The supply chain has become an increasingly complex and interconnected ecosystem of people, processes, and technologies. Manufacturers are challenged to optimize the process and make those connections as seamless as possible, all while navigating new tools and supply chain management (SCM) best practices. One tool we recommend is Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Supply Chain Management is ideal for today’s manufacturers that need to drive more value and profits by tailoring their products to customer specifications. But there are many different modules in the EnterpriseOne Supply Chain Management suite to choose from. Our clients often have a tough time choosing between two of the modules, Engineer to Order and Configurator, which raises the question: when does it make sense to use one versus the other?
Read on to learn more about JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Engineer to Order, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Configurator, and how to decide which one best suits your needs.
The Case for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Engineer to Order
Engineer to Order is a module that caters to companies whose business consists of engineer-to-order and make-to-order projects. (No surprises there.) Engineer to Order allows you to manage projects that have costing and budget, quotes, proposals, materials plan, as well as schedules and reports.
Primarily, the module enables you to perform these three main tasks:
- Schedule project tasks
- Track detail information about projects
- Review the latest costing information
In some industries, manufacturing is a project that happens after an order is placed with a specific customer requirement, which requires a series of design steps to take place during the production process that comes before manufacturing. You’ll need to complete the order with special materials or services (combining the design, sales, procurement, production, and shipping motions together).
If you need to satisfy these requirements in your manufacturing environment, Engineer to Order is the module for you.
The Case for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Configurator
Now, let’s go over Configurator. This tool automates the selection and configuration of highly complex products that have related features and options. Configurator allows a manufacturer to configure their existing product to the specific requirements of its customer.
This module gives you a diverse set of rules and validation algorithms that are managed without customization, which means you’ll need to set up a lot of the details on the front end, but allows you to do the following:
- Specify features and options
- Generate a configured parts list
- Create a configured routing
- Establish a configured price
- Reduce order lead time and improve customer service
- Create fewer end part numbers
- Produce a configuration audit trail
- Establish relationships between features and options
Configurator is ideal when you’re selling complex, highly customized manufactured products. It gives you a powerful sales tool that helps walk the customer service rep (who doesn’t need to be a product expert) through the configuration process, as well as providing useful error messages so that the customer orders a validly configured product. Configurator helps to communicate accurate specifications and product requirements throughout your organization to your customer and suppliers.
If your business needs to perform many types of transactions for configured items, Configurator is probably the module for you. It gives you the ability to process sales quotes and manage credit, transfer, direct ship, interbranch, and combine orders for configured products, which is perfect for companies with global operations or who work closely with their suppliers.
Engineer to Order or Configurator?
Now that you’ve seen the features and benefits of both modules, it’s time to determine which one is right for your supply chain needs. Based on our experience with manufacturers in a variety of industries, we find that Configurator suits the needs of most companies running JD Edwards, but you know your own business best.
If you’re not sure what technology and tools you need to make the most of JD Edwards Supply Chain Management, we’re here to help. Our senior-level JD Edwards consulting team can help you figure that out with a thorough assessment, or if you already know what you need, we can partner with you for implementation.
