Catalogues In A Click

MEI cut spare parts catalogue production down from 3 months to less than a day - thanks to an innovative new database installed by Plain Words.

Plain Words Case Study

"There must be a way to speed this up," thought Louis Leonida of Mars Electronics International (MEI). "Computers have mapped the human genome and landed probes on Mars; yet we are manually compiling our spare parts catalogue."

MEI is one of the largest manufacturers of electronic coin changers and bill acceptors, which are used in soft drink vending, gaming, parking, transportation and telecommunications. Up until a year ago, catalogues were produced manually. Leonida and the team at MEI would type every part number, description, pack size and price - as well as importing the accompanying pictures.

"It was time consuming to produce one English catalogue," he recalls. "It would go through the revision process and we'd have to keep changing part numbers and descriptions - basically manhandling a raw document in MS Word."

Format Issues

Once the English catalogue had been produced it was sent for translation into several other languages.

The translators took the layout and did their best to keep the same DTP format. It wasn't an easy task and they found it difficult to keep a document standard right across the whole of Europe.

Putting together MEI's spare parts catalogue was a highly complicated and lengthy task. So to try to improve matters MEI contacted documentation specialists Plain Words for advice. They had already worked on technical documents and manuals for MEI. Maybe they could help?

MEI explained the situation to Peter Meherne, co-director of Plain Words. He immediately rose to the challenge and set about creating an MS Access database that would put MEI's catalogue production on autopilot.

Real Solution

This has made a massive difference. MEI's spares catalogue can now be produced and distributed in less than a day - instead of months.

"Peter Meherne is a whizzkid and a lifesaver," says Leonida. "What he and Plain Words did for us was a breakthrough - a real solution that saved us time and money."

Not only can the MEI catalogue be kept up-to-date, but standardisation can be retained throughout. It makes no difference where a client is globally; they get a document that is always recognisable - a crucial factor when it comes to branding.

On top of this, the catalogue can now be easily customised.

The new system allows MEI to provide a standardised look and feel that is geared to individual customers' needs and is specific to the country they are based in.

Translation is far easier too. It's done in an Excel spreadsheet, with English in one column, French and German in another, and so on. This means internal translators and technical sales managers can cover the whole translation process.

Mass Production

Since Plain Words installed the new database, MEI has been able to publish six varieties of catalogue in six different languages.

With so much time saved, will Leonida and his team be able to put their feet up?

"I wish!" he laughs. "But there's always work for idle hands to do, what with documentation and training manuals for new products."

January 2004
Plain Words editorial