THE CATA-LOGICAL
CHOICE
MAHLE speaks to VITAL NEWS about the
complexity of the cataloguing process
and the developments they have made to
better serve the aftermarket.
It has been a year since FPS and MAHLE Aftermarket
joined forces to provide customers with access to the range of MAHLE
original engine components and Victor Reinz sealing products for
overnight service from Sheffield.
At the start of this relationship, the MAHLE catalogue was only
available to access via TecDoc and the MAHLE website. The offering is
now conveniently available on MAM Autocat following a large effort to
build the infrastructure.
COMPLEXITY OF ENGINE CATALOGUING
MAM Autocat offers electronic cataloguing of parts against their
Make Model Index (MMI) which allows users to locate parts based on
the model of a vehicle. However, “hard” engine parts are historically
catalogued with the engine type as the primary identifier. The logic
lies in the fact that a stationary engine cannot be catalogued against a
vehicle as one does not exist. However, an engine model does.
PUTTING LOGIC IN THE CATALOGUE
To address existing catalogue issues MAHLE developed a software that
cross-refers engine models with vehicle models, in accordance with
MAM Autocat’s MMI. Given that the Mahle database holds more than
50,000 engine models and 265,000 vehicle models, this had proven to
be a sizeable task.
This development has allowed MAM users to now locate a part, based
on a vehicle model that uses the same engine code. This means that
even though the catalogue data is created against engine model, the
information is automatically added to the relevant make and model of
vehicle. MAHLE has included MAM Autocat’s MMI into the MAHLE
database to enable the lookup of MAHLE parts on MAM Autocat.
FINE-TUNING THE DETAILS
MAHLE has ensured that all relevant information needed for the
parts were mapped to the engine specific MAM part note fields.
For example, a machine shop will need to know the minimum and
maximum shaft and housing diameter for engine bearings in order to
know if the shaft/housing requires resizing. This data is included to
ensure that any questions can be answered quickly and easily without
the need to refer to any other source for technical data. This data is
continually reviewed and updated on a monthly basis to account for
new part numbers and applications.
Furthermore, MAHLE strives to ensure that information is consistent
across all platforms so that all potentially required information for
the part is available in the chosen catalogue format. Engine parts have
an added level of complication as additional data is required for each
part. For example, in the case of pistons, bore size, pin dimensions,
compression height as well as any bowl or recess dimensions must be
noted along with surface coatings.
As the world’s largest manufacturer of pistons, the MAHLE engine
range comprises of cast and forged pistons, piston rings and engine
bearings for a wide range of vehicles today. All parts are manufactured
in a range of materials that are identical to OEM parts.
MAHLE engine parts are catalogued on the F:Drive, MAM Autocat
and TecDoc. For more information, please speak with your local FPS
representative.
VITAL NEWS ISSUE 48 CATALOGUING 17