Mepu Oy – digital quotation configurator streamlines global sales

Mepu Oy is a Finnish family company with over 70 years of history that develops and manufactures grain drying and storage solutions for customers in Finland and abroad. The company is part of the Arska Group. Today it exports to more than 10 countries. The company’s strengths are technical expertise, a broad product range and continuous product development.

Smartbutlers has long acted as Mepu’s software development partner in implementing solutions to streamline sales and product management. Development work continues in close collaboration.

Initial situation: a complex quotation process

Mepu’s products consist of multiple components, and individual assemblies can be very extensive and customized. This made preparing quotations time-consuming and error-prone, especially within the international reseller network.

The quotation process was partially based on Excel spreadsheets, which made administration, tracking and developing uniform practices globally difficult.

Solution: an intelligent quotation configurator

Smartbutlers Ltd developed a customized web-based quotation configurator for Mepu that guides the user step by step and helps ensure technically correct product assemblies.

Key benefits of the solution:

• a guided and clear user interface reduces errors
• only compatible product selections are possible
• real-time and interactive 3D visualization helps understand the assemblies
• quotations can be generated and shared quickly
• sales tracking and analytics improve

Agile development and close collaboration

The project was started agilely without a fully finished specification. Development was carried out in phases through prototypes, allowing the solution to take shape according to practical needs.

Smartbutlers’ development team works continuously with Mepu, and the development work is guided by regular weekly meetings.

“Collaboration with Smartbutlers has been smooth and pragmatic. In our weekly meetings we review development progress and prioritize the next steps together. Sales and marketing representatives are often also involved, which brings valuable perspective to the whole.”

Lauri Jokela, R&D Director, Arska Group

“In the project it has been important to understand the complexity of Mepu’s products and translate that into a clear digital tool. Close cooperation with product development, production and sales has been a prerequisite for developing a practical tool that takes various use situations into account.”

Andreas Anckar, Smartbutlers Ltd

Results: more efficient sales and a better user experience

The new quotation configurator has significantly clarified Mepu’s sales process:

• the speed of the quotation process has increased
• the number of errors has decreased
• onboarding new resellers has become easier
• presenting products to customers is more visual and understandable
• tracking quotation activity helps forecasting and business management

At the same time, the tool has brought transparency to global sales and supported Mepu’s growth in new markets.

Development continues

The collaboration between Smartbutlers and Mepu is ongoing. The solution is continuously developed further to meet changing needs and support business growth.