23. volume – 01/2010

zAB

+ + + TELAIR AUDITS TANNER + + + SHAREPOINT AS A "DOCUMENT MANAGER" + + + NEW MACHINE DIRECTIVE + + +

Contents

p. 02 __ _TANNER is named a Top Employerp. 03 __ _New machine directive: Conformation of

operating manualsp. 04 __ _Process optimization in system

documentationp. 06 __ _Tools for measurable cost cuttingp. 08 __ _News in aviation documentation

COST REDUCTION IN TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

02 03

Editorial __________________________The woods are not the only thing

becoming more colorful at the moment; competition is, too. While content and document management systems used to be more reserved for niche players on the software provider market, the producers of standard software are now increasingly asserting themselves and addressing the market with soluti-ons for highly individual requirements.

A prominent up-to-date examp-le of this is Microsoft "SharePoint" as a platform for efficient document management. For standard products, adaptation of the functions to your business requirements and concepts is indeed required. However, together with all of the advantages of standard software, it does not require a specialist and necessitates only relatively little training time in order to utilize this software as intended for your tasks.

Ultimately, though, the use of standard software in document management reveals a very different advantage. Document management is increasingly a cross-company task which reaches from the supply chain to partners and up to customers and users. Solving problems using easily accessib-le standard technology simply makes sense here. You will find more informa-tion about this in our lead story.

I hope you enjoy reading your ABZ! _____ Sincerely, Stefan Kügel

zAB

TANNER AG is one of the best employers among mid-sized companies. This

is the result of the analysis as part of the national, cross-industry »Top Job 2010« company comparison. According to the initiators, the service provider was con-vincing in the eighth round of the renowned business initiative with its crisis-proof and accordingly successful human resource management._________________________________________________________________________Wolfgang Clement awards "Top Job" seal __________________________________

In late January, TANNER AG was awarded the »Top Job« seal of approval for the third time. With this, Wolfgang Clement, the mentor of the Mid-Sized Com-pany Initiative, recognized the merits of the company in the fields of Leadership & Vision, Motivation & Dynamics, Culture & Communication, Employee Deve-lopment & Prospects, Family Orientation & Demographics, as well as Internal Entrepreneurship._________________________________________________________________________ What the study reveals ___________________________________________________

In their book about the competition with the title »The Best Mid-Sized Company Employers«, the initiators write about TANNER AG: »In Lindau am Bodensee, older and younger employees partner up in project teams, depending on job requirements. Benefits are resulting from demographic shifts. Older colleagues contribute important experience, can control complex projects well and are aware of the large amount of responsibility in order processing. However, the company is also committed to young knowledge and employees directly from the university. Technological change is so rapid – it would be fatal not to do so.«_________________________________________________________________________ Fair treatment, even in difficult times _______________________________________

TANNER successfully faced the strict two-step process of the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management at the University of St. Gallen. In doing so, Institute Director Prof. Dr. Heike Bruch assessed the management instruments of the participants in the human resource field and carried out a detailed employee survey. In addition, the company committed itself to fair treat-ment of its employees even in difficult economic times by signing the Top Job code of honor.

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_________________________________________________________________________TANNER is named a Top Employer

»Being named a Top Employer affirms us in our chosen course. It documents how important our employees are to us in black and white. It also proves that we are among the front runners in the competition for the best skilled employ-ees. This guarantees the best quality in service delivery for our customers.«

Stefan Kügel

»Top Job« seal of approval for TANNER AG (right to left): Former German Federal Economics Minister Wolfgang Clement, Stefan Kügel (Chairman of the Board), Heike Süß (Assistant to the Board)

Effective December 29, 2009, the new machine directive must be applied. It is valid for those who put machines on the market and those who manufacture their own machines. All machine and system manufacturers must apply the new binding directive as of this effective date. Should a machine not comply with the new directive, delivery is not possible.

