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For industrial equipment manufacturers, quoting is never just about price — it's about precision. Every deal is a custom build, balancing technical feasibility, compliance requirements, customer expectations, and profitability.
As product catalogs grows and buyer demands increase, quoting becomes a bottleneck.
- Potentially, thousands of configuration possibilities
- Customer-specific requests and technical requirements
- Engineering constraints
- Region-specific regulations
- Pricing that shifts with material costs, labor, and margins
And for many sales teams, they’re doing it with disconnected tools — spreadsheets, static price lists, email chains, and outdated quoting systems.
The result?
- Inaccurate quotes that require rework
- Delays waiting on approvals or engineering input
- Deals lost to competitors who respond faster
- Frustrated sales reps, engineers, and customer
That’s where a modern Configure Price Quote (CPQ) platform, purpose-built for industrial equipment manufacturing, makes the difference. It enables your team to quote faster, price smarter, and deliver the accuracy your operations demand — without compromising control or profitability, ultimately allowing you to scale without constraint.
Where Quoting Breaks Down for Equipment Manufacturers
You’re not just selling equipment — you’re engineering solutions. And that makes quoting one of the most complex and risk-prone parts of your sales process.
Here’s where it typically goes wrong:
Configuration Complexity Slows You Down
Quoting a pump system, conveyor line, or control panel often involves hundreds of interdependent options. Without a rules-based product configurator, reps waste time chasing engineering, or worse — they quote something that can’t be built.
Pricing Inconsistency Erodes Margin
Manual pricing introduces risk. When costs, discounts, and markups are handled in spreadsheets or based on tribal knowledge, even small errors can turn a profitable job into a margin leak.
Sales Cycles Stall in Approval Loops
Quotes that need signoff from engineering, compliance, or finance can sit for days. In a market where speed is a competitive advantage, that delay can cost you the deal.
Errors Trigger Rework and Customer Friction
A misconfigured quote doesn’t just impact the sale — it impacts production, delivery, and customer satisfaction. One error upstream can ripple through BOMs, schedules, and expectations — driving up costs and damaging trust.
How CPQ Transforms Quoting
A modern CPQ solution automates and streamlines complex quoting — without compromising on accuracy or control. Here's what it delivers:
Guided Configuration for Complex Products
With rules-based configuration logic, reps can build accurate solutions in real time — without waiting on engineering. CPQ makes it easy to:
- Handle complex configurations with built-in logic and dependencies
- Prevent incompatible options or specs
- Embed guided selling prompts aligned to customer needs
- Automatically generate bills of materials (BOM)
Dynamic Pricing That Aligns with Business Strategy
Pricing strategies vary, but CPQ handles them all:
- Supports cost-plus, margin-based, and custom pricing models
- Automates discount thresholds and approval rules
- Keeps pricing accurate, consistent, and within policy
- Adapts quickly to material or labor cost changes
Real-Time Compliance and Workflow Automation
Built-in compliance logic ensures quotes adhere to internal and external standards:
- Pre-validated configurations reduce legal and regulatory risk
- Approval workflows ensure quick signoff without bottlenecks
- Audit trails provide traceability and governance
Seamless Integration Across Systems
Modern CPQ connects to the rest of your ecosystem:
- Syncs with CRM, ERP, and PLM platforms
- Pushes BOM and pricing data to production planning
- Enables customer self-service through eCommerce portals
What CPQ Really Delivers for Industrial Sales Teams
The impact of CPQ isn’t just operational — it’s strategic:
- Accelerated sales cycles
- Higher win rates through faster quote turnaround
- Fewer errors, fewer revisions, and happier customers
- Real-time visibility into quote pipeline and performance
- Stronger collaboration between sales, engineering, and finance
Your sales reps spend more time selling — not chasing specs, prices, and approvals.
The Business Case for CPQ in Equipment Manufacturing
According to research:
- 70% less rework from consistent, validated pricing (Aberdeen Group)
- 20% reduction in time spent creating quotes (Gartner)
- 5–15% revenue growth from faster quoting cycles (Forrester)
Customer Perspective
“XaitCPQ has reduced our time to quote by up to 50%. This significant improvement has enabled us to spend more time improving the customer experience and increasing customer satisfaction.” — Mike Chesnutt, President, Fabtek
Real-World Example: Penlon Transforms Quoting with CPQ Software
Penlon, a global manufacturer of highly customized medical devices, faced quoting delays, manual errors, and duplicated effort due to reliance on spreadsheets and VPN access. Their sales reps couldn't quote independently, and approvals were slow and inconsistent.
By implementing XaitCPQ, they modernized their process as part of a broader digital transformation initiative. The result?
- Quoting capacity increased without additional headcount
- Reduced errors through automated configuration and pricing
- Regional Sales Managers became self-sufficient, quoting anytime, anywhere
- Approval workflows and margin thresholds were built into the system
- A faster, more professional experience that enhances customer trust“
Having the CPQ system has revolutionized our quoting process. More quotes, better accuracy, no loss of quality.” — Tony Serratore, Head of IT, Penlon
XaitCPQ gave Penlon the confidence to scale quoting — without compromising control or profitability.
A Smarter Future for Quoting
The future of quoting isn’t about working harder — it’s about working smarter. With CPQ:
- You reduce quote times from days to hours
- Your team delivers accurate quotes without chasing approvals
- Your margins are protected, your processes are compliant
- Your customers get what they need faster — and come back for more
CPQ for equipment manufacturers is your competitive edge — and your path to scalable, profitable growth.
