Digital Spare Parts Catalog

Why it’s a must for service professionals

Digitalized aftersales service increases potential turnover and makes up for the decline in machinery production. And the key to it lies in the digital spare parts catalog. 

We show you how you can use interactive spare parts catalogs to become a “Service Champion”, and how it can benefit your service technicians, service managers, and plant operators too. 

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What is a digital spare parts catalog?

What is a digital spare parts catalog?

A digital spare parts catalog includes all data relevant for identifying and ordering spare parts and a bidirectional interconnection of these data. 2D and 3D graphics of parts, models, and exploded drawings are linked with supplementary information on individual parts and parts lists. The data comes from central sources such as ERP, CAD, or other leading systems, and is therefore always up to date. 

 

What information should be included in a digital spare parts catalog?

What information should be included in a digital spare parts catalog?

A digital spare parts catalog contains at least 2D graphics, exploded drawings, or images of individual assemblies, subassemblies, and components which are linked via hotspots with supplementary information such as article numbers, designations, quantities, units, and prices.  

The more information contained in a digital spare parts catalog, the more informative it is for the catalog user. Information about availabilities, storage areas, substitutes, customer-specific prices, and much more expand the information content of a digital spare parts catalog. If further information, such as technical documentation, circuit diagrams, repair instructions, hydraulic and pneumatic diagrams, training videos, or other files in any file format, is integrated into your spare parts catalog and intelligently linked with spare parts information, a fully-fledged service information system is created. 

Would you like to know whether your data is suitable for a digital spare parts catalog?  

We would be happy to evaluate this with you in a personal meeting. 

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Who needs a digital spare parts catalog?

Who needs a digital spare parts catalog?

A digital spare parts catalog for an efficient service is needed by manufacturers of durable industrial goods in the fields of machinery, plant, appliance, or automotive manufacturing, who:  

  • Believe in aftersales & service as important aspects of the corporate strategy 
  • Build products with a large number of spare parts 
  • Employ a large number of service technicians 
  • Operate a large dealer network 

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A digital spare parts catalog for efficient maintenance and parts management benefits operators of these machines, plant, vehicles, or appliances, who:  

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What challenges are solved by a digital spare parts catalog?

What challenges are solved by a digital spare parts catalog?

  • Spare part and service information is stored in different locations and on different systems  
  • Employee expertise is not always available  
  • Permanent distribution and updating are extremely time-consuming  
  • Manual data maintenance is often necessary, connection to ERP or PDM systems inconsistent  
  • Identification of spare parts is complex and laborious  
  • Extensive effort is required to identify and use the right information  
  • Realizing optimized spare parts logistics is very difficult 
Why do plant and machinery manufacturers opt for a digital spare parts catalog?

Why do plant and machinery manufacturers opt for a digital spare parts catalog?

A digital spare parts catalog offers a number of advantages to plant and machinery manufacturers, such as: 

  • Offering customers an optimal service 
  • Increasing aftersales revenue 
  • Improving productivity in the aftersales team  
  • Reducing the number of incorrect orders 
  • Increasing customer satisfaction 

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Digital Spare Parts Catalogs Put to the Ultimate Test: How Do they Address Current Challenges? 

Key functions for use by plant and machinery manufacturers 

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What advantages does a digital spare parts catalog offer to catalog users?

What advantages does a digital spare parts catalog offer to catalog users?

Everyone who uses a spare parts catalog in any way benefits from an intelligent, digital platform. This is because every user works with digital spare parts information more efficiently and can further benefit depending on the challenge:  

  • Your customers can use your platform to independently identify and order spare parts with ease, without taking up the time of costly resources. That reduces downtimes for your customers and enhances customer satisfaction.  
  • Service technicians/maintenance staff save lots of time searching for spare parts information during maintenance and servicing. They have access to an efficient service solution, which they can use to give your customers the best possible support.  
  • Support staff have a lighter workload: on average, fewer incoming calls reduce their workload by 30%, while still being able to provide the best possible assistance to every customer who does still need to call.    
How does a digital spare parts catalog help in aftersales & service?

