Custom Site Furniture Manufacturer Maglin Eliminates Two Week Sales Process With DriveWorks
Maglin Site Furniture is a leading North American manufacturer of public site furnishings. Through outstanding design and innovative use of recycled materials, they create high quality solutions that enhance the aesthetics and functionality of all environments.
Maglin designs and manufactures furniture including seating, tables, waste containers, bike racks, and planters for public gathering areas. The organization has to be effective, lean, and fast-moving to meet the demands of customers who want custom configurations to suit their creative designs.
For many manufacturers, customization usually means longer lead times and bottleneck, causing problems for landscape architects and site contractors who can rarely afford to wait.
Javelin Technologies, a DriveWorks Value Added Reseller in Canada, introduced Maglin to DriveWorks. Maglin were able to quickly and easily implement DriveWorks software, allowing them to successfully move to manufacturing – and to market – much faster.
Maglin now uses a DriveWorks-powered configure-price-quote (CPQ) system for three of its furniture lines – Lexicon, Ogden, and Pixel. Each line is built to order and available in different sizes, colours, materials, and layouts – there are thousands of possible configurations.
In the past, getting from desired specs to approved drawings took at least two weeks; today, the entire process can be done in one online configuration session.
“DriveWorks has been a game changer for us as we continue to be a leader in our industry.”
Customer Approval On The Spot
Aaron Dawson, Director of Manufacturing for Maglin describes the impact of changing from a manual process to using DriveWorks by pointing to the Ogden modular product line.
“We offer thousands of various bench radii, making it a custom product, always built to order. To avoid costly errors and wasted time and materials, customer approval of the layout drawings is paramount.”
Before implementing DriveWorks, a Maglin sales rep would talk to the customer and record the specs required, then request the drawing. An engineer would create the drawing and send it to the customer for approval. Once approved, production would begin.
Even if there were no changes, working through a drawing approval process would take about two weeks. If the customer wanted changes, that timeline could double.
Through DriveWorks, this long process was eliminated. Now a sales rep can automatically create the drawings based on the chosen configuration, right in front of the customer. Maglin can also give the landscape architect access to the system to create his or her own design and drawings.
One Session Provides Pricing and Drawings
At the beginning of a CPQ session, the sales rep or customer chooses the specs for each element – shape, dimensions, colour etc. The system continually updates in real time, including pricing, as they try different options.
When the design session is over, they have drawings, a model to insert into their site drawings, and a quotation.
DriveWorks is linked to Maglin’s freight partner’s database, so even the shipping cost is generated automatically – the system knows the size, weight, and number of packages.
“The engineering team is not involved in this process at all,” Aaron says. “They are entirely dedicated to the production process and new product development.”
Automation Means More Time to Focus on New Projects
Sometimes, when there is talk of automation, people fear the change or worry about the impact on their role.
Aaron says DriveWorks has removed the backlog of projects in the sales process and has freed up designers to use their creativity to design new products.
“Automation tools remove day-to-day repetitive tasks. Our designers no longer have to spend time tweaking the furniture configuration because the software does that.
“Our designers were on board from the start. They have totally embraced it.”
Aaron also points out that because the sales process moves faster, overall business revenue is increasing. He can add more designers to the team.
The sales team has been freed from their backlog as well, and can focus on creating and strengthening relationships with customers, which is critically important to Maglin.
“There is no lack of opportunity out there,” Aaron says.
“Our sales people now have more time to maximize the use of our CRM. They can see who has been working on layouts online and give people a call to talk about their needs. We want new clients and new projects – that’s the most valuable use of their time.”
“Our designers no longer have to spend time tweaking the furniture configuration.”
DriveWorks is Modular & Scalable
Maglin’s original reason for implementing the DriveWorks CPQ system was to get to manufacturing quicker to reduce the cash conversion cycle.
As they gained experience, they started wondering, “Can the software do this?” and “What if we could make the system work like that?”
Maglin have been continuously improving on their DriveWorks project, adding new products and functionality.
The team also attended DriveWorks World, to boost their knowledge, meet other DriveWorks users and share their feedback and ideas to help shape the future of the software. At the event they also presented how they are using DriveWorks to inspire other users to do more with their projects.
Securing Grants
Aaron says it’s a continual learning process for everyone and has appreciated that Javelin has pointed him to funding opportunities for resources and training. Maglin has been able to secure grants to support their investment in DriveWorks.
Maglin CEO Ian McAskile said “DriveWorks has been a game changer for us as we continue to be a leader in our industry.”
Digital Transformation initiatives, helping companies choose the right technology and secure grants, are becoming increasingly popular. If you are considering investing in DriveWorks software, contact your reseller for more information about funding available to you.
