Agile content management and a highly efficient creation process:
modern content management systems make the work of technical writers much easier. However, finding a system that best fits the specific requirements of your own editorial team is not that easy.
In a joint project, we were able to successfully support Continental Automotive Aftermarket in their mission to find a system solution.
As a leading automotive supplier and tyre manufacturer, Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility. With the Continental Automotive Aftermarket business segment, the global player offers its customers a broad portfolio of products and services in the open market – from spare and repair parts for brake systems and vehicle electronics to workshop equipment. In view of increasing content volumes and new, process-related requirements, Continental Aftermarket & Services GmbH was faced with the task of introducing a content management system in the technical editorial department.
Shifting away from writing in large, monolithic documents and moving towards flexible and module-based content creation: this idea of efficiency was the main reason for the Continental team to switch from the classic file-based tool to a modern content management system.
In order for this to succeed, the new system would have to prove itself in the following areas, in particular:
In order to find a system that optimally suits its own requirements, Continental Automotive Aftermarket commissioned kothes as a neutral consultant and partner.
Which individual use cases will the future content management system have to cover? Which functions are crucial?
In order to determine the specific requirements for the new system, we first examined the Continental Aftermarket editorial team’s editorial processes and workflows in an on-site workshop.
Based on this, we drew up a list of the most important requirements for the new system and made a pre-selection of three suitable systems, which were then presented to the Continental Aftermarket editorial team. These live presentations were a perfect opportunity to get to know the preferred systems better and get an impression of how well the systems meet the requirements of Continental Aftermarket. Another advantage: using concrete work steps from everyday editorial work, the Continental Aftermarket team was able to test in practice how the systems would perform in coping with critical requirements.
In the decision phase, the kothes team acted as a critical and vendor-neutral consultant, able to clarify complicated detailed questions with the system providers where necessary.
In the end, the editorial team at Continental Aftermarket opted for SCHEMA ST4 from Quanos – a modern and powerful content management system for professional creation of technical documentation.
Streamlined processes, high efficiency and improved content management:
for the Continental Aftermarket team, switching from file-based word processing to the SCHEMA ST4 content management system was a real stroke of luck. Today, the system is used successfully in live operation – and plays a significant role in ensuring that the documentation for Continental Aftermarket products is even more efficient.
Frank Schmidt, Head of Technical Service at Continental Automotive Aftermarket, looks back positively on the cooperation with kothes: “We were particularly impressed by kothes’ technical know-how and many years of industry experience in the field of content management systems for technical documentation. We received ideal advice throughout the entire selection phase and were finally able to find a system that precisely fits our processes and requirements.”