Spare parts cross-reference, on a single graph.
During a call, you have to find a machine, the part that fits it, its equivalents and what is left in stock, then issue a quote. The information is spread across the ERP, the manufacturers' catalogues, data migration files and the memory of long-serving staff.
A call rarely starts with a clean part number
It starts with whatever the customer has in front of them. A nameplate on a machine, an old purchase order, or just their name and the fact that the part they ordered last time can no longer be ordered.
By machine
You start from the customer's installed base and work down to the part. The serial number is read and broken down according to the manufacturer's numbering scheme.
By OEM reference
You start from the manufacturer's reference and trace its equivalents, replacements and families.
By customer
You start from the account and see their equipment, their service history and what they have already ordered.
From exports you already have to the answer
No integration project to get started, and nothing opaque: when a result is surprising, you trace it back to the file and the rule that produced it.
Existing exports
Installed base, bills of materials, OEM references, stock, service history, uploaded as they are.
Written rules
Each column is mapped to an object type and a link type. The rules are corrected one at a time.
A single graph
The links carry the meaning: is part of, replaces, is equivalent to, is stocked at. One correction applies to all three entry points.
The answer at the counter
The search runs in the browser, on a database that is already loaded, while the customer is on the line.
Every equivalent carries its score
A list of compatible parts with no justification will not be used: if the part does not fit, it is the salesperson who has to call the customer back. Each equivalent is scored on dimensions, material and field feedback, and the score is broken down on screen.
Direct equivalent. Dimensions and material match, and field feedback confirms it.
To be checked. There is a difference, and it is named.
Not offered. The lead stays available for anyone who wants to dig further.
What ZAFIR does, and what it does not
The database is encrypted at rest. Decryption takes place in the user's browser.
Static site served from France, on our cloud partner's infrastructure.
ZAFIR reads exports. It writes nothing back to the ERP and does not replace the quoting tool.
The parts business, up close
Notes on how ZAFIR is built, and on the questions raised by part numbers, bills of materials and obsolescence.
The articles are in French for now.
Pourquoi chaque équivalence porte une note
Un vendeur ne propose pas une pièce parce qu'un écran la déclare compatible. Il la propose quand il peut dire pourquoi.
Read the article, in French →Un graphe plutôt que trois index
Selon ce que le client donne au téléphone, le point de départ change. Ce qu'il y a dessous ne devrait pas changer.
Read the article, in French →Commencer avec les exports que vous avez déjà
Il n'y a pas besoin d'un projet d'intégration pour savoir si l'idée tient.
Read the article, in French →Label d'un pôle de compétitivité : ce qu'il dit d'un projet industriel
Le label d'un pôle de compétitivité dit qu'un comité formé de membres du pôle a entendu le porteur d'un projet, puis jugé ce projet innovant et pertinent. Il porte sur un projet, à la date du passage. Il ne certifie pas un produit et ne dit rien de ses résultats chez un client.
Read the article, in French →Recherche de pièces au comptoir : faire un essai avant de déployer
Au comptoir, une demande arrive avec une référence, une description ou la marque d'une machine. Avant de brancher un outil sur tout le catalogue, on rejoue de vraies demandes sur une seule famille de pièces.
Read the article, in French →Gestion de l'obsolescence des composants : ce que demande l'IEC 62402
La gestion de l'obsolescence consiste à savoir à l'avance quels composants vont cesser d'être fournis, où ils sont utilisés, et quelle réponse on donnera. Depuis son édition de 2019, la norme IEC 62402 en fait un processus avec des exigences, applicable à tout type d'élément.
Read the article, in French →A demonstration on your own exports
A demonstration on a prepared data set proves nothing. The quality of the equivalents depends on the actual state of your part master data, and that state is specific to each distributor. So we work on an extract of your own files from the first technical meeting.