How does a digital spare parts catalog help in aftersales & service?

For manufacturers of machines, plants, appliances, vehicles, and components, spare parts have become one of the biggest sales drivers in the service segment. An intuitively usable and interactive spare parts catalog is the most important basis for being able to provide the best possible support to customers. 

As a manufacturer of machines, plant, vehicles, and appliances, you can benefit from using a digital spare parts catalog system in many ways: 

  • Offer your customers and employees a 360° service perspective of your machines and systems.  
  • Enhance customer satisfaction by simplifying processes
  • Increase the efficiency of processing service transactions and spare parts orders
  • Boost sales in the spare parts and service segments
  • Reduce the work involved in creating, updating, and publishing spare parts catalogs
  • Offer your customers access to the relevant spare parts information for self-service transactions, and in doing so reduce your workload
  • Open a 24/7 sales channel for selling spare parts to your customers. 
  • Support your global sales channels, customers, and service staff by providing identical information in several different languages


► Further information for manufacturers of machines, plant, vehicles, and appliances

How does a digital spare parts catalog help in service and maintenance?

How does a digital spare parts catalog help in service and maintenance?

For operators of machines, plant, and vehicle fleets, the primary goal is uninterrupted operation. Breakdowns and downtimes can be reduced to a minimum if spare parts can be successfully identified in a digital spare parts catalog without diversions. 

As an operator of machines, plant, appliances, and vehicles, you benefit from the digital spare parts catalog in many ways:  

  • Gain a 360° view of your machinery, plants, or vehicle fleet.  
  • Consolidate all essential information in a single system, and in doing so create a SINGLE source of information for all your maintenance needs
  • Plan and organize maintenance and servicing with the utmost efficiency.   
  • Reduce the work required to identify and order spare parts, and thereby realize three- to five-figure cost savings.  
  • Improve your team’s efficiency by making all information directly available to them in one location. 
  • Reduce downtime periods to a minimum, and in doing so increase your production capacity


► Further information for operators of machines, plant, appliances, and vehicles

What search options does a spare parts catalog offer for identifying spare parts?

What search options does a spare parts catalog offer for identifying spare parts?

One of the key functions of a digital spare parts catalog is the quick and intuitive search for the required spare part. A digital spare parts catalog offers visual, structural, and text-based search options for this purpose: 

Visual identification 

Visual representation of machines, assemblies, spare parts 

Navigation through 2D and 3D graphics, photos, illustrations 

Direct comparison with reality 

Reliable navigation 

All service information is present clearly and logically at a glance 

Find what you’re looking for without diversions – from machine to component to spare part 

Find what you’re looking for 

Full index search through the entire catalog content or within a specific section 

Search within documents and circuit diagrams 

How can you sell spare parts using a digital spare parts catalog?

How can you sell spare parts using a digital spare parts catalog?

By connecting to an ERP system or ERP software, or to an online shop, digital spare parts catalogs become modern self-service portals in the blink of an eye.  

The parts that are needed are placed directly in the shopping cart with a single click – without having to use other systems – and the orders are all processed digitally. This reduces the ordering and processing effort for both manufacturers and plant operators. Linking a spare parts catalog with enterprise resource planning ensures a positive user experience. It enables spare parts providers to offer individual prices to their customers as well as entire service packages including accessories and tools. 


► More info on selling spare parts

How can you reduce the number of incorrect orders with a spare parts catalog?

How can you reduce the number of incorrect orders with a spare parts catalog?

Visualization of spare parts in 2D or 3D format, QR codes on the machine, and a range of options for a text search support the search for the desired spare part in the digital spare parts catalog. Furthermore, only current parts that are installed on the chosen machine are displayed. The information is clear and unambiguous.  

With just one click, the required spare part is added to the integrated shopping cart. Errors when entering article numbers or when ordering over the telephone are therefore avoided.  

The result for our customers is 20% fewer incorrect orders through the use of a digital spare parts catalog. 

Is a digital spare parts catalog also available on mobile devices?

Is a digital spare parts catalog also available on mobile devices?

