Manufacturers producing custom and engineer-to-order products face a very different reality from high-volume production environments.

Every order introduces variation, and with that variation comes complexity. Design effort increases, workflows slow down, and the risk of errors rises as more people and systems become involved.

In many businesses, these challenges show up in familiar ways. Quoting takes too long. Engineering becomes a bottleneck. Documentation needs repeated checking.

Small mistakes ripple through to production and delivery, increasing costs and frustrating both teams and customers.

This is where DriveWorks design automation, product configuration, and CPQ solutions play a practical role in helping manufacturers regain control over complexity.

1. Understanding the challenges of custom manufacturing

When every product is different, manual processes struggle to scale. Engineering teams are asked to repeatedly recreate similar designs, sales teams wait for technical input before responding to customers, and production relies on documentation that may change late in the process.

As businesses grow, these challenges tend to compound rather than disappear. Without automation, companies often find themselves adding headcount just to keep up, rather than improving efficiency across the workflow.

Manufacturers increasingly need tools that support customisation while maintaining accuracy, consistency, and speed across quoting, design, and production.

2. How DriveWorks addresses these challenges

DriveWorks is designed to help manufacturers automate and streamline the process of configuring, pricing, and producing custom products.

At its core, DriveWorks enables businesses to:

• Accurately configure custom products using predefined rules
• Generate pricing in real time
• Automatically produce the documents and data required for manufacturing

By embedding engineering logic into a configurable system, DriveWorks reduces reliance on manual intervention and repetitive design work.

This allows teams to focus on value-adding tasks rather than re-creating information that already exists within the business.

3. What is DriveWorks?

DriveWorks provides a suite of design automation, 3D product configurator, and CPQ solutions built specifically for manufacturers of custom products.

The technology is flexible and scalable, allowing businesses to build a solution that suits their current needs while supporting future growth. Whether automation is introduced gradually or rolled out across the organisation, DriveWorks adapts as requirements evolve.

By capturing and reusing engineering, manufacturing, and pricing knowledge, DriveWorks helps reduce errors and supports more consistent delivery across departments.

4. Designed specifically for SOLIDWORKS

DriveWorks is built exclusively for SOLIDWORKS and has been automating SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD workflows for many years. This tight integration makes it a natural fit for manufacturers already using SOLIDWORKS as their core design platform.

With DriveWorks, SOLIDWORKS models become the foundation for automated configuration, documentation, and downstream processes, rather than static files that require manual modification for every new order.

5. DriveWorks design automation

DriveWorks design automation allows manufacturers to generate complex product variations quickly and accurately based on predefined parameters and rules.

Instead of rebuilding designs from scratch, engineers can reuse existing logic and knowledge to create new configurations efficiently. This reduces design cycle times and ensures that outputs remain consistent and manufacturable.

By automating repetitive tasks, DriveWorks helps engineering teams handle more work without increasing pressure or sacrificing quality.

6. DriveWorks 3D product configurator

The DriveWorks 3D product configurator enables products to be configured and visualised in three dimensions, often directly through a web interface.

This capability supports guided selling by allowing sales teams, distributors, and even customers to configure products accurately without requiring engineering input for every request.

Visual feedback helps reduce misunderstandings and improves confidence that the configured product meets the customer’s requirements.

7. DriveWorks CPQ for manufacturing

DriveWorks CPQ extends traditional CPQ functionality by linking configuration and pricing directly to manufacturing outputs.

In addition to producing accurate quotes, DriveWorks CPQ can automatically generate the documents and data required for production.

This creates a smoother transition from sales to engineering and manufacturing, reducing handover delays and manual rework.

8. How DriveWorks improves manufacturing workflows

8.1. Faster design and throughput

By automating configuration and design tasks, DriveWorks enables teams to generate more product variations in less time.

Engineering involvement is reduced for routine configurations, allowing teams to focus on more complex or high-value work.

8.2. Improved accuracy

DriveWorks applies predefined rules to every configuration, helping ensure that selections are valid and consistent.

This reduces the likelihood of errors caused by manual data entry or miscommunication between departments.

8.3. Simplifying complex configuration

Complex product options and dependencies are managed through embedded logic and workflows.

This removes complexity from day-to-day processes and helps users select from valid combinations without needing deep technical knowledge.

8.4. Better customer experience

Faster response times, clearer configurations, and fewer revisions contribute to a smoother buying experience.

Customers gain confidence that what they order can be delivered as specified, without late-stage changes or surprises.

8.5. Supporting sales growth

By shortening quote-to-order cycles and reducing errors, DriveWorks helps sales teams respond more effectively to opportunities.

This allows businesses to handle higher volumes of enquiries without increasing operational strain.

9. How manufacturers use DriveWorks

DriveWorks is used by manufacturers across a wide range of industries, particularly those producing custom or configurable products. Companies adopt DriveWorks to save time, improve consistency, and increase efficiency across sales, engineering, and production.

Rather than treating configuration as a one-off task, DriveWorks enables businesses to build repeatable, scalable processes that support long-term growth.

Content Attribution

This blog was adapted from an original article published by DriveWorks.