Slide 4 of 21
Notes:
It is clear that when engineering and design can be done in a fraction of the time it used to take, the engineer-to-order business changes.
In the traditional sales process, a proposal is based on experience and very high-level engineering. There is not enough time to do in-depth analysis. The main job for proposal engineers is to list all the assumptions they make to protect themselves from gross mistakes. After the order is awarded, the supplier starts to design the product and has periodic reviews with the customer. During this phase, all the misconceptions are found, the customer claims that “of course that is a part of the deal” and the supplier defends himself with “but it was not specified.” This review cycle can be contentious and detrimental to the customer relationship. In addition, the supplier generally gives in to many demands and reduces profitability.
With Design Power’s ETO solution, the designs of the engineered-to-order product can be elaborated to significant detail in a matter of hours and presented with a proposal for review by the client BEFORE the deal is made. Together, the supplier and the client can go through the proposal in detail and catch any misconceptions before the deal is made. This leads both to a good customer relationship and to a protection of the supplier’s profits. Any subsequent change request can be clearly delimited and a change proposal made without the customer feeling that it should have been there in the first place.