What has to be observed in the future when preparing tech-nical documentation – an overview:

________________________________________________________Original and translation __________ _______________________

As in the past, it is necessary to translate the operating manual into the language of the target country. In the future, the original has to be labeled as an "Original operating manu-al". There are two options for translations: If the translation is also labeled as an "Original operating manual", it suffices to include the manual in the customer’s language. However, the foreign-language version can also be called a "Translation of the original operating manual". In that case, two manuals must then be included, as in the past: the original and the translation. ________________________________________________________Tip: It would be best to label each language version under our

responsibility as an "Original operating manual". Then, sen-ding the language version suffices.________________________________________________________Declaration of conformity _______________________________

The new Machine Directive also entails changes for con-tent: A copy of the declaration of conformity is required. In addition, the minimum content of the operating manual has been defined more precisely.________________________________________________________Incomplete machines ___________________________________

Starting in December, assembly instructions are obligatory for partial machines. The language version can be agreed upon with the customer. For products which are marketed as both a machine and an incomplete machine, it makes sense to begin by preparing an operating manual which contains the necessary assembly information.

q An incomplete machine refers to an entity of components

which only nearly composes a machine. The distinguishing

feature is that it cannot fulfill any function on its own.

In fact, its whole purpose is to be installed or inserted

into other machines, including incomplete ones –

and then to become a machine which is complete in terms

of the Directive 2006/42.

Term: Incomplete machine

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02 03

23. volume n°1/2010

New machine directive: Conformation of operating manuals

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04 05

________________________________________________________Documentation is taking on an increasingly important role in plant engineering. Today its costs already make up a cost factor of five to nine percent of the new value of a plant. At the same time, requirements for the documentation that are often demanding and which vary depending on the customer or plant are often contractually stipulated. Problem: In contrast to classic product documentation, in mechanical engineering, plant documentation is less regulated with standards and guidelines and thus less standardized.

The main task for those responsible for documentation in plant engineering is the organization and control of internal as well as external suppliers. This is due to the fact that plant documentation generally reflects a much higher proportion of supplier documentation than classic product documentation. But as in product documentation, plant documentation can be qualitatively improved and the production process can also be optimized from a time and cost standpoint with a close coupling of existing company processes as well as the use of IT systems.________________________________________________________

Target groups and niche solutions________________________________________________________

Specialized information systems and industry solutions are available for the management of plant documentation. There are manufacturers here who have discovered this niche market and developed a special solution, often together with a single customer. However, the decision for such expert systems which should serve as an isolated application for a single department is rarely the best way from the standpoint of the company as a whole. Especially in plant documentation, numerous partici-pants with various levels of education and IT knowledge are involved in the process: The sales department determines the scope of the plant documentation, project management coor-dinates deadlines and deliveries to the customers, the develop-ment department creates drawings ... and so on. For this reason, documentation in plant engineering places high demands on teamwork.

In the world of Web 2.0 and web-based, collaborative applications, portals, etc. the question is automatically posed: What solutions are there which optimally support handling of lists and improve communication and cooperation in projects? And allow users to work more efficiently than in MS Excel?

________________________________________________________

How does plant documentation work today?________________________________________________________

Information processes in plant engineering are as diverse as the companies themselves. But one thing can be found eve-rywhere: lists. A vast number of lists are prepared, managed and exchanged. They include project lists, parts lists and deadline lists, as well as personal lists of participants and contacts, all the way up to document lists.

As a rule, these are primarily Excel documents which in the worst case are stored unsecured on the workstation of the person responsible for the process or kept in multiple various versions on several computers. At best, they are saved on the secured network drive to which all or at least many project participants have access. The actual work, i.e. keeping track of appointments and activities, is still carried out via standard means of communication such as Outlook, e-mail, telephone and meetings.

The closer these numerous lists can be connected to the administrating company process, the easier it will become to synchronize the partial process of documentation preparation with plant development and construction. Therefore, several companies have already integrated the management and orga-nization of the documentation process directly in the admini-strating ERP or PLM system. Such solutions can also generate significant optimization in the documentation process for plant engineering. At the same time, expansions and customizing in the ERP or PLM system are as a rule projects of a larger scope. There should be close scrutiny prior to a step of this type. Does the solution fulfill the current requirements? How flexible do we have to be in the future? And the question of new licenses should also be clarified in advance.

