At their facility in Minnesota, Trystar engineers and manufactures an array of generator docking stations, industrial power distribution boxes, and other electrical equipment. At first glance, it might look like Trystar makes a small selection of about a dozen products. However, to serve the specialized technical needs of their customers, each of these product lines has a dizzying array of possible configurations. Voltage, amperage, material, receptacle types -- even the color is customizable. Each rugged enclosure is a blank canvas for literally hundreds of possible permutations.
Instead of tracking mix-and-match feature scenarios through endless spreadsheets, Trystar’s engineering team needed a consistent system of classification so they could document each build and easily repeat it in the future. The sales team needed a better way to understand which permutations were possible and which had already been built.
Working closely with Trystar’s team to understand all the fine points of their workflow, we designed and built a powerful system for classifying and documenting every product their engineers can dream of. In a simple series of steps, an engineer can define the parameters of a new product line, attach relevant diagrams, and automatically assign a unique product ID to each potential permutation -- even ones that haven’t been built yet. In addition, “versioning” enables engineers to make updates to a model down the road without breaking from a consistent numbering system.
The Product ID is a source of truth that helps engineering, sales, and customers all stay on the same page. With a reliable system to generate and manage this product data, Trystar can grow with confidence and serve their customers with more efficiency than ever before.