In Acumatica, handling made-to-order (MTO) inventory items is simple and flexible—especially when using the product configurator. Let’s walk through a real-world example: creating a custom bat.
Starting with the Sales Order
Let’s say your inventory item is a custom bat. Once the item is selected in the sales order and you enter a quantity of one, you might notice that no price appears right away. That’s because this is a configurable item. When you hit Save, a Configure button becomes available—this is where the magic starts.
Configuring the Bat
Clicking Configure opens the configuration entry screen. Here, you can select:
- Bat handle color
- Body color
- Engraving color
- Type of wood
- Whether or not it’s an express order
Let’s say you want a sleek black bat. You choose black for both the handle and body, and silver for the engraving. As you make selections, the system enforces rules like minimum and maximum choices—ensuring, for example, that you only choose one color per section.
Once your selections are made, the price automatically updates—say, to $57.10. You then save and finish the configuration, which updates the sales order with the new item details and pricing.
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Next Steps in the Workflow
From here, you can navigate to the More menu within the sales order and create a Production Order. This allows you to push the made-to-order item into your manufacturing workflow within the ERP system. (We’ll dig deeper into that process in another post.)
Behind the Scenes: Building the Product Configurator in Acumatica
You might be wondering how this setup was built. Acumatica’s Configuration Maintenance menu makes it easy to design your product configurator. Each selectable feature is created within the system, such as:
- Handle colors
- Body colors
- Engraving options
- Wood types
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You can also include formulas, such as defining the maximum length of a bat. Plus, the configurator links to a Bill of Material (BOM)—a generic one for our custom bat.
The Bill of Material: Mapping the Manufacturing Process
This BOM outlines the necessary steps to produce the bat:
- Cut the blank piece of wood
- Paint and stain the bat
- Engrave the bat
- Inspect and package the finished product
Each configuration creates a specific version of this BOM based on the user’s selections.
Reusing Configurations: Saving Time and Boosting Efficiency
Acumatica remembers previous configurations. By reviewing the Generic Wooden Bat inventory item, you can see how it’s been customized in the past. Simply click into past orders to view the exact configurations—and repeat an order if needed. This feature streamlines the MTO process and makes reorders a breeze.
Whether you’re selling customized bats or any other personalized product, Acumatica’s product configurator makes the process smooth and flexible. With just a few clicks, users can build out complex, rule-based configurations, update pricing automatically, and push the item through production—right from the sales order screen.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Acumatica is a cloud-based ERP system that centralizes accounting, inventory, sales, and customer data to help businesses run more efficiently.
Yes! Dashboards are fully customizable by role or user so your team sees only what matters most.
The Production Manager Dashboard gives real-time updates on order statuses, capacity, labor, and material usage.
It shows pending change requests, approvals, and standard costs—streamlining collaboration between departments.
Yes, sales orders can be entered in just a few clicks with real-time inventory, pricing, and shipping integrations.
Inventory is automatically adjusted after shipments or production events, no manual updates needed.
Absolutely. You can view, edit, and manage BOMs directly from the item screen for seamless production planning.
Yes, users only see what’s relevant to their job function, and permissions can be tailored per role.
You have the option to manually review and release invoices before sending or printing them.
Contact us to see a demo or speak with an expert. We’ll guide you through setup and show you how to simplify and automate your operations.
