Product modeling when every product is custom

[Jürgen Reinold]

I am trying to configure/modify OFBiz for our business. But I am having
difficulties modeling our products. Any pointers/suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.

Our products are similar to photo prints:

* Several standard sizes such as 4”x6”, 5”x7”, 12”x18”, …

* We allow custom sizes such as 4.123”x6.321” that are made from the next
bigger product (and priced accordingly)

* Except for square products, product orientation can be landscape or portrait

* Several material options such as matte, lustre, glossy finishes, ...

* Several manufacturing options such as sharp or rounded corners, ...

* Several bundle options such as just the print, the print ready for wall
mount, the print ready for desk display, …

And then there are a few unique aspects:

* Each of our products has a serial number that we need to track. Even if a
line item has a quantity of more than 1, each product will have a separate
serial number. In that case, communication with the customer such as order
confirmations should have only one entry/image per line item.

* In case we have to reprint a product (defects, color did not turn out
right), the replacement products need to be related to the originally ordered
ones, but should have new and separate serial numbers.

* We have regular production runs and would like to use the MFG functionality,
but our serialized products are never put into inventory. They ship out to our
customers right after they have been produced.

And then there are the product images. That is my biggest headache. We need to
associate a thumbnail of the customer supplied image with each product we
ship. Order related communication and order history needs to show the customer
supplied images for each product. We have URLs for these images and are
otherwise very flexible in generating and storing derived images.

Any suggestions to how this can be modeled with virtual products, product
variants, … would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for complete
solutions, just broad strokes.

I assume we will have to implement a custom “make product from customer image”
service that combines predefined virtual/variant products with the customer
image and serial number so that OFBiz knows where to get the unique images for
each product.

Thank you for your help in advance and keep up the great work!

Jürgen

[Jürgen Reinold]

Thoughts? Anyone?

Thank you for your help in advance.

Jürgen


---------- Forwarded Message -----------
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 15:52:50 -0500
Subject: Product modeling when every product is custom

I am trying to configure/modify OFBiz for our business. But I am having
difficulties modeling our products. Any pointers/suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.

Our products are similar to photo prints:

* Several standard sizes such as 4”x6”, 5”x7”, 12”x18”, …

* We allow custom sizes such as 4.123”x6.321” that are made from the next
bigger product (and priced accordingly)

* Except for square products, product orientation can be landscape or portrait

* Several material options such as matte, lustre, glossy finishes, ...

* Several manufacturing options such as sharp or rounded corners, ...

* Several bundle options such as just the print, the print ready for wall
mount, the print ready for desk display, …

And then there are a few unique aspects:

* Each of our products has a serial number that we need to track. Even if a
line item has a quantity of more than 1, each product will have a separate
serial number. In that case, communication with the customer such as order
confirmations should have only one entry/image per line item.

* In case we have to reprint a product (defects, color did not turn out
right), the replacement products need to be related to the originally ordered
ones, but should have new and separate serial numbers.

* We have regular production runs and would like to use the MFG functionality,
but our serialized products are never put into inventory. They ship out to our
customers right after they have been produced.

And then there are the product images. That is my biggest headache. We need to
associate a thumbnail of the customer supplied image with each product we
ship. Order related communication and order history needs to show the customer
supplied images for each product. We have URLs for these images and are
otherwise very flexible in generating and storing derived images.

Any suggestions to how this can be modeled with virtual products, product
variants, … would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for complete
solutions, just broad strokes.

I assume we will have to implement a custom “make product from customer image”
service that combines predefined virtual/variant products with the customer
image and serial number so that OFBiz knows where to get the unique images for
each product.

Thank you for your help in advance and keep up the great work!

Jürgen

[Rishi Solanki]

Hi Jürgen Reinold,

Please find my responses in line and I'm hopeful it helps.

--
Rishi Solanki
Manager, Enterprise Software Development
HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
Direct: [phone]
http://www.hotwaxmedia.com


On Sun, Sep 1, 2013 at 2:22 AM, Jürgen Reinold <[hidden email]>wrote:

> I am trying to configure/modify OFBiz for our business. But I am having
> difficulties modeling our products. Any pointers/suggestions would be
> greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Our products are similar to photo prints:
>
> * Several standard sizes such as 4”x6”, 5”x7”, 12”x18”, …
>

You will need to use virtual variant model of the product. There are many
product already exists in demo data have the color and size options with
them. Looks like you may only required sizes.



>
> * We allow custom sizes such as 4.123”x6.321” that are made from the next
> bigger product (and priced accordingly)
>


Looks like such product won't be exists in system before they ordered. At
the time of adding a item to cart you can use add non exists product to
shopping cart as shopping cart item and when order is really placed enter
the product into the system from cart.



>
> * Except for square products, product orientation can be landscape or
> portrait
>
> * Several material options such as matte, lustre, glossy finishes, ...
>


Above both could be set as features of the product.


>
> * Several manufacturing options such as sharp or rounded corners, ...
>


Better to differentiate before manufacturing by adding features to product.


>
> * Several bundle options such as just the print, the print ready for wall
> mount, the print ready for desk display, …
>

Categories them using ProductCategory.


>
> And then there are a few unique aspects:
>
> * Each of our products has a serial number that we need to track. Even if a
> line item has a quantity of more than 1, each product will have a separate
> serial number. In that case, communication with the customer such as order
> confirmations should have only one entry/image per line item.
>

This is ootb available, you may need to look after the serialize and
non-serialize inventory. In you case it should be serialize.


