CASE STUDY

Viessmann Spare Parts Catalog on CD-ROM guarantees best maintenance and service

The Viessmann Group is a leading international producer of high-quality, advanced-technology heating products such as wall-mounted heating appli- ances, oil and gas central heating boilers, thermal storage heaters, and solar heating systems.

Product sales, consulting, installation, and customer service are carried out by specialized retailers. Viessmann sends approximately 18,000 CD-ROMs per year to retailers, with detailed information on spare parts. Viessmann decided to put its spare parts catalog on CD-ROM because this medium has multiple advantages over traditional paper catalogs. For example, it meets the requi- rements for multiple languages, variances, and data that have resulted from internationalization and shorter product cycles.

Overview Viessmann chose Attensity Europe GmbH and its partner, Munich-based Transaction Software GmbH, a technology leader in retrieval Industry: systems, to design, develop, and publish the CD. Heating

Application: Viessmann EPC-Application Viessmann EPC The CD catalog features a user-friendly user interface, and Product: contains a ® database developed by Transaction Software. Attensity Transbase® CD Europe GmbH developed the user interface and ensured user-friendly access to the information. Partner: Attensity Europe GmbH More than 59,000 items, including complete descriptive data and images, are stored on CD and are linked to approximately two million listed entries. Users Benefits: can browse through the complete product portfolio, identify spare parts using Fast access exploded views, and then order the needed spare parts. Fast and easy search capability To find just the right component, users can select a specific part, a part use, or Safe and flawless order a price list, which then allows them to search for other components and pur- process chase order numbers. A full text search is also possible within the part or pro- Short repair times duct description. Hits are displayed as a detailed component list or as an

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exploded view containing item numbers linked to the component list as hot- links. The highlighted components can be transferred by mouse click into an order form that can be printed and sent by fax. Finding and ordering a spare part now takes just a few seconds.

The CD catalog application provides country-specific pricing information. This is vital for Viessmann, a global company with offices in Germany and 33 other countries. The database is updated between CD-ROM publication dates to ensure that the information is always up to date.

Attensity Europe GmbH prepares the data for the electronic spare parts cata- log (ETK), updating and coordinating the spare parts data and associated image files. The data provided by Viessmann is prepared, checked, and loaded into the database in a multi-step process. New image files are converted and item numbers are included in the images.

The data for the Transbase® database are also used to update the spare parts catalog on the web (iETK). This web application is identical to the CD catalog application, and enables a user, e.g. a specialized heating equipment retailer, to search for and order spare parts directly on the internet.

Transbase® CD - the Database System for CD/DVD

Transbase® CD is a fully functional CD-ROM database system with unrestricted SQL. The CD-ROM data does not need to be copied to the hard drive rather it can be updated with full SQL power in the retrieval system if necessary. Transbase® CD offers easier and more manageable programming while provi- Solution Partner: ding all the convenience of an SQL database:

This project was carried automatic network compatibility out in collaboration with multi-user support Attensity Europe GmbH. system-monitored data security powerful, descriptive SQL query language

Although data is stored on CD/DVD, sophisticated cache mechanisms let users enjoy the same speed as with data stored on the hard drive. Transbase® CD facilitates the distribution of database contents on CD/DVD ROM and subse- quent updates over the internet. Fast and easy location of spare parts, secure and accurate order processing, and thus shorter repair times - all prove to be immediate benefits for Viessmann and its retailers.

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About Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co. KG

The Viessmann company is a leading producer of heating products. Founded in 1917, the company is now led by Dr. Martin Viessmann, a third-generation descendent of the original owner. The company had sales of 1.06 billion euros in 2003. Viessmann has 6,800 employees, and manufactures heating products at 10 locations in Germany, France, Canada, Poland, and China. Viessmann is represented by sales subsidiaries in 33 countries outside Germany and total exports account for 43 percent of the company's sales.

Contact

Transaction Software GmbH Willy-Brandt-Allee 2 81829 München, Germany

Tel.: +49 89 / 627 09 - 0 Fax: +49 89 / 627 09 - 11 [email protected] www.transaction.de www.transbase.de

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