MISys Manufacturing System - Custom Configurator

Manufacturing companies that perform significant make-to-order work will find the MISys Custom Configurator an invaluable addition to the MISys Manufacturing System.

The Custom Configurator is rules-based so that only pre-defined configurations can be built. The program guides you through selecting the appropriate options and automatically populates a corresponding manufacturing order.

The MISys Custom Configurator was designed to meet the needs of manufacturers who build specific variations of a product based on a pre-defined set of configuration options.

Rules-based Configuration

Because a manufacturing order created with the MISys Custom Configurator is constrained to certain pre-defined combinations of components, the program is called a “rules-based configurator.” This means that it maintains a set of rules that dictate which components of the order are allowed, required, or excluded.

Anyone who has purchased a new car, or even a personal computer, has experienced rules-based configuration. “If you want leather seats, you must have the ‘Comfort Group’ which includes heated mirrors and pneumatic cupholders.” Or, “if you want a CD-ROM and a DVD drive, you need a 200-watt power supply, but you cannot have a Zip drive.”

In the MISys system, rules such as these are stored as Configuration Templates.

Configuration Templates

The heart of the MISys Custom Configurator is a Configuration Template. Typically, templates are built by personnel who understand the interdependencies of one component versus another. These interdependencies are expressed as “includes” (if you want component X, you must also have component Y) or “excludes” ((if you want component Z, you cannot have component Y).

A second type of template called a “decision template” presents a list of possible options from which one must be selected.

The real power of the MISys Custom Configurator lies in the fact that templates can be nested. That is to say, any component of a template can, in fact, be a template itself. As a result, multi-level product structures with simple or complex interdependencies can be maintained quite easily.

Custom Configurations

Most users interact with the MISys Custom Configurator by creating Configurations, that is, a list of possible options based on the rules established in the underlying templates.

To make it particularly easy to custom-configure a product, MISys presents an exploded-tree view showing all possible configuration options. The user simply clicks to check off which options are desired and MISys instantly populates a  Bill of Configuration. Once all the configuration options have been specified, the Bill of Configuration is fully populated with all required material and routing details.

Create Manufacturing Orders

In a manufacturing environment, production activities are driven by Manufacturing Orders. When the MISys Custom Configurator is used with MISys Manufacturing Level 2, a single click of a button creates a Manufacturing Order based on the Custom Configurator’s Bill of Configuration. Material and routing details defined by the Bill of Configuration automatically populate the Manufacturing Order’s Material and Routing tabs.

Precise Product Costing

MISys Manufacturing Orders accurately and precisely define product costs based on the material, labor, and overhead components.

When a MISys Manufacturing Order is driven by a Bill of Configuration created by the Custom Configurator, production costs can be precisely pinpointed and estimated sales prices accurately calculated.

When production is complete, the finished good items can be transferred to the Sage Accpac ERP Sales Inventory. In this process, the inventory is adjusted and the true Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for the custom-configured product is established for the Accpac financials.

Custom Configure Sage Accpac ERP Sales Orders

As an added benefit, the MISys Custom Configurator can be used with Sage Accpac ERP Order Entry, with or without MISys Manufacturing. This feature is particularly appealing to resellers who custom-configure products for their customers.

If MISys Custom Configurator senses the presence of Accpac Order Entry, it allows Configuration Templates to be created using items from the Accpac Inventory Control database.

Therefore, configurations can be created based entirely on sales items, a capability which greatly enhances the functionality of Accpac Order Entry and Inventory Control.

With the click of a button, the custom configuration is transferred from the MISys Bill of Configuration to an Accpac Sales Order. Nothing could be simpler.

Link Custom Configurations to Customers

Used in an Order Entry environment, the MISys Custom Configurator integrates seamlessly with Sage Accpac ERP Accounts Receivable to link configurations with customers.

Create Manufacturing/Sales Combinations

Although a given Configuration Template can be based on manufacturing items from MISys or sales items from Accpac, templates of either type can be combined in a “super template” which represents both manufacturing and sales configuration options.

Using this super template, it is possible to simultaneously create Sales Orders and corresponding Manufacturing Orders.

Requirements

MISys Custom Configurator requires Sage Accpac ERP System Manager 5.4,  MISys Manufacturing 5.4 and/or Accpac Order Entry 5.4.