Service technicians are dependent on mobile access to spare parts data to be able to carry out their on-site service work efficiently. A digital spare parts catalog is therefore available on mobile devices.  

The big advantage: Instead of having to carry around heavy folders and manuals, technicians can view all relevant information on spare and wear parts on a laptop or mobile device. If this spare parts information is supplemented by circuit diagrams, documentation, or instructions, a comprehensive service information system is created that offers even more flexibility and time savings. 

Can digital spare parts catalogs also be used without an internet connection?

Can digital spare parts catalogs also be used without an internet connection?

Yes, digital spare parts catalogs can also be used without an internet connection. Offline catalogs satisfy stringent requirements with regard to confidentiality and security, and are therefore particularly advantageous in critical sectors such as the medical industry. Other applications include, for example, service work in areas without internet connection or with only poor internet connection. 

 

How do you create a digital spare parts catalog?

How do you create a digital spare parts catalog?

With the appropriate software, a digital spare parts catalog is created quickly and easily. The catalog is created in a manual, fully automated, or partially automated manner. The catalog editor supports the user during manual creation, and with partially automated creation, it only takes a few clicks to generate the catalog according to individual requirements. For fully automated creation, the basic settings and links only need to be configured once. 


► Learn more about creating spare parts catalogs  

Can machine-specific spare parts catalogs also be created?

Can machine-specific spare parts catalogs also be created?

Yes, with the appropriate spare parts catalog software, machine-specific catalogs can also be created. The major benefit of this is that the catalog only contains information about spare parts that are installed in the specific machine, making incorrect orders a thing of the past.

 

What is a 3D spare parts catalog?

What is a 3D spare parts catalog?

A 3D spare parts catalog is created through the integration of 3D visualizations of assemblies and components. 3D data is informative, interactive, and intuitive. A 3D spare parts catalog allows users to establish more quickly the shape and geometry of components or assemblies through interactions and identify more easily the spare part they need. 


► Find out all there is to know about 3D spare parts catalogs 

How do you publish a spare parts catalog across various media?

How do you publish a spare parts catalog across various media?

If all information for the spare parts catalog is merged into a single data pool, catalogs can be published across various media with the appropriate software fully automatically or at the touch of a button: You can therefore create catalogs for online, offline, print, or mobile devices. The information can be reused as often as necessary and published in a variety of ways. As a result, you can even create spare parts catalogs that are specific to the user, machine, language, or customer.  

The advantage: This not only saves you time on creating catalogs, but also improves your overall service quality.   


► Learn more about publishing spare parts catalogs 

Single-source publishing: What is this?

Single-source publishing: What is this?

In the context of spare parts catalogs, single-source publishing refers to the publication of spare parts catalogs for various media from just a single data pool.  

The advantage: The data can be reused as often as necessary, saving the catalog creator a lot of time and effort.  

 

How do spare parts catalog creators benefit from an intelligent spare parts catalog software?

How do spare parts catalog creators benefit from an intelligent spare parts catalog software?

An intelligent spare parts catalog software package makes day-to-day work easier for spare parts catalog creators:  

  • Create catalogs for print, USB stick, Internet, tablet, smartphone, Intranet, etc., from a single data pool. 
  • Customize content and layout. 
  • Changes to the configuration are visible immediately. 
  • No repeated processing of data necessary. 
  • Less effort required for maintenance, quality assurance, and translation.  
  • Produce less redundant, incorrect, or unnecessary information. 

 

►  Further information about spare parts catalog software

 

Download more info

Digital Spare Parts Catalog: Why Service Professionals Need It  

Advantages and Functions of the Spare Parts Catalog 

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What automation options are there?

What automation options are there?

To avoid manual work when creating or publishing a spare parts catalog, spare parts catalog software solutions offer a range of tools which fully automate the entire creation and publication process. They serve as leverage to increase efficiency and optimize processes. An automated process allows you to focus on other tasks and gives you more time for what’s really important. 


►  Find more information on automation tools from Quanos SIS.one in our “Optimizing processes through automation” fact sheet