anymore, but a producer of standardized products."

That growth comes with a responsibility: to keep the product, the knowledge, and the sales process consistent as the business scales. That is exactly where the need for a structured product configurator became clear.

The Complexity Behind Every Robot Cell

Cellro's product range consists of four main products, with the Xcelerate as their highest-volume seller. These are not simple machines. The Xcelerate is moveable and can operate up to four machines simultaneously, automating processes like milling, spinning, and sharpening. Every installation requires product and pallet handling, and must be integrated into the customer's production process, not just placed in a machine park. The technical depth of every order is substantial, and no two are exactly alike.

Why Cellro Needed a Product Configurator

Three clear reasons drove the decision:

1. Creating a scalable sales and dealer channel

2. Securing technical product knowledge

3. Realizing 100% standardization

A Scalable Sales and Dealer Channel

Cellro had previously built a configurator with a third party, but quickly ran into its limits. "We built a different configurator. But a configurator serves a different purpose when you focus on 100% standardization. It requires different design and functionalities. Especially because we wanted to build and manage the tool ourselves."

That last point is critical. Constantly depending on a third party for updates and changes costs time, creates delays, and means your own product knowledge is never fully in your own hands. "Eventually, we wanted to be able to store all information in a configurator. Not just internally; our external dealer network should also be connected. You want to be able to build your own products, while having control regarding dealers' rights. Constantly having to supply input to a third party costs too much time in communication."

With Elfsquad's product configurator, Cellro now manages that logic themselves.

Securing Technical Product Knowledge

Cellro's robot cells require deep technical knowledge. That knowledge is distinctive, and keeping it consistent across sales, product development, engineering, and an international dealer network is a real challenge. "We often train our employees internally to keep everyone up-to-date. But preferably this knowledge is documented digitally, available for all colleagues. That way, we keep our current employees' knowledge level up to date, new employees require less training, and knowledge is consistent throughout the organization. Not just for ourselves, but especially for the dealer channels that aren't working with robotic automating products on a daily basis."

Realizing 100% Standardization

"A configurator forces you to finetune your standardization and makes things very much black-and-white. A big advantage when looking at product development," De Koning explains. For Cellro, that discipline is not a constraint. It is what makes scaling possible without losing quality.

Cellro Tells a 100% Correct Story With 2D Visualization

"We always want to convey a 100% correct story to the customer. A configurator helps enormously." To do that, Cellro uses 2D visualization during the first customer contact, a clear and complete quotation, and a rich information document with additional project details.

Despite the possibility of using 3D models in Elfsquad, Cellro chose 2D top-view visualizations. "Our customers value top-views with corresponding formats and dimensions. Questions like 'How does the robot cell fit in my machine park?' or 'Do I have enough room to move near the cell?' come up constantly. With the configurator, we immediately have the correct answers at the ready, allowing our salespeople to tell a specific and visual story."

The quotation document is generated automatically after completing the configuration. "The customer gains a complete quotation filled with all of the product's technical details. And it's always correct."