Structuring quoting process without slowing it down with Cieblink CPQ
For 40 years, APH Cabinets has been manufacturing custom cabinetry. Today, the company produces approximately 5 kitchens per day and serves both residential clients (kitchens, bathrooms, walk-ins, etc.) as well as contractors and property managers.
At APH Cabinets, quoting has never been the problem: It has always taken time. It has always required thinking. And it always will.
Because quoting a custom cabinetry project is not just clicking a button.
It involves: configuring each cabinet, making precise choices, thinking through the details and avoiding omissions.
The real friction: everything around the quote
Before adopting Cienapps Software, APH Cabinets relied on multiple tools. The quote was created… then re-entered elsewhere, transferred elsewhere, and adjusted elsewhere.
Result:
Duplicated information
Risk of errors
Inconsistent data
Time lost in transfers
Lack of workflow fluidity between departments
The problem wasn’t the quote itself. It was everything that came after.
Configure once. Use everywhere.
The role of Cieblink at APH Cabinets
Today, APH Cabinets uses the Cieblink configurator (CPQ Cabinets) to create its quotes.
Each project is:
- configured based on the APH Cabinets catalog
- structured from the start
- ready to be used in the next steps
No double entry. No manual re-entry.
The information no longer stops at the quote, because APH Cabinets now operates with a connected process.
What is a CPQ?
A CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is a tool that allows companies to structure and automate the creation of quotes for configurable products, such as custom cabinetry.
Instead of building each quote manually, the CPQ guides the user through a series of choices: dimensions, options, materials, configurations, etc.
Each selection automatically triggers: the correct configuration rules, the correct possible combinations and the correct pricing based on the company’s logic
The CPQ is customized for each company it is built for.
It is based on the product catalog, business rules, pricing formulas, and configuration logic. Everything is set up according to how the company actually sells.
A quote that becomes an operational foundation
Before, the quote was a starting point. But the information had to be reworked.
Today, the quote becomes a reliable data source. It feeds directly into other departments
What this changes in practice
- Information is entered once… in the right place
- No need to re-enter data, reducing the risk of omissions
and/or errors - All departments work with the same information
- Quoting, production, and installation are all connected
“We save time on everything else.”
— Michael Haineault, Operations Director at APH Cabinets
A reality that remains: mental load
Even with Cieblink, one thing remains true: Quoting is still a demanding task.
Because today, the configurator still relies on memory, logic and attention to detail
The daily challenge: “Did I think of everything?” (kickplates, fillers, dimensions, specific configurations, etc.)
Moving from mental to visual with Ciemetric
APH Cabinets is currently working on integrating Ciemetric Design into its process.
The goal: Not just configure, but see what you configure
What this will change:
-
Today: Text-based configuration with risk of omissions
-
Tomorrow: Full visualization, immediate error detection,
and instant pricing
Expected benefits:
Reduced mental load
Fewer production errors
Time savings
Greater confidence in the quote
“When you can see it, you catch it.”
— Michael Haineault, Operations Director at APH Cabinets
Conclusion
With Cieblink, APH Cabinets didn’t aim to go faster. They aimed to be stronger.
APH Cabinets didn’t turn quoting into automation. They turned it into a foundation.
A foundation that: Feeds the entire company, Reduces friction and Secures operations