>
> * In case we have to reprint a product (defects, color did not turn out
> right), the replacement products need to be related to the originally
> ordered
> ones, but should have new and separate serial numbers.
>

If you maintain the above point then it will automatically handle.


>
> * We have regular production runs and would like to use the MFG
> functionality,
> but our serialized products are never put into inventory. They ship out to
> our
> customers right after they have been produced.
>

Requirement data model and processes could be use here but not sure.


>
> And then there are the product images. That is my biggest headache. We
> need to
> associate a thumbnail of the customer supplied image with each product we
> ship. Order related communication and order history needs to show the
> customer
> supplied images for each product. We have URLs for these images and are
> otherwise very flexible in generating and storing derived images.
>

Assuming, all the custom product will be added as variant in the system for
some virtual with standard size. Either you can specify them variant and
use specific image content type or you can simply store the url some where
in order item related entities. Either directly in OrderItem or
OrderItemAttribute as you said you will have URLs.

>
> Any suggestions to how this can be modeled with virtual products, product
> variants, … would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for complete
> solutions, just broad strokes.
>
> I assume we will have to implement a custom “make product from customer
> image”
> service that combines predefined virtual/variant products with the customer
> image and serial number so that OFBiz knows where to get the unique images
> for
> each product.
>
> Thank you for your help in advance and keep up the great work!
>
> Jürgen
>

[Jürgen Reinold]

Thank you very much for that information, Rishi. I'll go ahead and try a few
things out along the path you have suggested.

Jürgen

On Sat, 7 Sep 2013 00:20:48 -0500, Rishi Solanki wrote

> Hi Jürgen Reinold,
>
> Please find my responses in line and I'm hopeful it helps.
>
> --
> Rishi Solanki
> Manager, Enterprise Software Development
> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
> Direct: [phone]
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
> On Sun, Sep 1, 2013 at 2:22 AM, Jürgen Reinold
> <[hidden email]>wrote:
>
> > I am trying to configure/modify OFBiz for our business. But I am having
> > difficulties modeling our products. Any pointers/suggestions would be
> > greatly
> > appreciated.
> >
> > Our products are similar to photo prints:
> >
> > * Several standard sizes such as 4”x6”, 5”x7”, 12”x18”, …
> >
>
> You will need to use virtual variant model of the product. There are
> many product already exists in demo data have the color and size
> options with them. Looks like you may only required sizes.
>
> >
> > * We allow custom sizes such as 4.123”x6.321” that are made from the
> next
> > bigger product (and priced accordingly)
> >
>
> Looks like such product won't be exists in system before they
> ordered. At the time of adding a item to cart you can use add non
> exists product to shopping cart as shopping cart item and when order
> is really placed enter the product into the system from cart.
>
> >
> > * Except for square products, product orientation can be landscape or
> > portrait
> >
> > * Several material options such as matte, lustre, glossy finishes, ...
> >
>
> Above both could be set as features of the product.
>
> >
> > * Several manufacturing options such as sharp or rounded corners, ...
> >
>
> Better to differentiate before manufacturing by adding features to
> product.
>
> >
> > * Several bundle options such as just the print, the print ready for
> wall
> > mount, the print ready for desk display, …
> >
>
> Categories them using ProductCategory.
>
> >
> > And then there are a few unique aspects:
> >
> > * Each of our products has a serial number that we need to track. Even
> if a
> > line item has a quantity of more than 1, each product will have a
> separate
> > serial number. In that case, communication with the customer such as
> order
> > confirmations should have only one entry/image per line item.
> >
>
> This is ootb available, you may need to look after the serialize and
> non-serialize inventory. In you case it should be serialize.
>
> >
> > * In case we have to reprint a product (defects, color did not turn out
> > right), the replacement products need to be related to the originally
> > ordered
> > ones, but should have new and separate serial numbers.
> >
>
> If you maintain the above point then it will automatically handle.
>
> >
> > * We have regular production runs and would like to use the MFG
> > functionality,
> > but our serialized products are never put into inventory. They ship out
> to
> > our
> > customers right after they have been produced.
> >
>
> Requirement data model and processes could be use here but not sure.
>
> >
> > And then there are the product images. That is my biggest headache. We
> > need to
> > associate a thumbnail of the customer supplied image with each product
> we
> > ship. Order related communication and order history needs to show the
> > customer
> > supplied images for each product. We have URLs for these images and are
> > otherwise very flexible in generating and storing derived images.
> >
>
> Assuming, all the custom product will be added as variant in the system
> for
> some virtual with standard size. Either you can specify them variant
> and use specific image content type or you can simply store the url
> some where in order item related entities. Either directly in
> OrderItem or OrderItemAttribute as you said you will have URLs.
>
> >
> > Any suggestions to how this can be modeled with virtual products,
> product
> > variants, … would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for complete
> > solutions, just broad strokes.
> >
> > I assume we will have to implement a custom “make product from customer
> > image”
> > service that combines predefined virtual/variant products with the
> customer
> > image and serial number so that OFBiz knows where to get the unique
> images
> > for
> > each product.
> >
> > Thank you for your help in advance and keep up the great work!
> >
> > Jürgen
> >