It would hardly cross the mind of anyone driving a car
how dangerous it would be if they suddenly weren't able
to control their vehicle any more using the steering wheel.
The steering system is one component in an automobile
that must operate safely and reliably. A steering system's
safety is mainly determined by the bearings it contains.
One leading manufacturer of these bearings is INA-Schaeffler
KG, headquartered at Herzogenaurach, in the Central Franconia
region of southern Germany. This conglomerate develops,
manufactures and sells at around 40 sites across all the
world's main industrial countries rolling and plain bearings,
linear guidance systems and components for motor, transmission
and chassis applications.
"We weren't just going to rely on potential customers stumbling across INA by chance on the Internet. But the chances are good of someone accessing INA's website via the powerPARTS portal; so, we've found the ideal distributor in TraceParts."
Horst Dietmar Köhler,
Manager of the technical department in
the Sales, Industry and Commerce unit at INA-Schaeffler
Time-consuming in-house data maintenance and 3D model programming
To be able to offer customers this service, INA already converted its 2D component drawings to electronic format a few years ago, and made them available on the Internet. Going via the product selection and information system known as medias, customers were able to select the components they needed, produce calculations for their product and download the relevant drawing. But over time, there were increasingly more frequent demands for 3D CAD data, which led to INA programming 3D models too and supplying them for download on its website. There was a huge response to this, with between 6,000 and 7,000 requests every day.
"But the process of maintaining and converting data was very time-consuming, so we decided to outsource this task to a specialist," explains Horst Dietmar Köhler. "The idea was to supply all design-relevant information on a portal where several manufacturers were represented. This type of portal then allows customers to find the data they want easily, without any problem, without them having to go through countless CDs containing electronic product catalogs from the individual manufacturers."
As part of an extensive evaluation process, INA analyzed various offerings and carried out several benchmark tests. The solution from the supplier they initially decided on was not however very convincing in practice. "There were significant errors in some areas, not to mention the service not being satisfactory," recalls Köhler. In their quest for a competent new partner, INA then came across TraceParts, based in Amberg, German, offering with its powerPARTS on Web web-hosting service an easy-to-use solution for creating and publishing CAD data.
"Thanks to PowerParts, we were able to achieve our aim of offering a global service for our products. We weren't just going to rely on potential customers stumbling across INA by chance on the Internet. But the chances are good of someone accessing INA's website via the powerPARTS portal; so, we've found the ideal distributor in TraceParts."
Horst Dietmar Köhler,
Manager of the technical department in
the Sales, Industry and Commerce unit at INA-Schaeffler
But the main focus at INA is not just on product sales.
Customer service is also very important to the company
as its components require a high degree of support in
terms of information. "We want to be able to offer
our customers every conceivable service for our components,
allowing them to use them quickly and efficiently,"
explains Horst Dietmar Köhler, manager of the technical
department in INA-Schaeffler's unit for sales, industry
and commerce. "Designers nowadays basically produce
their designs in electronic format. This means that the
manufacturer of the machine components should provide
the drawings so that the designer can import them directly
into his CAD system, making it easy for him to process
them further." |
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Global marketing and direct insert function - key decision criteria
INA had quite specific requirements of its new provider.
As a globally operating company, global marketing had
an especially important role. The powerPARTS portal is
available in a total of 4 languages so that INA can market
its catalogs in important markets like Japan, China and
the US as well. Another crucial factor in the decision
was the direct2CAD direct insert function. This can be
used to import component drawings directly into market-leading
CAD systems such as Pro/ENGINEER, CATIA V5, SolidWorks
and AutoCAD, even without downloading them and storing
them temporarily on hard disk. Horst Dietmar Köhler continues:
"With a lot of manufacturers, customers have to request
drawings by e-mail, which, of course, takes considerable
time."
 
The fact that TraceParts also provides its powerPARTS catalogs on CD is also a major benefit in Köhler's view, as INA does not market any CDs of its own. "We exactly wanted a partner that was not only quick and flexible, but offered additional services too, like a regularly updated CD. Another example of the great service provided is the integration of our lubricant database in powerPARTS, which went smoothly thanks to TraceParts, Other crucial factors included not least powerPARTS on Web's quick and easy use, its high level of reliability and global availability 24/7."
Another noteworthy feature of TraceParts is the integration of a module allowing customers to perform important calculations before placing an order. If a designer visits the INA website via the powerPARTS portal he can automatically access a bearing calculation application, create a direct link with the selected component and then evaluate different bearing solutions in a quick, uncomplicated manner.
 "We wanted to work with a provider that is represented globally and has an international cooperation partner. Global recognition of the powerPARTS portal was a major factor in our decision to opt for TraceParts."
Manager of the technical department in
the Sales, Industry and Commerce unit at INA-Schaeffler
About INA:
As a globally operating company, the global marketing
of its rolling and plain bearings, linear guidance systems
and motor components is of fundamental importance to INA-Schaeffler
KG. By integrating its 3D CAD data into TraceParts's powerPARTS
portal, these data are now available worldwide.
One particular service that the company can offer its
customers is to allow them to import data directly into
their own CAD system, making it easier for them to process
these data further.
The INA Group has around 28,000 employees, with about
7,000 based at the company's headquarters in Herzogenaurach,
Germany. It has 40 production sites across all the main
industrial countries. Its customer base includes high-profile
companies from the automotive and supplier industries,
as well as from the mechanical and systems engineering
sectors. INA established an international reputation in
the early 1950s with the development of the cage-guided
needle roller bearing.
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