Farmtech configures with Build!
From individual machine requirements to the finished quote
How agricultural machinery manufacturer Farmtech maps its complex product portfolio digitally end to end with Build!, from configuration through to production handover.
Farmtech is one of Europe’s traditional agricultural machinery manufacturers with a long-standing heritage, offering a broad, individually configurable product portfolio. As this portfolio has grown, so have the demands on the quoting process: every machine is assembled to customer-specific requirements, and each configuration must be translated precisely into a quote and into the bill of materials for production. To coordinate this demanding product business not through Excel lists but digitally end to end, the choice fell on the app Build!, which brings configuration, quoting, and production handover together on a single, shared foundation.
Project Overview
Client: Farmtech d.o.o.
Industry: Agricultural machinery
Headquarters: Ljutomer, SI
Key Facts:
• Digital product configuration
• 22 product lines
• 100 machines
• Over 20.000 components
• Five languages
• Multiple currencies
Why JAWA and inforum?
Build! is the product configurator from the inforum Digital Apps portfolio: With Build!, complex products can be individually assembled from a wide range of defined options, and each configuration automatically generates a precise quote. For Farmtech, the deciding factor was that the system can be tailored to its own requirements: All dependencies in the configuration process can be freely defined, ensuring that even a broad and complex product portfolio is accurately represented. This was precisely what was needed to bring configuration, quoting, and handoff to production together on a common foundation.
The rollout was supported by the JAWA team, which handled the implementation and contributed its experience with processes from the mechanical and plant engineering .
Technical implementation
With Build!, Farmtech today configures 22 product lines comprising around 100 machines and over 20,000 components. Every machine is individually assembled, from the base machine through optional equipment to country-specific variants. Build! operates in five languages (German, English, Slovenian, Hungarian, French) and in different currencies, allowing sales to work across multiple markets simultaneously on a consistent foundation.
At the core of the implementation is the rule set behind the configurator. For a portfolio of this size, it must be precisely defined which options mutually exclude one another and which combinations apply depending on the delivery country, so that invalid selections are ruled out from the outset.
From every configuration, Build! calculates the quote automatically. Every line item has a price assigned, from the base machine to the surcharges for optional equipment, so that the quote price results directly from the configuration. Sales can apply discounts, either as a fixed amount or a percentage. Items that are not eligible for discounts are automatically excluded from the discount calculation. Each configuration also generates an individual product code, which can later be used to retrieve the exact configuration status again.
Results and value
With Build!, Farmtech now has an end-to-end digital quoting process. Sales configure machines directly in the system, the quote is calculated automatically, and the corresponding bill of materials is immediately available to production. This results in quotes that are faster and more precise, and the data for production is derived directly from the configuration.
Customer perspective
Questions for Günther Pirker, Managing Director, and Kristjan Šmelc, Product Management Transport Technology, at Farmtech.
Why, in your view, was introducing Build! the right step to digitally position Farmtech’s sales?
Günther Pirker: Our product portfolio has grown continuously in recent years, while at the same time becoming increasingly individual. With Build!, we were able to digitalize the entire configuration and quoting process and place it on a shared data foundation for sales and production. This also creates significant value for our dealers and customers: they can configure their desired machine individually, compare different equipment variants, and immediately receive a transparent basis for their quote.
Where do you see the biggest efficiency gains for Farmtech since introducing Build!?
Günther Pirker: The biggest advantage lies in the speed and quality of our quoting processes. Configurations, prices, and bills of materials are generated automatically and remain traceable at all times. This saves time, reduces errors, and ensures that sales, purchasing, and production always work from the same data foundation.
What has changed for the better in your daily work through Build!, and which functions do you value most?
Kristjan Šmelc: The biggest advantage lies in the speed and quality of our quoting processes. Configurations, prices, and bills of materials are generated automatically and remain traceable at all times. This saves time, reduces errors, and ensures that sales, purchasing, and production always work from the same data foundation.
How did you experience the collaboration with the JAWA team during the implementation?
Kristjan Šmelc: The collaboration with the JAWA team was collaborative and solution-oriented from the very start. Our requirements were quickly understood and implemented in a practical way. We particularly value the fast response times, as well as the team’s willingness to continuously develop Build! further together with us and adapt it to new requirements.
inforum – the leading Management Software
inforum is the leading management platform for industrial manufacturing companies. The modular platform maps complex processes across the entire life cycle in a standard-compliant and scalable manner on a shared database and enables end-to-end control of supply chains, quality, production and service.