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RAFI uses the crossbase Excel configurator to provide data for the TraceParts portal

The data export to TraceParts enables the approximately 4.3 million registered engineers and designers to access our components and the respective 3D data. This enables us to increase the reach of our portfolio enormously.

Niko Maucher
Product Manager, RAFI GmbH & Co. KG

Berg / Ravensburg, 06-14-2021: Founded in 1900 as the "Elektrotechnisches Institut", the company today develops and produces electromechanical components such as pushbuttons and switches, operating systems such as touch screens, as well as electronic assemblies and systems for man-machine communication. The international company also has its own EMS division and is one of the largest electronics contract manufacturers in Germany. RAFI products are used in many industries, e.g. in electrical medicine, mechanical engineering, road and rail vehicles, household appliances and telecommunications. The RAFI Group operates worldwide with approx. 2,500 employees at locations in Germany, Europe, China and the USA. The headquarters of the RAFI Group is located in Berg near Ravensburg.

Central functions of the solution

Export configuration with the Excel export

TraceParts is one of the world's leading CAD content platforms in the fields of engineering, industrial equipment and mechanical engineering. Providing product data for this portal enables RAFI to reach a large customer base with its own products. Due to the central data storage in the crossbase PIM and the flexible output via Excel export, the required data can be easily compiled and transferred to the portal in the appropriate Excel format.

For this purpose, two exports were configured that export current product data and media files at defined intervals. An export contains the product structure so that the items can be clearly categorized in a navigation structure in the TraceParts portal. In the second export, the item information to be transferred is prepared and exported with the associated media files.

Niko Maucher, Product Manager at RAFI, sums up: "Thanks to the high flexibility of the Excel export, it was possible to configure a perfectly tailored export. Both the hierarchy and all product data can be imported directly into the TraceParts portal without any additional adjustments. The data export to TraceParts can thus be handled in a very short time."

Structuring and display in the TraceParts portal

In the TraceParts portal, items can be found either via a full-text search or via a clearly structured hierarchy. In addition to various product information such as features, illustrations, design graphics and a 3D representation, a variety of CAD formats can be downloaded for the items.

A link to the item in the RAFI online catalog is also provided on the item page in the TraceParts portal. There, the user can call up a wide range of additional product information, downloads, and accessories for the item, and also inquire about it directly from RAFI.

The application modules and further information

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