Automated configuration transfer from Elfsquad to Windchill — removing a manual step repeated 1,000+ times a year
Integration layer that maps Elfsquad features to Windchill attributes and transfers configurations automatically
Dewulf, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, needed to connect its sales configuration system (Elfsquad) with its production engineering system (Windchill).
Before the project, machine configurations created during the sales process had to be manually translated by production engineers before machines could enter production. This required engineering time for every machine produced and introduced the risk of human configuration errors.
the.good.code; implemented an integration layer that automatically transfers configuration data from Elfsquad to Windchill.
The result is a fully automated configuration flow that removes manual engineering work, saves hundreds of hours annually, and reduces operational risks in the production configuration process.
Business challenge
Dewulf produces more than 1,000 machines per year, and many of them are highly configurable. Before the project, production engineers manually translated configuration data from Elfsquad into Windchill — a step that introduced several operational issues:
- →engineering time required for each machine
- →risk of human configuration errors
- →delays between quotation and production
- →dependency on older and unsupported applications
- →the same part in Elfsquad could map to different parts in Windchill depending on the machine model, timing, or inventory conditions
Although the manual step took only about 15 minutes per machine, it occurred more than 1,000 times per year — hundreds of engineering hours spent re-entering data that already existed.
Solution overview
the.good.code; implemented an integration layer that transfers configuration data from Elfsquad to Windchill. The solution performs automatic mapping between the two systems and sends configuration data directly to the production environment.
Based on user interviews, we designed the matching process to support different working styles and reduce the time needed to build BOMs and configuration files — making the workflow faster, more practical in daily use, and better suited to high-volume operations.
Key elements of the solution
Automated configuration transfer
- →mapping between Elfsquad features and Windchill attributes
- →automated configuration transfer straight to the production environment
- →configurations created during the sales process are immediately usable in production
Stateless middleware architecture
- →stateless middleware built with Next.js
- →JSON-based integration flow
- →Azure Blob Storage used for temporary configuration states
Matching designed around real workflows
- →three matching methods designed from user interviews — two mouse-based and one keyboard-based
- →support for different working styles to reduce BOM and configuration build time
- →multiple active configuration files managed at once, for flexibility across models, revisions, and production scenarios
Operational improvements
The integration removed the configuration translation step from the production process entirely:
- →the manual configuration translation step has been removed from production
- →production engineers no longer recreate configuration data between systems
- →hundreds of engineering hours saved annually
- →reduced risk of manual configuration errors
Automation also enabled Dewulf to redesign parts of the end-to-end production process and introduce additional applications into the workflow.
Strategic impact
The integration delivered several structural improvements:
- →removal of manual configuration errors
- →faster transition from quotation to production
- →improved scalability of configuration handling
- →reduced dependency on unsupported legacy tools
- →a foundation for further digitalisation of production processes
The integration created a direct data flow between the sales configurator and the production engineering system — turning a manual, error-prone handoff into an automated backbone the rest of Dewulf’s production digitalisation can build on.
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