Process optimization in system documentation

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________q

04 05

________________________________________________________

SharePoint: Office for the server________________________________________________________

The "SharePoint" software from Microsoft offers a prag-matic alternative to an integrated solution. The server is a com-ponent of the Office Suite and therefore offers optimum inte-gration of the tools. But what is SharePoint? Many things are now understood with this term: Is SharePoint a portal? A busi-ness intelligence solution? An SOA platform? A collaboration tool? A network drive? A document management or content management system?

All these definitions apply, because SharePoint exists in various versions. Overall SharePoint covers a multitude of applications.With its platform character, an expansion of SharePoint to encompass additional specific applications is not only possible but also desired. For example, this includes the marketing strategy, call-center management, IT compliance, bug tracking, change tracking and knowledge management. Microsoft itself has provided numerous templates for applica-tions in SharePoint free of charge.

Following installation "out of the box", Microsoft SharePoint offers document management with full MS Office integration, versioning, metadata and authorization. In addition, pre-defined and freely definable lists for the management of appointments, tasks, contacts, etc. are at the customer’s disposal. ________________________________________________________

In the beginning was the list________________________________________________________

Regardless of the respective definition or area of applica-tion of SharePoint, there is one common feature: SharePoint is comprised of lists. And in its simplest version, the free Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS), SharePoint is nothing more than a browser-based collaborative solution for preparing and managing lists.________________________________________________________

Main page

→ Lower page (e.g. for documentation)

→ Workspace (e.g. order workspace) 1 ... n

→ Lists (documents, tasks, deadlines, etc.)

1 ... n

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________t

Process optimization in system documentation

________________________________________________________At the highest level, it consists of lists from sites or fields

or workspaces which can be created and furnished with various access rights, for example one workspace per order, per product or even per document. The definitions of workspaces can and should be adapted exactly to the specific requirements.

The purpose of the workspaces (i.e. the contents, struc-ture and lists located within, etc.) is freely configurable. They can contain deadlines, addresses, tasks, but also more complex information such as documents or status reports. As with the application templates, there are standard templates for a mul-titude of list types. Everything runs server-based in the web browser.________________________________________________________

Scenario for plant documentation________________________________________________________

Thus SharePoint is very well suited for the requirements of plant documentation. This is supported by its simple scena-rio for the development and management of documentation. Instead of local management in Excel, numerous lists are stored and managed centrally in SharePoint. The advantages for this are found primarily in the collaborative solution. Versioning and access control are ensured and uniform access for all inter-nal and external participants is possible via the web browser.Regardless of whether an employee is in development, at the service provider or even on-site at the construction site, everyo-ne can access the central system. The associated expenditure in time and costs is negligibly small compared to the benefits.

06 07

________________________________________________________Especially in difficult economic times, every Euro counts. And it's all the better if established concepts are available to cut costs. In technical documentation, there are many cost-cutting methods and technology which are thoroughly tested and have documented sustainable efficiency. The attained savings reach high two-digit percentages – with increasing quality and a high level of customer satisfaction.

________________________________________________________However, there is not a standard approach model for this.

These savings can only be realized when the approach is tailo-red to each company. This requires a lot of time and effort in the first step, but quickly pays off, and in the long term there is no alternative. In company-specific design, the products and vari-ants, customers and markets, processes and procedures, infor-mation products and prospects must be taken into account.________________________________________________________

Points of action for cost cutting in technical documentati-on result from

q the application of established methods,

q standardization,

q the right tools,

q process orientation and

q professional translation management

Out of these five core strategies, this article concentrates on the issue of how much potential can arise with the use of tools, XML and automation.________________________________________________________

Cutting costs – with the right tools________________________________________________________

Tools for preparing and managing technical documenta-tion have become ever more powerful over the last few years. In addition, other tools open up completely new possibilities. An overview of the most important tools and their potential follows:

Typically, editors make functions accessible with which text modules and variables can be used comfortably. They sup-port automatisms, such as the preparation of directories, the design of the information, the order of paragraphs, the num-bering of elements, etc. The preparation of texts is significantly accelerated in this way, editors are relieved of work and the quality is improved.

