faq

Frequently asked questions about product configuration and make-to-order solutions

A configurable chair shown as an example of a product with selectable materials, colours and options

TRIMIT delivers Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central together with industry-specific functionality for companies with configurable and variant-rich products as one integrated system. Instead of building custom solutions on top of standard ERP, TRIMIT adds the product structures many companies need from day one: shared Masters, configurable options, combination rules, configuration-based pricing and rule-based BOMs.

In practice, TRIMIT optimises Business Central by shaping standard processes around product configuration and make-to-order realities—from guided selling and quotation to costing, purchasing and production. Business Central remains the core system for finance, inventory, purchasing, sales and operations. The result is a solution that is easier to run, easier to maintain and less dependent on custom development.

We bring decades of industry experience into our implementations and deliver locally in the markets where TRIMIT operates, including Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland (DE/NL/DK/NO/CH).

In other countries, TRIMIT can also be delivered through partners. This gives you a solution built on global Microsoft technology, combined with TRIMIT’s product configuration expertise and support from people who understand configurable and make-to-order businesses.

This page explains how configurable products are structured, sold and produced in TRIMIT, and how a combined Business Central and TRIMIT setup helps manufacturers, brands and suppliers work smarter from day one. For more details, see the full feature overview.

TRIMIT extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with product configuration functionality for companies that work with many product options, dimensions and combinations.

Business Central remains the ERP foundation, while TRIMIT adds:

  • Master-based product structures: manage a complete product family from one shared product template.

  • Configurable characteristics: define materials, colours, dimensions, components and optional features.

  • Combination rules: control which options may or may not be selected together.

  • Configuration-based pricing: calculate prices, discounts and surcharges from the selected options.

  • Rule-based BOMs: translate the configuration into materials, quantities, operations and production requirements.

  • Integrated digital sales: make configurable products available through TRIMIT E-commerce, including the B2B Webshop and Sales Agent.

The result is one connected process from product setup and guided selling to order handling, purchasing and production.

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TRIMIT Product Configuration is the functionality used to define, sell and produce products with selectable characteristics and options.

A configurable product is maintained as a Master. The Master contains the product structure, configurable questions, permitted options, combination rules, pricing logic and, where relevant, a generic bill of materials and routing.

When a user configures the product, TRIMIT can identify an existing item or create a new item, depending on the product structure and system setup. The configuration can also remain specific to the sales or purchase order.

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TRIMIT uses structured terminology to distinguish between the product template, the configurable characteristics and the final configuration:

  • Master: the shared template for a configurable product family.

  • VarDim Type: a configurable characteristic or question, such as material, colour, width, voltage or finish.

  • VarDim Option: an allowed answer or value, such as aluminium, black, 1200 mm or 230 V.

  • Configuration: the complete combination of selected options.

  • VarDim Item: configuration values associated with a specific item.

  • VarDim Order: configuration values associated with a specific sales, purchase or production requirement.

For example, colour may be a VarDim Type, black may be a VarDim Option, and the complete selection of colour, dimensions, material and accessories forms the product configuration.

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TRIMIT helps prevent SKU explosion by maintaining product logic centrally on a Master instead of requiring every possible combination to be created and maintained in advance.

For example, a product with 10 colours, 8 dimensions, 5 materials and 6 accessory packages already represents 2,400 possible combinations. Additional characteristics can quickly increase this number significantly.

TRIMIT provides several ways to manage this complexity:

  • Central product maintenance: shared information and configuration rules are maintained on the Master.

  • On-demand item creation: items can be created when a valid configuration is required.

  • Reuse of existing items: TRIMIT can identify an existing item that matches the selected configuration.

  • Order-specific configuration: selected values may remain on the order when a permanent item is not required.

The appropriate method depends on whether the product combination must be stocked, reused, purchased or produced.

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Yes. Rules can be defined to control which options are valid or invalid together. This prevents salespeople, customers and production planners from selecting combinations that cannot be sold, purchased or manufactured.

Examples include:

  • a component that is only available for selected product sizes

  • a material that cannot be combined with a particular finish

  • a voltage option that requires a specific electrical component

  • a selected dimension that exceeds the permitted range for another component

Rules help guide the user towards a valid and producible product before the quote or order is completed.

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Pricing can be calculated from the base product and the options selected during configuration. Individual options may add a surcharge, reduce the price or trigger another pricing rule.

This can support:

  • material and finish surcharges

  • dimension-based pricing

  • component and accessory pricing

  • customer- and market-specific price lists

  • discounts and campaigns

The user can see how a selection affects the price during configuration, depending on the pricing setup.

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A Master can have a generic, rule-based Master BOM. The Master BOM acts as a template for calculating the materials and production structure required for a specific configuration.

Based on the selected options, the resulting BOM can determine:

  • required materials and components

  • material quantities, dimensions and measurements

  • sub-assemblies and BOM levels

  • routing and production operations

  • setup and run times

  • cost and planning requirements

This removes the need to manually maintain a separate BOM for every possible product combination. Fixed BOMs can also be used when required.

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Yes. TRIMIT can support make-to-stock, make-to-order, configure-to-order and assemble-to-order processes, including products that combine more than one production strategy.

  • Make-to-stock: standard products or components are produced and held in inventory.

  • Make-to-order: production begins when a customer order is received.

  • Configure-to-order: the customer selects from predefined options, and the configuration determines the production requirements.

  • Assemble-to-order: stocked components are assembled according to the selected configuration.

For example, standard components may be stocked while the final configured product is produced or assembled for a specific customer order.

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TRIMIT provides integrated CPQ capabilities for configurable products: Configure, Price and Quote.

The configuration process guides the user through valid product choices, calculates the applicable price and creates the basis for a quote or order. Unlike a standalone CPQ solution, the configuration remains connected to Business Central and can continue into item handling, inventory, purchasing, costing, BOM calculation and production.

This means that sales and operations work with the same product configuration rather than recreating product information after the quote has been accepted.

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Yes. Configurable products can be made available through TRIMIT E-commerce, including the B2B Webshop and Sales Agent.

Customers, dealers and sales representatives can be guided through the available characteristics and options based on the setup of the Master. The completed configuration can then be submitted as part of a quote or sales order.

Visual configuration can also be used where product images or layers are set up to reflect the selected options.

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Yes. Configurations submitted through the B2B Webshop or Sales Agent can continue into the connected ERP process.

Depending on the setup and required approval workflow, the transaction may be handled as a quote or as a sales order. This allows companies to review complex or high-value configurations before confirmation while processing standard configurations more automatically.

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TRIMIT provides an External API for integrations between Business Central, TRIMIT and external systems. The specific data flows and business rules are normally defined as part of the implementation.

Common integration scenarios include:

  • publishing Masters, options, product information and prices

  • exchanging product configurations with external CPQ, CAD or design systems

  • receiving quotes and sales orders

  • sharing availability and delivery information

  • exchanging purchasing, production, logistics or EDI messages

A scoping process should confirm which system owns the product rules, how configurations are identified and when items or orders are created.

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