The quotation (and costing) process

Once we have a "final" design we need to answer the next question "how much ?"

For this we need to accurately cost the kitchen, we'll use the construction and costing data directly from the ERP system, in this case abas

We start a quote in abas, on the header screens (not shown here) we specify the customers details, delivery address and so on, the usual stuff on a quote.

Then we go to the detail tab and start the configuration process. This application uses abas Distribution as the host system, and what we are supplying to the customer is a "kit" for him to assemble his own kitchen "IKEA" style. So we need to cost and quote all the pieces necessary. Many of them are cut to exact size and the cost wiill depend on finish and material. We are also supplying "stock" items such as hardware, knobs, etc. and can add appliances, rangehoods, sinks and tapware.

Important entries on this screen are –

• The K in the keyword is the CAP Domain – so we can have as many configurator models as necessary – kitchens, bathrooms, cupboards etc.

• The browseable location for the ArtiCAD text file (refer to CAP connection )
  

• The control button “Configure”
• The price group - this will apply pricing/discounts for the customer, for example a builder could get a standard 10% off list (depending on the product).
  

We then click “Configure” and the CAP-Suite configurator starts

Here we enter the the kitchen style/colour/finish details. There are options for :

• doors
• flat panels
• profiled panels
• melamine units
• kicker panels
  

Normally the only entries required are the "door" options because it is normal for all the kitchen to be in the same style/colour/finish

The entries for the different component types allow specification of a kitchen with vinyl doors, but with flat panels in the cheaper melamine, some units will always be melamine (microwave box, wine-rack etc.). The entries on these two screens are the “global options” – these apply across the whole kitchen – but may be overridden for components within the kitchen. For example one of more units may be in different colours of finishes – the main kitchen may be in white, but the island bar in woodgrain – there are no restrictions.

This is a key point – normally in most configurators and “features and options” applications these things are only able to be set globally –  examples will follow of local feature sheets.

We complete the global features – all the different colours / finishes for the various main sections of the kitchen – for example Doors may be in Vinyl, but the “Melamine Components” are specific units that may not come in vinyl, e.g. microwave boxes, open shelf units, or bottle racks.

Also with “kickers” (these are the panels along the floor) the customer may not want them to be supplied, if the floor covering is to extend to be bottom of the cabinets, e.g. with tiles, they will have plain MDF panels supplied by the tiler, and the tiles fixed to them – so are not part of the kitchen contract. With kick panels it is also common to have them in a different finish to the rest of the kitchen - e.g. a kitchen may be supplied in white vinyl, but the kickers are supplied in melamine (more durable) and in a dark colout like titanium, which does not show dirty marks. These things are controlled by the checkbox and the colour / finish options in the “kickers” frame.

There are also additional questions handled, such as thickness of aluminium frames on doors, size of range hood fan motor and slide-out canopy, size of oven – these will be used in the generation of BOM’s for local features – but it is convenient for the sales process to have them on the global sheet, there is normally only one oven and range-hood per kitchen – so generally all the customer questions can be handled on one page – we only need to go to local features for special orders.

At the bottom is the text file from to be used for the feature sheet creation

F6 – imports the text file and creates the feature sheets

Previous page------Next page