Customers want products tailored to their needs, but that doesn't always require engineers to start from scratch. Configure-to-Order (CTO) manufacturing produces products from a defined set of options and rules—making it the most automation-ready manufacturing model because product logic can be captured once and applied automatically to every future order. Instead of designing every product from the ground up, manufacturers define approved configurations that can be combined to meet customer requirements.
Because engineering rules are established in advance, Configure-to-Order manufacturing creates opportunities to automate proposals, drawings, bills of materials (BOMs), and other repetitive engineering tasks. The result is faster quoting, greater consistency, and fewer engineering touchpoints throughout the sales and production process.
What Is Configure-to-Order Manufacturing?
Configure-to-Order (CTO) manufacturing is a production model where products are built from a predefined set of options, features, and engineering rules. Customers choose the configuration that best fits their needs, while engineering logic ensures every combination remains manufacturable and compliant with company standards.
Unlike Engineer-to-Order (ETO), which requires new engineering work for nearly every project, Configure-to-Order allows manufacturers to reuse existing product knowledge across hundreds—or even thousands—of future orders.
This approach is common for manufacturers offering configurable equipment, machinery, automation systems, HVAC products, material handling equipment, and other products with repeatable design options.
What Does the Configure-to-Order Process Look Like?
While every manufacturer's workflow is different, the typical Configure-to-Order process follows a predictable sequence:
- A customer selects product options and features.
- Configuration rules validate the available combinations.
- Engineering outputs are generated automatically.
- Bills of materials (BOMs) are created based on the selected configuration.
- Manufacturing documentation is prepared.
- Production begins using approved engineering data.
Because these steps rely on predefined product logic rather than new engineering work, they can often be automated to reduce manual effort and accelerate order fulfillment.
What Automation Unlocks for Configure-to-Order Manufacturers
The greatest advantage of Configure-to-Order manufacturing is that engineering decisions can be captured once and reused repeatedly. Once product logic has been established, automation can generate the engineering outputs required for every future order.
Common automation capabilities include:
- Sales-generated drawings created directly from customer selections
- Automated bills of materials (BOMs)
- Faster quotes and proposal generation
- Automated engineering documentation
- Product configuration validation
- Consistent engineering standards across every order
- Fewer engineering touchpoints for routine configurations
- Reduced manual data entry between engineering and manufacturing systems
Rather than requiring engineers to recreate the same work, automation allows them to focus on developing new products and solving more complex engineering challenges.
Peer-reviewed research published in Cambridge University Press's AI EDAM journal found that product configurators reduced quotation lead times by an average of 85.5% across the engineering-oriented companies studied — with some cases seeing reductions of up to 99.9%.
What Does Configure-to-Order Software Do?
Most Configure-to-Order software combines product configuration with engineering automation to streamline the entire order process.
Depending on the solution, CTO software may:
- Guide sales teams through approved product configurations
- Validate configuration rules automatically
- Generate CAD models and drawings
- Create accurate bills of materials
- Produce manufacturing documentation
- Integrate with CAD, PDM, ERP, and CRM systems
- Support pricing and estimating workflows
When paired with design automation, Configure-to-Order software helps manufacturers reduce manual engineering work while improving consistency and shortening lead times.
Is Configure-to-Order Right for Your Business?
Configure-to-Order works best for manufacturers whose products share a common design platform but offer numerous customer-selectable options.
You may benefit from a Configure-to-Order solution if your organization:
- Frequently builds similar products with configurable options
- Has established engineering rules that can be standardized
- Wants to shorten quote turnaround times
- Generates repetitive CAD drawings and documentation
- Produces similar bills of materials for many orders
- Wants to reduce engineering involvement in routine sales opportunities
- Is looking to scale production without proportionally increasing engineering resources
Organizations that rely on repeated product configurations often achieve significant gains by automating the engineering work that supports each order.
A peer-reviewed case study published in an Elsevier engineering journal documented an 842% return on investment over five years for a manufacturer that implemented product configuration systems, driven largely by a 64% reduction in lead time.
How Design Automation Supports Configure-to-Order Manufacturing
Configure-to-Order is often considered the most automation-ready manufacturing model because product rules already exist. The challenge isn't creating engineering knowledge—it's applying that knowledge quickly and consistently across every order.
This trend aligns with Autodesk's 2025 State of Design & Make report, which found that manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing digital transformation and automation as a direct response to talent shortages and rising cost pressures.
Design automation captures those rules and uses them to automatically generate drawings, documentation, bills of materials, and other engineering outputs based on customer selections. Instead of manually recreating engineering work, manufacturers can deliver accurate information to production with minimal intervention.
As product offerings expand and order volumes increase, automation helps engineering teams support growth without becoming a bottleneck.
Improve Your Configure-to-Order Process with Automation
Successful Configure-to-Order manufacturing depends on more than offering configurable products. It requires engineering processes that can keep pace with customer demand while maintaining quality and consistency.
By combining design automation, CAD automation, and rules-based product configuration, manufacturers can shorten quote times, automate engineering deliverables, reduce repetitive work, and create a more scalable Configure-to-Order process.
Learn more about Hagerman's Configure & Engineer-to-Order services to see how automation can help your organization streamline Configure-to-Order manufacturing and improve engineering efficiency.
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