Client: JBT
Solution adopted: Spare Parts Catalog Builder (SPCB), Digital Advanced Visualization
John Bean Technologies Corporation (JBT) is a global leader in providing technology solutions to high-value segments of the food industry and air transportation.
From the first sprayer to the complex processing machines on the market today, JBT is committed to developing innovative solutions and improving existing technologies in every sector in which it competes, as well as its own internal structure.
The innovations introduced in the after-sales area have been supported by the partnership with Sygest, particularly with regard to the sale of spare parts.
The first solution implemented by JBT was Spare Parts Catalog Builder (SPCB), a solution developed by Sygest that makes it possible to automatically create interactive spare parts catalogs with the support of a customized connector. The connector is a program developed ad hoc by Sygest, tailored to each project, in order to retrieve its clients’ technical design information directly from CAD systems, with the possibility of further integration with PDM/ERP.
The natural output that Spare Parts Catalog Builder can generate is a 2D or 3D Stand Alone PDF, from which both JBT and its clients can dynamically select spare parts to generate a request for quotation to be printed or sent by email.
The email that is generated clearly shows a summary of the order and contains as an attachment an .xml file that can be imported directly into the management system.
In this way, JBT has managed to reduce the risk of errors thanks to an optimized flow of information, consequently increasing the efficiency of its customer service.
Given the complexity of the machines it designs, JBT later expanded its Sygest Suite by replacing the 3D Stand Alone PDF with Digital Advanced Visualization (DAV), a powerful desktop application on which to publish the catalogs generated with Spare Parts Catalog Builder.
The performance of Digital Advanced Visualization as a viewer makes it possible to handle JBT’s large 3D machines with better resolution and a growing level of automation: directly from the information in the CAD, JBT can generate catalogs with Spare Parts Catalog Builder and publish them on Digital Advanced Visualization without the need to produce 2D drawing layouts or make manual changes.
DAV allows the catalog to be navigated in two ways, from the viewer and from the bill of materials, with the added ability to manage attachments including, for example, operating manuals, videos, PDFs and procedures, i.e. interactive animations that guide the maintenance technician during the assembly or disassembly of a line. Being interactive, the procedures can be paused at any time to explore the details of the machine and add items to the cart.
DAV therefore provides support both for maintenance technicians/operators, who can consult the catalog and identify faulty components, and for clients, who can generate a request for quotation in various formats: .pdf, .xls, .xml.
Together, these solutions have enabled JBT to strengthen its after-sales department, reducing operating costs and improving efficiency.