January 31, 2005
Germany’s Trade Association for Metal Products and Related Industries (Fachverband Metallwaren- und verwandte Industrien e.V., FMI) recommends the use of the SupplyOn document management system in the automobile industry. After careful testing, the association has come to the conclusion that the SupplyOn Document Manager meets all of the functional requirements in this sector. This solution is capable of significantly enhancing the management and distribution of documents on an inter-company basis.
Standard solution required for the exchange of documents
Parts and components suppliers are currently coping with a range of different document management solutions employed by their customers. In view of this situation, the demands for a standard solution for the exchange of documents are being increasingly expressed. Given the established cooperation between SupplyOn and the ArGeZ (the working party representing the suppliers), the FMI decided to test the SupplyOn Document Manager. The trials were conducted jointly with users at the ZF Friedrichshafen AG and members of the German Turned Parts Industry Association (Verband der deutschen Drehteile-Industrie), a division of the FMI. The results showed that both customers and suppliers benefit substantially from this document management system.
SupplyOn Document Manager is user-friendly
Purchasing companies providing their suppliers with standards and drawings are no longer compelled to squander time copying and dispatching documents in paper form. Suppliers benefit especially from the permanent access to the latest documents via the Internet platform SupplyOn which they can download for internal use. The support for change processes when documents are updated is another advantage for both sides: If changes are made to a drawing, for example, the supplier is automatically notified by e-mail. In addition, the system also provides a detailed overview of change histories. For Werner Liebmann, General Manager of the FMI, in view of the many benefits for both sides, the answer is clear: “The SupplyOn Document Manager should become the standard solution for the exchange of documents in the automobile industry.“
Companies recognize the benefits
TThere are currently more than 1,400 suppliers using the SupplyOn Document Manager around 3,500 times each month to call up company standards, design drawings, parts lists, specifications and similar documents provided by their customers – among them Bosch, Continental, Siemens VDO Automotive and ZF. The solution is available in German, English, Spanish, French and Italian language versions to meet the requirements of companies who do business on a global scale. The Document Manager integrates with the SupplyOn sourcing solution and therefore is also put to use at the request for quotation phase via SupplyOn.
