Rising CO2emissions, high operating costs and new regulations are increasing our society's demand for energy-efficient buildings and require efficient automation and management, as well as the optimal operation of existing and future buildings.
Smart buildings interact with their users, with systems, and with their environment, thus creating a sustainable ecosystem for humanity and the environment.
Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) is shaping the market for intelligent, adaptable infrastructure both for today and for the future. SI addresses the pressing challenges of urbanisation and climate change by connecting energy systems, buildings, and economic sectors. With an increasingly digitalised ecosystem, SI helps its customers to succeed in the face of competition and helps society to develop further – while contributing to the protection of our planet. Siemens Smart Infrastructure is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. As of 30 September 2022, the business had approximately 72,700 employees worldwide.
Building Products (BP) develops and manufactures systems for building automation, products for heating, ventilation and air conditioning applications, for lighting, blind control systems, fire protection and fire extinguishing systems, and security systems and related products. Based on its extensive application knowledge, BP adds value for building users, installers, wholesalers, system providers, and OEMs by combining its broad, innovative product portfolio into solution packages. BP makes buildings smarter and creates environments that take care of the people who use them.
Intelligent building infrastructure requires intelligent documentation...
kothes has been working with Siemens SI BP since 2011. The collaboration began when the provider of building automation solutions was looking for a service provider in the field of technical documentation with sound, first-class technical editorial skills and, in particular, experience in the use of modern technical authoring systems. Another important criterion was short distances and fast response times via the local availability of permanent contact persons. As a leading technical provider in the German-speaking area, kothes has maintained an office in Switzerland since 2006, where services and consulting are provided for a growing number of Swiss customers in the field of technical documentation and CE marking.
Rolf Schumacher, Head of the Technical Documentation department at Siemens SI BP, recalls: "At the beginning of our cooperation, there were individual, self-contained projects during the course of which kothes got to know our specific needs and internal processes in the creation of documentation, and we were able to witness the quality of the provider's services and advice ourselves. Over time, a productive basis of trust developed, which was gradually expanded due to capacity bottlenecks."
After only a short time, the individual projects developed into more extensive tasks of greater complexity. Gradually, kothes was commissioned with orders from all business areas of building automation and their market-specific solutions. This continuous expansion arose from the specific technical documentation needs of Building Products.
... and smart content management.
Creating, managing, and publishing complex technical documentation projects requires smart content management – especially when information from different source systems is to be combined into an attractive and easily accessible information offering. Building Products was faced with the challenge of introducing a new system that could perform precisely this task.
Specifically, the goal was to create a central information platform for the world of Building Products. The technical information should be accessible to all user audiences – from service technicians to customers and external partners – with just a few clicks.
Content delivery for high demands
Which system best suits these requirements? This isn't an easy question to answer, in view of the confusing market for Content Delivery Portals.
The good news is that Siemens was able to rely on kothes' expertise in selecting and implementing the new system.
The approach was as follows: In a joint kick-off meeting, the central milestones for the system launch were first defined as part of a roadmap. Important questions in this context were: Which individual use cases must the new system cover?
How should the information be organised in the system in the future? Which interfaces to other systems are required?
With the central requirements in hand, the hot phase of system selection began.
Vendor-neutral system consulting – from selection to implementation
In this case, we supported Building Products in our role as neutral and independent consultants and moderators. For example, we helped with the pre-selection of suitable system providers and established contact with the preferred vendors, who in turn presented their solutions in the form of short demos.
After the system had been selected, the portal had to be brought to life – in other words, with clearly structured and user-oriented content.
Step 1: Define the metadata concept
To do this, we first developed a metadata concept for the new system, along with the BP team. Technical editorial metadata is the key to efficient content management and a prerequisite for ensuring that content can be reliably found, thanks to navigation and faceting.
Step 2: Define the topic concept
Implementing an information portal also changes the way content is created and structured in the future. A central goal here is to move away from a large, monolithic document and towards small, self-contained "chunks" of information, known as topics. However, topic-based content creation requires specific modularisation rules that clearly define the structure of the various topic classes. We've tailored these rules to Building Products' data landscape and defined them in the form of a topic concept for technical editors.
Step 3: Training staff
New tool, quick win? Well-thought-out coaching measures are essential when introducing new IT projects. They help users to navigate their way around the new system and familiarise themselves with the new functions. To ensure success, we worked closely with the BP team to develop a training concept that provides targeted support during the familiarisation phase.
In this way, content creators – i.e. internal and external editors and information managers – are trained step-by-step in how to work with the portal.
Benefit for Building Products: Quick emergency assistance and sustainable added value
After numerous successfully completed technical documentation projects and a successful system introduction, how does the technical editorial team at Building Products reflect upon the cooperation with kothes so far?
In addition to the flexibility and short response times of the service provider, Rolf Schumacher particularly appreciates the fact that Building Products has found a partner in kothes for all questions related to technical documentation. kothes quickly adapts to changing circumstances, as is part of the daily business in the large number of projects at Building Products – which can vary greatly in terms of content, scope, and deadlines. Close cooperation has proven to be particularly successful in providing resources at short notice. "When things get busy," said Rolf Schumacher, "a quick phone call and a minimal briefing is enough, and we have competent support at our side within a very short time. kothes has helped us to absorb our peak loads in many ways."
In summary, Rolf Schumacher views the cooperation as a success for both sides, based on solid and consistent service provision. In other words, a classic win-win situation: "In kothes, we've found a service provider that we've come to know and appreciate as a professional partner for technical documentation. Our business relationship has developed very positively and promisingly, and kothes can provide us with further valuable input, especially with regard to the strategic planning of the future direction of our technical documentation."
