Spare Parts Catalogs in the Cloud: Flexible, Secure, and at the User’s Fingertips
Almost every company in Germany now works in cloud environments. Read this article to find out why you too should reserve space in the cloud for your spare parts catalogs.
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The evolution of spare parts catalogs: from paper to PDF to the cloud
The spare parts catalog is a key element of aftersales service and a vital interface to your customers. To enable service teams, technicians, and plant operators to work even more efficiently, many machine manufacturers have already converted their catalogs from paper to PDF.
At a glance: Why digital spare parts catalogs are a must for service pros
However, to make sure that spare parts information is consistent, up to date, and readily accessible, further digitalization steps are essential. According to KPMG’s Cloud Monitor 2024, 98 percent of companies in Germany depend on cloud computing for their transformation projects.
The five key targets here are:
- IT system security
- Digitalizing internal processes
- IT cost savings
- Flexibility and scalability
- Developing new products and services
Machine manufacturers who create, manage, and provide their spare parts catalogs in the cloud can also benefit from these advantages for their service activities - in particular thanks to greater flexibility, a high degree of security, and optimized costs.
Suggested reading: Our article about cloud platforms for aftersales services takes a detailed look at all the additional key cloud benefits you can enjoy.
Remain flexible with networked data
What is state of the art in spare parts catalogs today may be outdated tomorrow - but with cloud-based spare parts catalogs, you can implement new technologies or trends faster.
You can expand cloud software on a modular basis, and scale it to suit your needs. This is also true if your product range becomes more varied and complex, and you need to produce and share a greater number of spare parts catalogs.
One of the biggest advantages of a cloud-based spare parts catalog is its availability: given that cloud software is browser-based, service technicians and customers can access up-to-date spare parts information online at any time and from any device.
Catalog users can search for the parts they need directly in the cloud spare parts catalog with integrated online store, check availability, and even place orders. Parts lists, technical data, and prices are always up to date. And unlike with PDF and paper catalogs, there’s no longer any risk of outdated data being circulated.
Protect data thanks to updates and high security standards
According to the KPMG survey, six out of ten companies are looking to enhance their IT security by moving to the cloud. Data security and the protection of intellectual property are fundamentally sensitive issues in machine construction - above all when it comes to design data and spare parts information.
In the cloud, spare parts- and service data are protected from potential hacker attacks, because cloud systems always remain current thanks to regular updates. Cloud solutions generally apply modern security standards and offer the option of storing and transferring data in encrypted form.
Save costs through optimized processes and flexible pricing models
Almost 70 percent of companies already working in the cloud have achieved high or very high IT cost savings as a result of this. Rather than having to make high initial investments, machine manufacturers can gradually digitalize their service processes in the cloud and make better use of their budget.
This does incur monthly costs, but thanks to the flexible pricing models of cloud providers, every plant manufacturer can find a package to suit their IT budget and their specific aftersales challenges.
Compared to on-premise solutions, a cloud platform for spare parts catalogs also requires less time and effort when it comes to hardware and software maintenance and saves money on operating an in-house IT infrastructure.
What’s more, the cost savings resulting from process optimization should not be underestimated either a cloud-based catalog helps to reduce the number of incorrect orders, for example, because spare parts- and order information is always up to date.
How to take your spare parts catalogs to the cloud
A cloud-based spare parts catalog offers machine builders greater flexibility, enhanced data security, and significant cost savings - not to mention improved service quality. Nonetheless, despite all the advantages, there are also some obstacles that manufacturers need to overcome when moving their spare parts catalogs to the cloud - first and foremost, integration into the existing IT landscape.
You need a digital service platform, so that order- and spare parts information can be transferred correctly and securely to the cloud and integrated into spare parts catalogs. Once in a cloud platform for service activities, information about spare parts or maintenance work carried out can easily be merged and linked with systems such as ERP and CAD.
Implementing cloud-based catalogs with IQ Parts Catalog
The Quanos IQ Platform supports you in implementing cloud-based spare parts catalogs and integrating them into your existing systems — through its suite of IQ for Parts apps. IQ Parts Editor enables you to create, maintain, and publish machine-specific spare parts catalogs from a centralized data pool. IQ Parts Catalog makes these catalogs available digitally and interactively — cloud-based, accessible at any time, and fully integrated with ERP and CAD systems.
With the Quanos IQ Platform apps, you move your spare parts catalogs to the cloud while laying the foundation for a significant leap forward in service digitalization. Designed specifically for industrial machinery and equipment manufacturers, the Quanos IQ Platform brings together digital spare parts information, connected technical documentation, and service processes on a shared, cloud-based data foundation.
