Frequently asked Questions
Do you have any questions? Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our company, our services, and SpareParts365. We have compiled the most important information for you so that you can quickly and easily find the answers you are looking for. If your question is not listed, please do not hesitate to contact us directly!
General questions
Which industries is SpareParts365 suitable for?
SpareParts365 is suitable for manufacturers of high-quality and durable industrial products, in principle from all industries. Industries for which our solution is particularly relevant include mechanical engineering, vehicle manufacturing, agricultural technology, medical technology, and plant engineering.
What is the minimum subscription period?
The minimum rental period is one month, and the subscription can be canceled on a monthly basis.
Do I absolutely need the services of SpareParts365 GmbH?
No, you can familiarize yourself with SpareParts365 and use all of its features independently using the product documentation and sample files. However, we recommend that you take advantage of at least a brief introductory support session with us in order to get a solution up and running as quickly as possible.
What does “project” mean?
A catalog project is a self-contained data environment with its own access, user management, and configuration.
What additional costs are incurred with the cloud version (SaaS)?
You decide which support services you need from us (see the “Services” page) and to what extent. We charge for these services on a time and material basis and against proof of performance.
Questions about features
Why was the OCRHotspot application not integrated?
OCRHotspot is a standalone solution that can also be used for applications outside of SpareParts365.
Can the portal be customized to my needs?
In addition to the existing configuration options, SpareParts365 can be customized to suit your needs, e.g., through integration or connection to existing applications or the extension of specific functionalities.
Is SpareParts365 suitable for sales organizations?
Sales and dealer organizations also benefit from SpareParts365, as it gives them round-the-clock, worldwide access to the latest information from manufacturers.
How is my CAD data protected?
When displaying 3D data directly in the browser, it is technically impossible to prevent this data from being accessed. However, the expertise and effort required to do so are very high and certainly represent a major hurdle.
With the help of FinalMesh, a tool used for 3D integrations, additional distortions of the geometry can be incorporated, or particularly “critical” elements can be removed or replaced from the model.
What is a preprocessor or data converter?
A pre-processor or data converter enables the use of existing data from upstream systems without having to adapt it to the import formats of SpareParts365. It reads the existing data and transforms it into SpareParts365 import formats without any effort on the part of your company.
Why is 3D integration not standard?
3D integration is part of the standard functionality and can also be added as a separate license option to the “Pro Subscription” license variant.
Questions about integration
Can I switch from subscription to on-premise?
Yes, switching between the cloud and on-premise versions is possible without any problems. All existing data and the complete configuration can be transferred and reused.
Which departments are usually involved in the introduction of a spare parts catalog system?
The introduction of a spare parts catalog system is often a multifunctional project. Various departments within your company may be affected, e.g.:
- IT: Review of the security concept for cloud operations or responsibility for operations in the on-premise variant; provision of data from PLM / PDM / ERP / CRM; provision of interfaces for integrations, if necessary
- Design: Provision of model data
- Technical editing: Provision of descriptive documentation
- Spare parts distribution: Defining requirements for shop functionality
- Spare parts service: Determining the data required in the catalog
Project management: Coordination of all areas
Why does SpareParts365 not include advanced evaluation functions?
Depending on the respective license variant, the available evaluation functions already enable the provision of comprehensive information about your customers’ use of the portal, catalogs, search functions, and shop functions. However, in order to comply with the requirements of the GDPR, this data can only be collected in anonymized form.
Can the catalog data be exported?
You can export the catalog data, e.g., to perform a local data backup or when switching between cloud and on-premise versions. Exporting in a neutral data format is also possible to enable the data to be transferred to an alternative solution.
Questions about catalog creation
Where does the data for my catalog come from?
As a rule, the data for spare parts catalogs comes from various sources, e.g.:
- Bill of materials: mostly ERP, partly from PLM/PDM/CAD systems
- Graphical representation: directly from the design as an export of the models in STEP or JT, or from the technical editorial department in the form of exploded views
- Price lists: ERP / CRM
- Descriptive documentation: Classically created PDF documents or information generated via CMS systems
What information do I need to provide for the free sample catalog?
To create a free sample catalog, we need the following information:
- Parts lists: Excel or CSV
- 2D representations: PNG, TIFF, SVG, or JPEG
- 3D representations: STEP or JT, either as individual files per assembly or for a complete machine
- Optional additional documents, e.g., as PDF files
Can I create interactive catalogs in SpareParts365?
- The goal should be to use existing data from upstream systems (ERP, CAD, etc.) for catalog creation with as few changes as possible. Interactive editing of this data can easily lead to inconsistencies and errors when updating catalogs.
- For this reason, we have not included an interactive editing function in SpareParts365.
- If you do not have any usable data available from previous systems, you can of course create it yourself, e.g. using Excel, and then import it into SpareParts365.
