What should a configurator do with discontinued parts?

A discontinued part should trigger a defined decision, not disappear silently from a saved product. Your process may retain the earlier specification, suggest an approved replacement or require review. The configurator should preserve enough information for sales and manufacturing to understand the change.

Separate withdrawal from temporary unavailability

A temporarily unavailable finish may return to stock. A withdrawn component may no longer be offered for new orders. An earlier accepted order may have material reserved already. These situations need different commercial and operational treatment.

Ask who supplies each status and which system is authoritative. A catalogue flag entered by marketing should not accidentally override a reservation recorded by the factory.

Test a replacement that changes more than appearance

Suppose a new handle replaces an earlier model but needs different fixings. Reopen a saved door configuration, select the replacement and inspect the price, component list and relevant documents. Changing the visible handle without changing its supporting components is an incomplete update.

Repeat the test without an approved replacement. The useful result may be a retained enquiry routed to a product specialist. Do not require the software to invent an alternative merely to keep the journey moving.

Find affected projects deliberately

Ask whether staff can identify saved drafts, issued offers and accepted orders that reference the discontinued item. Define which groups should be notified or reviewed. A generic catalogue announcement may not reach the person responsible for a specific customer promise.

Keep the earlier product and commercial records accessible under the agreed permissions. Replacing every historical label with the new one can make it difficult to explain what was originally selected.

Connect the rule to Configurix order management

In a Configurix order workflow, specify the item statuses, replacement rules and review responsibilities. Custom software can connect the selected configuration to the affected offer or factory request, provided those relationships are part of the implementation scope.

Should the application automatically substitute a replacement?

Only under an approved rule that accounts for compatibility, price and required customer or technical approval. Some substitutions need a deliberate review.

Can a historical order still show an old component?

It may need to, so that the record accurately describes what was accepted or built. Distinguish that historical information from what customers can order today.