Knowledge · Machine builders
Which digital spare parts catalog suits machine builders?
By Gerd Bart, Founder and Managing Director · Updated
The short answer
One that shows the right parts list for every machine you delivered and lets your customer order directly from you. With Transaction-Network every machine at your customer has its record with parts list, exploded view and 3D model. One click on the part shows number, stock and your price, and the order arrives with you.
Why one catalog per product line is not enough
A catalog as a PDF or in a web shop shows the product line, not the machine at your customer's site. Your customer then works out which part fits, calls, or orders wherever he happens to find it. Not always from you.
What a digital spare parts catalog has to do
Parts list per machine.
The part for exactly this serial number, with components and software version.
Exploded view and 3D.
Your customer sees which part he needs and where it sits.
Number, stock and price.
One click on the part shows what he needs to order.
Order from the manufacturer.
The order arrives with you, at your price.
Answers from your documents.
The Service Brain answers from manuals, catalogs and parts lists, names the source and suggests the matching part from your shop.
Where the structured spare parts data comes from
You upload your parts lists and spare parts catalogs per machine, step by step. How quickly your customer finds the right part depends on how complete and clean that data is. For most machine builders that is the real work, not the software.
The machine record follows the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) industry standard and, on request, goes into your customer's SAP via the SAP adapter.
What it brings you
More spare parts revenue.
Your customer orders the original part from you, directly from the machine record.
Your catalog is where your customer works.
In the account where he also manages machines from other manufacturers.
What you have stays.
Your ERP, your CRM, your FSM system and your own portal keep working.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a digital spare parts catalog?
Parts list, exploded view and part data per machine, from which your customer finds and orders the right part.
Where does the data come from?
From your parts lists and spare parts catalogs, which you upload once. When uploading you decide whether the Service Brain may use a document.
Who does my customer order from?
From you. The order arrives with you, at your price. Prices, customers and contracts stay with you.
Do I have to replace my web shop?
No. Your ERP, your CRM, your FSM system and your own portal keep working.
Read next
- Knowledge
After-sales software for machine builders: types and selection criteria
The selection: the types available, eight criteria for your evaluation and what to ask every vendor.
- Knowledge
What is the Asset Administration Shell (AAS), and what does it bring to service?
What the Asset Administration Shell is, who defines it and how the machine record uses it.
Demo
See your machines in one account.
In a demo we show you what your machine park looks like in one account: every manufacturer, every machine with its record, maintenance and the Service Brain.