TecDoc The unique spare parts database

EnglishTHE RIGHT PART FOR YOUR BUSINESSTecDocThe uniquespare parts database

TecDoc – the unique spare parts databaseThe main principle of TecDoc is to support industry, trade and workshops to ensure the abilityto compete in the independent aftermarket.For the past 18 years, TecDoc has been offering anelectronic information system for parts identificationfor passenger cars and commercial vehicles to thesales representatives of the independent market.From the standardisation to the efficiency increaseOn 20th January 1994, TecDoc was founded by agroup of influential suppliers in close cooperation withthe parts trade, represented by the Association forSpare Parts (GVA). Based in Cologne, TecDoc currentlyhas 31 shareholders.In the beginning, the company dealt with the standardisationof vehicle and article data of the independentaftermarket. Laborious data gathering anddata distribution processes from industry via trade toworkshops could thus be optimised as the identifi cationof spare parts is a central task for all market participants.The standardising approach from TecDoc and thecorresponding data formats to describe and to exchangevehicle and article data lead verifiably to anincrease in efficiency in all process chains. Throughthis, TecDoc advanced to the standard in Europe andother parts of the world.The worldwide unique TecDoc spare parts databasecontains currently over 49 000 vehicles, 3.4 m articleinformation linked to them and 2 m images fromover 440 brands. All information is available in 28languages (Bulgarian, Danish, German, English,Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian,Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Swedish,Serbian, Spanish, Czech, Turkish, Hungarian,Chinese, Latvian, Slovenian, Slovakian, Estonian,American English, Australian English, Lithuanian).From this data repository, the meanwhile leading electronicTecDoc spare parts catalogue is made, whichis sold in no less than 124 countries. Furthermore,TecDoc supplies nearly all leading and individual tradecatalogues in Europe each quarter with spare partscatalogue data from the data repository.TecDoc offers national and international data usersthe access to this database to develop and publishcomplex and individual parts identification solutions.With this, TecDoc contributes significantly to thedistribution of the high quality data as intended by itsshareholders.

For the professional and commercial distribution ofthe spares data, TecDoc agrees on an internationaldata usage contract with the user in consideration ofall licensing, copyright and liability aspects. The partsdata is made available online in the TecDoc WEBSERVICE or offline in the so-called TecDoc EXPORTFORMAT.■ Online TecDoc WEB SERVICEThe TecDoc WEB SERVICE was developed especiallyfor parts traders or system houses, who wouldlike an own catalogue or shop solution. The datausage via the TecDoc WEB SERVICE is currently byfar the preferred form of receiving data. The datausers can develop their application highly flexiblyand highly individually based on the TecDoc WEBSERVICE. Timesaving, standardised, without timeconsumingloading processes of own databases andindependent of existing data formats. The TecDocWEB SERVICE data is highly current. The hosting, i.e.the storing of the data, is done by TecDoc for itscustomers. The system is very powerful and thussupplies high quality data at a high speed. Someinterface and format descriptions as well as sampledata can be supplied to customers on request viasales@tecdoc.net.■ Offline TecDoc EXPORT FORMATTecDoc supplies all reference data and product descriptionsin a standardised data format. The supply ofthe data takes place four times per year on DVD. Thecontinuous support is managed with a support contract.An interface and format description as well assample data can be supplied to customers on requestvia sales@tecdoc.net.The TecDoc reference data is available online as wellas offline in 28 languages.Local service and supportApart from the distribution, TecDoc guarantees alsothe appropriate local service and support of the complexcatalogue data and catalogue products. From 8to 17 hrs CET, TecDoc customers receive 1st and 2ndlevel support from Customer Service at the company’shead office in Cologne. The customer service teamsupports the customers in 6 languages and alsooffers individual trainings and instruction courses.TecDoc is already present in 16 countries with its ownemployees or trade partners. Apart from Germany,Austria and Switzerland, TecDoc is also present inAustralia, the Baltic States, Benelux, China, CzechRepublic, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal,Russia, Spain, Turkey, UK and the USA.On the US-American aftermarket, the businessmodel TecDoc is represented with the joint ventureOptiCat. In order to offer an industry solution basedon the example of TecDoc Europe for spare partsdata maintenance and distribution, TecDoc, the technologyspecialist MindQuest and the industry associationMEMA (Motor & Equipment ManufacturersAssociation) founded the company OptiCat LLC.The joint venture pursues a “do-it-once” strategy, i.e.the data suppliers have spare parts data at theirdisposal and deliver them to the central “OptiCat datarepository” a central data storage.■ TecDoc reference dataSince founding the company, the TecDoc referencedata have played a key-role for the independentaftermarket, as the standardisation approach fromTecDoc comes from them. The TecDoc reference datacan be split into two areas. The vehicle standardisationcontains the areas PC, CV, engines etc. The productstandardisation contains generic articles, criteria,key tables and the search tree. The TecDoc referencedata serves as the basis to link variable data.

TecDoc Informations System GmbHArnikaweg 351109 CologneGermany✆ +49 (0)2 21-66 00-0fax +49 (0)2 21-66 00-100tecdoc@tecdoc.netsales@tecdoc.netwww.tecdoc.net08 2012 |