A coldroom configurator that lets GR Scott generate accurate quotes, CAD drawings, bills of materials and production work plans from a structured series of questions. Built over six months of working directly alongside their engineering team to understand how coldrooms are actually designed and specified.
Results at a glance
- Guided specification from a series of questions
- Instant SVG preview of the configured room
- CAD drawing export compatible with AutoCAD
- Bill of materials generated automatically
- Production work plan output
- Quote integration with internal database
- Less experienced colleagues can produce accurate quotes
- Editable pricing before quote is sent
- Engineering knowledge preserved in the system
Background
Rapid Solutions has worked with GR Scott for over fifteen years. In that time we have built their ecommerce parts store, an in-house CRM database and supported their Shopify migration. When the conversation turned to a Coldroom Configurator, it was more a case of giving it a go than worrying about how technically ambitious the project would become.
GR Scott are known for manufacturing coldrooms to unusual specifications. Specialist purpose builds, bespoke dimensions, non standard configurations. Quoting requires an immense amount of knowledge and experience with years of designing rooms that do not fit a standard template.
The business needed a way to guide a colleague through the quoting process without a lead engineer having to be involved in every job. Something that would let less experienced members of the team produce accurate quotes independently. Something that would preserve that expertise for the future as the team changes over time.
How we approached it
Over a period of six months we sat with the GR Scott engineering team. Learning the design process from the inside. Understanding how components relate to each other, what constraints govern which choices, how a room comes together from first principles.
The project was built by focusing on narrower requirements, providing a working demo and iterating each time with refinement before adding the next requirement. Other words using an Agile Software development methodology was best suited for this client and getting best use of their time during the project.
What the Configurator does
Where it is now
Version 1 of the Configurator covers modular rectangular coldrooms. That scope was a deliberate choice. Get the foundation right before expanding into complex configurations. The design principles, the object orientated code architecture and the CAD export are all built to accommodate what comes next.
A new revision is currently underway. The scope is growing as confidence in the system builds and more of GR Scott's design knowledge is encoded into it.
Does this sound familiar?
This project may be relevant if your business produces complex, specification driven products where quoting requires significant engineering involvement, or where product knowledge is concentrated in a small number of experienced people and needs to be more widely accessible.
We have built configurator tools for manufacturers where the challenge is not the software. It is understanding the product well enough to model it correctly. That takes time with your engineers and a development partner willing to do that work properly. If you are thinking about a configurator project, we are happy to talk through what is involved.
Worth a Conversation?
If our content sounds familiar or you are looking for alternative ideas to solve duplication and improve communication, give us a call.
No commitment, no sales pitch, just a conversation about whether we are the right people for you.
Please call +44 (0) 3330 066 280 or email [email protected]