Dalmec
PLATFORM FOR CREATING OFFERS AND HANDLING ORDERS
ABOUT THE CLIENT
Dalmec is a global leader
in the production of industrial manipulators – devices that assist in the processes of lifting, moving, and positioning loads in industrial facilities. With over 60 years of history, the company began its operations in Italy and today, beyond Europe, it is present in markets all over the world, including the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Asia.
Engineering and innovation know-how
By combining engineering know-how with mechanical and pneumatic innovations, Dalmec products are used across many industries, including automotive, home appliances, food, chemical, and logistics. These manipulators increase workplace safety and process efficiency while reducing the risk of injuries resulting from the manual transport of heavy or awkward components.
Technological partnership
Representatives from Dalmec Poland were looking for an experienced technology partner to help them create a digital sales support tool—an intuitive manipulator configurator that would simplify the device selection process and allow customers to independently assemble solutions tailored to their needs. This is how the collaboration with X-ONE began.
Challenges
This project was not a typical e-commerce product variant selector. Manipulators are advanced engineering devices, often designed individually for specific production lines. Hence the main challenges:
- Configuration complexity - Numerous interdependent selection options; each manipulator consists of many components, and the choice of one affects the availability and parameters of others.
- Technical visualization - The need to dynamically generate technical drawings in SVG format that reflect the changes made by the user in the configurator.
- DWG file interpretation - Automated processing of CAD (DWG) documentation and its adaptation into an interactive format, allowing for real-time visual updates of the device.
- Interface simplification - The tool needed to be intuitive even for non-technical users, which required thoughtful UX design.
- Real-time quoting - The system had to calculate and present an estimated price for the configured device, accounting for all technical dependencies and parameters.
GOAL
Modern configuration tool
Our primary goal was to design and implement a modern configuration tool that would not only simplify the industrial manipulator quoting process but also allow Dalmec to stand out from the competition as an innovative provider of bespoke solutions.
We created an MVP of a manipulator configurator that reacts in real-time to user inputs, reflecting changes in a dynamic technical drawing. Based on CAD data, the drawing is presented in an interactive, accessible SVG format. Users can test various design configurations, tailoring the device to their specific production requirements. At the end of the process, they receive an automatically generated quote containing both detailed technical specifications and pricing information.
Product assumptions at a glance:
When defining the functional scope and UX of the tool, we adopted the following assumptions:
Education and accessibility
The configurator was also intended to serve an educational role — to help potential customers understand how manipulators work and how they can be configured for specific production needs.
Price transparency
One of the goals was to increase customer awareness regarding estimated device costs – the tool was intended to provide users with immediate feedback on how individual choices affect the final quote.
Highlighting product flexibility
We wanted to show the vast customization possibilities of the manipulator — from the arm type and load capacity to the type of gripper — and how each decision impacts the final product.
Visual representation of changes
A key element was the dynamic representation of changes in the device layout in response to user choices – every modification had to be immediately visible on the technical drawing.
Why a custom system?
The decision to build a custom system was the result of an in-depth analysis of functional and technical requirements.
- Configuration complexity - Typical configuration tools available on the market (e.g., for the furniture, automotive, or HVAC industries) were unable to handle the dependencies between individual manipulator components. Selecting one element could dictate the availability and parameters of several others, which required the creation of a flexible and robust rules engine.
- Lack of existing solutions with dynamic technical visualization - None of the available solutions offered the ability to precisely and automatically render changing technical drawings in real time. Dalmec required a visualization that was not only consistent with engineering documentation but also intuitive and visually appealing to the customer.
- Need for full control and scalability - Implementing a dedicated solution allows for future expansion, such as CRM integration, automated technical documentation generation, an offline version for sales representatives, or extension to additional product lines.
Technical solution:
PWA application with an interactive DWG file presentation.
Administration panel based on our proprietary solution.
Automatic generation of a PDF file containing the quote and technical specifications based on the configuration, followed by email delivery.
System designed for future growth with multi-language support
When designing the configurator for Dalmec, we planned for its long-term development and easy adaptation to the company’s future needs from the very beginning – both functional and geographical. Thanks to its modular architecture, the system can be seamlessly expanded with new features, products, manipulator models, or configuration rules without needing to modify the application core.
Flexible platform
Crucially, the solution was designed with internationalization in mind – the user interface and content can be quickly translated and adapted for different languages and markets. The language layer is decoupled from the system logic, allowing for efficient localization management without the need to rewrite code. This is particularly important for Dalmec’s global structure and its presence in over a dozen countries. As a result, the configurator is not a closed solution; it is a flexible platform that can evolve alongside the company’s growing ambitions and the needs of its sales teams in Poland and abroad.
RESULT
Dalmec received a modern, intuitive, and realistic tool – an interactive manipulator configurator that visualizes changes in real-time and provides the user with an instant price estimate for the device.
The MVP has been launched into production and meets all business objectives:
- it is fast and responsive,
- easy to use even for users without technical knowledge,
- scalable and ready for growth,
- effectively increases customer engagement and awareness regarding available options and costs.
Most importantly, the tool has been very well received, and not just in Poland. Discussions are already underway with other company branches regarding the potential rollout of the configurator in additional markets as a universal tool to support Dalmec’s sales and technical consulting.
Technologies we used
Reaching customers around the world with VOX’s products and business model is key to our global digital strategy. The partnership with X-ONE has played an important role in this process. Thanks to their commitment and initiative, and our shared love of innovation, we launched a platform that supports online and offline sales – initially in Mexico, with a view to further rollout to additional markets.
Adam Szlendak
Managing Director
X-ONE Sp. z o.o.
ul. Serdeczna 8T,
62-081 Poznań-Wysogotowo
Poland
VAT ID: PL7811961961