Product · 2019
2D Plantation Shutters Configurator
A bespoke 2D plantation shutters configurator developed between 2018 and 2019 as a core module of the Shutters Factory in-house CRM and ordering portal — generating accurate technical reports based on product parameters and manufacturing constraints.
Context
This configurator was developed as an integral module of the Shutters Factory Bespoke In-House CRM & Ordering Portal — the custom-built operational platform we developed for Shutters Factory Ltd from 2018 onwards. It was not a standalone product; it was purpose-built to live inside the ordering workflow, giving both the internal team and clients a shared visual reference at the point of quoting and ordering.
Development ran from 2018 to 2019, carried out from a support and supervisory position alongside the Shutters Factory in-house development team and a second external team contracted for the build.
What it does
The configurator takes a set of product parameters entered during the quoting or ordering process and generates an accurate, real-time 2D technical drawing of the configured shutter. The drawing updates live as parameters change — no page reload, no manual redraw.
Parameters fed into the visualisation include:
- Dimensions. Width and height of the shutter unit, with the drawing scaling accurately to reflect the specified measurements.
- Panel configuration. The number of panels, their arrangement and the division of the overall width across them — a critical variable in plantation shutter design that directly affects both aesthetics and manufacturing.
- Colours. The selected finish is reflected in the drawing, giving clients a clear visual reference for the product they are ordering.
- Manufacturing constraints and limitations. The configurator is aware of the manufacturing boundaries — maximum and minimum dimensions, panel width limits, structural constraints — and validates the configuration in real time, preventing orders that cannot be produced from entering the pipeline.
Why it mattered
Plantation shutters are a bespoke product. Every order is made to measure, and the gap between what a client imagines and what the factory produces is a common source of errors, remakes and disputes. A shared 2D drawing — generated from the exact parameters of the order — closes that gap.
For the manufacturing facility, the drawing serves as a production reference: an unambiguous visual specification that travels with the order from quote through to production.
For clients, it provides confidence at the point of purchase — they can see exactly what they are ordering before they commit, reducing the likelihood of surprises on installation day.
Technical approach
The configurator was built entirely in vanilla JavaScript and CSS, with no external libraries or frameworks. Drawing is handled through the HTML5 Canvas API, which provides the performance and precision needed for real-time technical illustration in the browser. The deliberate choice to avoid dependencies kept the module lightweight, fast and straightforward to maintain within the broader CRM codebase.