Glendale firm’s Identa-Pak taking parts catalogues to a new level
In the pre-Identa-Pak days at Stoelting, Inc., in Kiel, parts replacement, ordering and repair required the use of numerous manuals and the expertise of veteran technicians. But with Identa-Pak software, which the company began using in March 2001, equipment and parts are pictured on a computer screen, and transactions such as ordering and faxing orders can be completed via computer.
Basically, Identa-Pak software is helping Stoelting, a manufacturer of industrial washers and food processing equipment including cheese-processing machines, ice cream machines, soft-serve freezers, snow-cone machines and cocktail freezers, run more efficiently, says president Marvin Kandler.
Identa-Pak software is tailored to each individual customer’s needs, says Richard Wiese, owner of Glendale-based Integrated Solutions Group, which developed Identa-Pak. The version used at Stoelting is called Stoelting Service Parts Identification Network, or SSPIN.
By using SSPIN, in-house technicians, parts personnel and equipment distributors can access photographs of Stoelting equipment, locate parts that need to be ordered or replaced and determine where parts go, Kandler said. If an in-house technician is conferring with someone in a different location, both can view the same photographs and diagrams to help determine what is needed. Identa-Pak provides what Wiese calls a "visual walkaround" of a product.
"The parts man can identify the part that needs to be fixed and can be sure he gets the correct part because the part numbers are shown right on the screen," Kandler said. "Then he can fill out an order form and fax it from the computer."
The system enables the order form to be generated without the user having to enter any information, other than the shipping or billing address. All of the technical information for the parts selected earlier in the program comes directly from the engineering data, virtually eliminating the potential for error in data entry caused by poor hand writing or incorrect information recorded on a hand written form, Wiese said.
"Without the help of SSPIN, you’d have to go through many different manuals to find out what is needed," Kandler added. "Also, in manuals you only get drawings, not pictures of the actual machine. Often it’s important to see the machine in order to determine what is needed."
Therefore, Stoelting can hire parts personnel who have less experience with the various machines. SSPIN provides comprehensive information, photos and diagrams of the machines.
"A new person coming in can figure out the machine even if the person doesn’t have a lot of experience with that type of machine," Kandler said.
Although other software products charge subscription fees for custom-made programs, Identa-Pak is customized at no additional cost, Wiese said. Identa-Pak packages also can include various training programs for maintenance, customer service and support staff training.
"It can be used by almost any industrial-related company with a need for parts-replacement or training," Wiese said. "The program is very flexible and can be tailored to meet each individual customer’s needs."
The system can include audio and visual elements as well as static images. For example, the system could show the view of an airline cockpit panel with various buttons or sections activated. Clicking on a section of the control panel would activate a short video segment that would present information pertinent to that portion of the safety control system.
May 24, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
