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Time
is money
One important target group for MISUMI is the
custom engineering sector, an area where time is a particular
driving force. It often happens that the time from the
initial inquiry right up to the finished product is
just eight to twelve weeks. In order to make it easier
to keep to these short response times for its customers,
MISUMI decided in 2004 to offer its design engineers
a special service.
Not only were they going to be able to quickly order
their components, but they would receive the relevant
CAD data for their designs too. With this aim in mind,
the company’s entire catalog containing over 2,000
pages had to be put online.
“As creating CAD data is not part of our core
skills, we decided to get in an external service provider,”
recounts Stefan Pulver, Sales & Marketing Manager.
“Then add to this that we needed to provide
an extensive presentation of our products, as they can
be configured in 0.01 mm steps. And of course, the designer
must be able to clearly recognize the shape and size
of the desired components.”
After going through a thorough selection process, MISUMI
opted in the end for TraceParts, a consulting-oriented
software developer, headquartered in Amberg, in south-east
Germany. This company is part of the French Trace Software
Group founded in 1989 and has a high level of expertise
along with many years of experience in the CAD sector
and in dealing with engineering parts catalogs.
“The deciding
factor for us, ultimately, was that TraceParts could
guarantee us very rapid response times for creating
CAD models; after all, we add around 1200 new components
to our portfolio every year. The other factor was that
the company enjoys a high level of acceptance on the
market. Given that we are still relatively unknown in
Germany, the high level of awareness that TraceParts
enjoys has made our entry into the market significantly
easier.”
Stefan Pulver
Manager Sales & Marketing
„My TraceParts“:
Flexibility is the clincher
“The particular challenge involved in putting
MISUMI’s catalog online was about how to logically
integrate the presentation of the products with the
ordering process and how to design the site in a very
clear and user-friendly way,” recalls Christian
Baumgärtner, TraceParts manager.
As there were up to a million different combinations
available because of the numerous configuration options
MISUMI products have, the company and TraceParts chose
a three-part view option for each component: as a 2D
or 3D picture, as a CAD model and as a PDF in the printed
catalog.
This also means that customers are free to choose the
option that suits them when ordering. For example, if
customers know the article type of the product they
want they can enter this in their search, then download
the CAD data immediately, and order the component.
However, given that many designers do not know the article
types, they can also use the CAD model as a starting
point. After they have configured the CAD model for
the product they want, they are automatically given
the relevant article number for the order. The order
process itself offers the same flexibility too.
Customers can decide whether they want to order directly
from the online catalog, or whether, after they have
made their selection, they want to export their shopping
basket and insert it as a text document in their company’s
ERP system.
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“Apart
from the variety of views and order options offered, MISUMI
also attached great importance to having the interface
with its own corporate design and registering its users
if they order articles,” continues Christian
Baumgärtner.
This means that the database behind the website can also
be maintained by MISUMI itself. For instance, it can compile
statistics independently about the popularity of its articles,
and also administer the website by inputting any company
news in the News section.
“Our cooperation with TraceParts is really excellent,”
confirms also Manuel Schneider, MISUMI’s Area
Sales Manager, with great satisfaction. “All
our special requirements have been very quickly and accurately
met.”
And further features are to be added to the online
catalog in the future. For example, Stefan Pulver is already
planning, in addition to constantly updating the new product
data, to offer project management options, such as saving
parts lists.
About MISUMI:
Success with individual solutions
MISUMI Europa GmbH was set up in Germany in 2003 as an
office for the Japanese MISUMI Group Inc., founded back
in 1963. This company delivers globally to over 100,000
customers around 600,000 mechanical components for the
automation technology, machinery, press die and injection
mold sectors. With the aim of providing the best possible
service to its customers in Europe, MISUMI has set up
its site in Germany, along with its large central warehouse,
close to Frankfurt am Main airport. At the moment, there
are around 30 staff working at this site, who can offer
high quality products at low prices and with short delivery
times. The company will expand further in Europe in the
future. For instance, from summer 2007 MISUMI will be
represented by its sister company Suruga Seiki, with a
separate production site in Gdansk, Poland. There is also
a European supplier network currently being built.
One of the basic secrets to the company’s success
is that all its products have been customized, and have
been delivered directly to its customers right from the
first item. MISUMI not only has its own production facilities
in six different countries, it also has over 400 partners
worldwide, which are each responsible for a product line
as its supplier. Thanks to this customer-oriented concept,
MISUMI has grown over the last financial year to reach
a turnover in excess of EUR 730 million.
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