Parts distributor · Instant parts searchThe problem
This distributor sells spare parts for commercial catering equipment. The sales desk receives thousands of quote requests a month. Its target is a reply within 3 to 6 hours. Its main competitor replies significantly faster.
The delay came from finding the part. Over 200k pages of technical drawings and part lists sat on an old shared drive with no search, so salespeople kept their own copies or asked a supplier. Half of all quotes needed an email to a supplier or manufacturer. Each wait was a quote the customer could place elsewhere.
How it works
One searchable library holds the company’s parts books and drawings. The system indexes every drawing and labels it automatically. A salesperson types a description or a part number and sees the likely matches with the original drawing beside each one, so they can check the part before quoting.
- Every parts book and drawing indexed and searchable from one screen
- Each result opens the original drawing page for checking
- New drawings are uploaded once and searchable by the whole team
- Runs alongside the ERP, so orders are keyed as before
The results
- A salesperson finds the part and opens its drawing without leaving the search screen.
- Fewer quotes wait on a supplier reply, so more are answered inside the 3 to 6 hour target.
- The company holds its own parts knowledge instead of relying on a competitor’s catalogue.
- Every drawing a salesperson adds is searchable by the whole team.
