Configure One-DMDII partnership expands opportunities for manufacturers

With calls growing since last year’s presidential campaign to make the U.S. manufacturing industry the job creator it once was, Illinois has upped the ante with the opening of a digital design facility in downtown Chicago.

The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute is a world-class manufacturing hub connecting small- to medium-sized manufacturers to resources previously unavailable to them, Ben Panfil, senior implementation consultant with Configure One, said.

DMDII, a public-private partnership, aims to help make businesses more competitive by using digital technologies to strengthen their manufacturing processes.

Panfil said a stroke of luck introduced the two organizations after a nonprofit he chairs, Aspire Chicago, needed meeting space and fellow board member and DMDII employee Kym Wehrle volunteered her office as a new location.

“When I first walked in and saw the Future Factory Floor and the partnerships DMDII had already acquired, I wanted to know more,” Panfil said. “After learning a bit more from Kym, I brought the idea to the Configure One leadership, and we decided that it would be a great fit.”

Both organizations are expected to benefit from the synergy. Panfil said DMDII lacked a tool similar to Configure One’s configure, price, quote (CPQ) software. Joining forces not only adds that capability to DMDII, but it also allows Configure One to educate potential customers about its value proposition.

“After the handful of interactions I’ve had with the people at DMDII, I can tell they value their employees and their ideas as much as Configure One does,” Panfil said. “By providing easy access to their Tier 3 partnerships, DMDII offers a lot of opportunity to smaller manufacturers that do not necessarily have the budget to investigate possible technology solutions. I’m excited to see what the future holds for both Configure One and DMDII!”

About Configure One Configure One is a leading provider of web-based product configurator and CPQ (configure price quote) software. Configure One’s Enterprise Product Configurator® is an enterprise CPQ application that enables companies to efficiently sell and process orders for configurable, multi-option, and customizable products and services. Configure One’s customers can increase revenues while reducing costs by automating much of the sales, order entry, and engineering processes. Customers include industry leaders such as Alstom, Vertiv, Dover Corporation, Masonite Corporation, Otis Elevator, SPX Corporation, Stanley Black & Decker, and Sumitomo.