Manufacturing is complex and keeping an aftermarket parts catalog current is just as demanding. The client relied on an aging on-premise client server system that had become obsolete.

That created day to day friction across the business:

• Parts were difficult to search so users struggled to find exactly what they needed
• Manuals had to be shipped physically which slowed access to updates
• Limited flexibility and scalability constrained growth
• Order revisions were tedious and manual which increased delays
• No live user data was available to guide improvements
• Output was error prone and the user experience felt clunky

As the parts universe expanded over decades the risk of inaccuracies rose and so did the effort required to keep drawings and catalog data in sync.

Create a modern digital catalog that:

• Makes parts easy to find and validate at scale
• Preserves decades of legacy parts data while improving accuracy
• Supports order specific and chassis specific structuring with drawing association
• Enables a smooth transition so existing users can adopt it without disruption

We helped the client move from a legacy catalog approach to a cloud based digital catalog with a simple lookup experience for users and a dedicated authoring capability for content owners.

Key elements included:

• Digitizing and structuring more than 40 years of legacy data so it could be searched and maintained efficiently
• Designing the experience so users of the old system could transition seamlessly
• Delivering two clear modules to match real user needs:
  • Authoring module: Lets catalogue creators configure and manage content based on business needs
  • Viewing module: Supports catalogue users such as buyers, transit authorities, workshop teams, purchase teams, order desk teams and aftermarket leaders

The new catalog also improved the order revision upload process so updated data became available for customer access right away.

In 14 months including data migration the client had a robust solution that linked service information with the parts catalog and supported multiple enquiry types including model based, serial number based and order based.

Measured outcomes included:

• 3,269,857 parts validated with inaccuracies captured and fixed
• 30,000 total users with 3,000–4,000 concurrent active users on a business day
• 53,000+ drawings digitized to reduce parts identification time
• 8,700+ drawings corrected to strengthen data integrity
• 1,400+ catalogues created through the authoring module which reduced publishing time
• 91,000+ parts data digitized to reduce parts identification time
• 99% uptime reported after the change
• $2,000–$3,000 saved per order as online catalogs replaced printed versions

Overall the digital catalog reduced manual touchpoints, lowered ordering errors and improved the user experience so teams could place correct orders in minutes rather than struggling through outdated workflows.

In manufacturing, aftermarket performance is a direct lever for customer satisfaction and profitability. When parts data is accurate and easy to access service teams move faster, planning improves and the business can scale without adding friction.

By modernizing the catalog experience, the client strengthened after sales operations with reliable data governance and an experience that users could adopt quickly.