DIGITALIZATION OF THE INDUSTRY - MOVING TO A DIGITAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Almir Jakupovic, Sales Director at norelem, highlights how the company is at the forefront of providing a streamlined, fully digital customer experience.
norelem.co.uk
As more aspects of industry embrace digitalization, partners and suppliers must be ready to support the journey.
To remain successful as suppliers, we often need to be one step ahead of our customers. We have to identify key trends and become early adopters to remain competitive. In this case, this meant that we had to be completely “digital-ready” before our customers made the same decision. This is because the industry is very fast-paced; when customers start to move in a new direction, they cannot wait for their suppliers to catch up.
The other important aspect is that because norelem is digital-ready, we can encourage and support our customers in making this transition. Being a first mover towards the digital age enables us to actively lead the way in reshaping how our customers navigate the engineering supply chain.
Digital journey
The heart of norelem’s customer offering is standardized components for product development. Fundamentally, digitalization makes it easier for engineers and designers to engage with our products. Standard components speed up the product development process and digitalization adds another level of acceleration.
This all begins by making 3D models of our products freely available and easily accessible online.
Almost all designers use CAD every day, as CAD data facilitates the integration of a product into their planning and manufacturing processes. One of the benefits of working with norelem is that, instead of designing a part from scratch, we can provide a pre-designed part in CAD with all the necessary data. With drawings available in 2D and 3D formats and with the latter including 360° rotation, this saves designers a considerable amount of time, improving productivity.
Working with our partner CADENAS, we can offer our customers a comprehensive CAD library in which they will find all relevant geometric and technical features of the components.
Seamless integration
Digitalization only truly works when it is seamless. Our proprietary platform lets designers easily integrate the data into their CAD system. With the PART2CAD plug-in, you can incorporate norelem CAD data directly into your CAD system. The plug-in generates native intelligent CAD models, meaning there is no need for buffering or manual importing. It works with Catia, Creo, Inventor, NX, SolidEdge and SolidWorks.
In addition, norelem offers CAD models in all conventional 2D and 3D forms, supporting major software programs from AutoCAD to SolidWorks. We also support CAD data interchange formats such as SAT, STEP, IGES and DFX.
Going a step further, all norelem products are ERP-compatible, ensuring a smooth transfer of information into resource management systems. And of course, all CAD models contain ECLASS classification, customs tariff numbers, RoHS marking and EAN numbers.
Key benefits
Providing tools such as online 3D models, CAD files and a CAD platform enables engineers and designers to access accurate product data in real-time. In this way, the shift to digital not only streamlines and accelerates workflows but also improves accuracy, enabling faster decision-making and reducing the risk of errors.
However, designers can fully realize these digital benefits through enhanced services such as real-time support and tailored recommendations. For example, we have integrated a product selection tool in the norelem online store, allowing engineers to specify the required components, including material, dimensions, shapes and additional feature requirements. The website will then suggest the ideal components for each aspect of a project.
Similarly, truly understanding how a component works is vital to ensuring you use it correctly. If you are considering using new components or simply want a refresher on the full capabilities and functions of a specific part, you should be able to access that information quickly and easily. The norelem ACADEMY training center is an online knowledge database containing example applications as well as best practice videos. You can drill further down thanks to detailed technical data on the most important properties and functions of each component.
Fast access to accurate CAD data is increasingly important as more manufacturers adopt digital twin technology.
Digitalized versions of complete products offer designers more freedom to experiment. They can also provide a rocket boost to product development, as it is quicker and more cost-effective than building physical prototypes. Using a digital twin as a testing ground without needing physical resources enables more creativity without becoming a drag on productivity.
The final benefit is, of course, streamlining the purchasing process. The designer can order each product with just one click of the mouse. And, with more than 100,000 standardized products on offer and over 98% of products available from stock, there is plenty of choice.
Transforming interactions
Industry 4.0 demands digitalization. Without digital data and processes, manufacturing and engineering cannot unlock the benefits offered by automation and AI. Your competitors are building the factory of the future; you need to do the same to maintain business resilience and serve the changing needs of your customers.
From design tools for everyday use through to enhanced online service and support, norelem is at the forefront of digitalizing the engineering and manufacturing sectors, making it easier for customers to engage with their products.
norelem is transforming traditional customer interactions, creating a more efficient, transparent and accessible pathway that serves the modern demands of industry professionals. In this way, norelem can continue to further boost productivity and innovation in engineering and manufacturing.
To find out more about how norelem can help bring the benefits of digitalisation to your product development, visit https://www.norelemusa.com/en-us/.
