Why service documentation plays an essential role in managing complex product lifecycles

Delivering excellent service is as important as providing top-quality products. Customers expect not only great products but also the service that accompanies them. Companies that manufacture customized products are facing challenges with documentation. Maintaining high service standards becomes more complicated when products are tailored to customer needs and have many configurations. This blog explores how service documentation is critical in addressing these challenges and improving the service lifecycle.

Challenges of manufacturing complex products

Organizations that offer highly configurable products face several difficulties

• Real-time design updates: Staying up to date with the latest design changes prevents the use of outdated parts.
• Product specifications: Quick access to accurate design data can significantly reduce service errors.
• Accurate asset configuration: It is important to know exactly how each product is set up for proper maintenance.
• Spare part matching and validation: Ensuring the correct spare parts are used based on specific product models and configurations is crucial for effective repairs.
• Asset-specific documentation: Each product’s unique configuration requires personalized service instructions.
• Content authoring: Constantly updating service manuals and technical content is time-consuming, especially with evolving products.

Changing market trends

In addition to these technical challenges, companies are facing new market realities:

• Lower profit margins: Custom, advanced products are more expensive and harder to service, reducing profit margins.
• Extended product lifecycles: Many products now have longer lifecycles, which means ongoing support is required.
• New business models: Emerging technologies like IoT, sensors, and AI enable companies to offer services like predictive maintenance and real-time diagnostics.

A comprehensive solution – Teamcenter Service Lifecycle Management

“With the right 3D technology, companies can increase the efficiency of their technical documentation team, improve product documentation quality, and set the stage for even greater business benefits.”

Tech-Clarity Insight: The Business of 3D Technical Communications

The Importance of service documentation

Teamcenter Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) is addressing the challenges that complex product manufacturers face today, including the service documentation component. It can help with onboarding new service technicians faster. As experienced technicians retire it takes time for new technicians to understand the product development process. It is essential to have accurate and easy-to-understand service documentation.

By integrating service engineering, planning, and operations through Teamcenter threaded connections, you get all the key information needed for quality service and maintenance, such as a service bill-of-materials (SBOM), service plans, and 3D models and animations – that can tie into comprehensive, easy-to-use service documentation.

Leveraging service BOM for documentation

SLM integrates service BOMs, planning, and documentation to ensure continuous, data-driven maintenance and visibility throughout the product lifecycle, addressing service needs early in development. The Service BOM is linked to a publication structure to ensure all technical data aligns with the latest product designs. This structure allows companies to ensure that documentation is localized for different markets.

Interactive catalogs generated from this system allow technicians to explore 3D models of product assemblies and parts, reducing the chance of errors and making repairs more efficiently. That means less downtime for your equipment.

Aligning service documentation with PLM

The integration of service documentation with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, like Siemens Teamcenter, ensures data continuity and accuracy. When product designs change, the corresponding service documentation is automatically updated. This means that after-sales services, spare part orders, and training materials are always aligned with the latest product configurations.

This not only improves the quality of service documentation but also speeds up the process of creating new service content.

An effective solution for accurate service documentation

1. Spare parts catalogs: It uses 3D illustrations to provide clear views of complex assemblies. This helps to accurately identify and order spare, reducing errors and improving maintenance efficiency.
2. Service work instructions: Interactive, 3D animated instructions guide users through maintenance procedures. These visual aids simplify complex tasks, making them easier to perform and less prone to errors.
3. Training applications: Interactive 3D learning tools offer more effective training experiences. These exercises improve understanding and retention of complex systems, improving on-the-job performance and efficiency.
4. Manuals: It provides detailed 2D/3D manuals that communicate intricate product configurations and procedures. Available in multiple formats, these manuals ensure accessibility on any device.

A comprehensive solution

• Improved accuracy and efficiency
• Intuitive training and performance
• Faster time-to-market
• Higher quality service
• Increased uptime of your systems and products

As the demands for after-sales services continue to grow, companies must adopt advanced documentation solutions to stay competitive. Siemens’ integrated tools offer a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges of product complexity, and disruptive technologies. By providing accurate, interconnected, and accessible documentation, Siemens helps businesses improve efficiency, reduce errors, and deliver high-quality service.

Learn more

Interested in learning more about Service Lifecycle Management?

Watch the video to learn more about the role of SLM in service excellence.

Discover more about Service Lifecycle Management by clicking here.