KBMax, a company which provides mass customization services to the manufacturing sector, says it has been named “visual configuration leader” by G2 Crowd, a website which collates and presents reviews from users of software.
KBMax mainly offers its services through its website, and primarily categorizes itself as a “CPQ” platform, a well-known term in sales and marketing which stands for configure, price, quote.
Traditionally, CPQ platforms have not included visual configurators, which enable the customization of a product using online 3D computer-aided design software.
KBMax says it offers a next-generation platform and its product configurator is “the only handle complex business rules, visualization, real-time pricing, CAD automation and integrations”.
It adds that the platform enhances the buying experience, results in a faster sales cycle and a more efficient manufacturing process.
In an interview with Robotics and Automation News (see video below), Kevin Bennett, co-founder and CTO at KBMax, says that although the underlying CPQ service can be applied to any business, the company tends to concentrate on the manufacturing and product design business.
An example customer is Tuff Shed, a manufacturer of garden sheds, which uses the KBMax platform to create variations of its basic, modular product, either for individual customers or to broaden its range.
Other customers include Merck, GE Healthcare and Maclean Power Systems.
“The biggest trend I’m seeing,” says Bennett, “is that if you’re not using this type of software and platform, you’re going to get left behind. You’re not going to be as efficient, your response to customers is going to be slower, and you’re going to have more mistakes in the custom products that you’re producing and quoting for.”
He adds: “You need to have a sense of urgency if you haven’t thought about this, especially if you’re a company that sells configurable products.”