Translation memories ensure that information translated once is available for future translations. They not only work with texts that are absolutely the same, but also suggest the closest possible translations for similar information. Ideally, translation memories are only used to have changed elements of new or adjusted documentation translated.

________________________________________________________Graphics tools make it possible to use existing CAD data to

prepare technical drawings for the documentation. Standardi-zed design specifications can be saved for graphics in the same way as specifications for text design in the editors. In this way, an efficient production process can also be established for gra-phics preparation.

With language checkers, at least the English texts can be tested automatically for compliance to phrasing rules and ter-minology specifications. The standardized texts are easier to manage and translate and are often more easily understood by users. It is only a question of time until further languages are added.

Finally, content management systems (CMS) support the efficient management of information. Information modules of different sizes are saved in the CMS and used in various information products. CMSs are especially useful for extensi-ve documentation with many separate information products, common document revision, variants and many languages.

Tools for measurable cost cutting

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________q

06 07

Often, requirements for standards or certification organizations can also only be fulfilled with a CMS, e.g. regarding the traceabi-lity of information editing.

There are CMSs on the market with a wide variety of func-tional ranges and accordingly correspondingly wide price spec-trum. CMSs are usually individually tailored to the needs of international companies with specific requirements.

Among other things, CMSs ensure that information that has been prepared once is conveniently available for the processing of new information products at any time. Powerful CMSs have an immense functional range which substantially relieves edi-tors. Examples of this include publication tracks, reuse concepts and verification, variant management and many more.

What tools for which purpose?

The decision is influenced by many factors. We would be pleased to demonstra-

te to you which functions the current tools have, as well as which of those you

really need and which you don’t.

TANNER also supports its customers in selecting and tailoring a suitable CMS.

On request, TANNER operates and services the CMS for the customer and only

charges a usage fee.

This brief overview already makes it clear: The tool market is hardly manageable for outsiders anymore.

Which tool is the right one – but above all which is profitab-le for a company – depends on a multitude of factors. The tool landscape is anything but static. Experience has shown that a solution also comes on the market within a short period of time for every imaginable requirement – whether through the further development of existing tools or with new tools. Paying attenti-on to long-term security and sustainability is particularly impor-tant in deciding for or against a tool. The Extensible Markup Language – XML – is inseparable linked to this requirement._________________________________________________________

Cutting costs – with XML_________________________________________________________

XML – the Extensible Markup Language – facilitates assi-gning information with structure. Larger texts contain indivi-dual information units which can be marked with XML.

As a result, it also becomes possible to selectively access information using XML. The contents of the XML elements take a backseat here.

XML is independent of editors and other tools. There are a variety of tools which can process XML data. Thus a decision for XML is especially a decision for the sustainable use of the data. For example, XML makes the question of whether future Word versions will still be able to read the current files obsolete. It is above all the ability to automate data processing that sup-

ports XML. Therefore, it can be specified that a defined XML element is published in a certain manner. XML elements can be assigned properties and thus workflows are controlled. Simply said: XML itself has little to no use at this point. On the other hand and more importantly, XML opens up a multitude of pos-sibilities for sustainably automating processes and procedures and massively reducing costs.

Going into detail here would go beyond the scope of this article. Particularly for extensive accumulations of informa-tion, XML is nearly indispensible in bringing structure to the information and thus making it manageable.

In some industries – namely in aviation – XML has already been established as the structuring standard for information. The fact that XML data from various sources can be conveni-ently compiled provides results here. Problems with different formats are a thing of the past.

Powerful CMSs and translation memories also utilize the advantages of XML. There is no doubt that this trend will continue.

XML for you, too?

Is conversion worthwhile? How involved would conversion even be for you

and your data? What will you be faced with? How about licensing costs for the

editors and training for the employees? We would be pleased to give you the

correct answers to these and other questions.

_________________________________________________________

Cutting costs – through automation_________________________________________________________

If documentation is prepared in the course of a defined process, recurring activities become apparent. Especially for layout and publication, automatic preparation should be vir-tually obligatory. The effort which is often undertaken here is disproportionate to the benefits perceived by the customer or user. Even simple editorial tools provide document structures and text modules. A great deal of automation is also possible in the area of translation.

Automation functions relieve the editor of monotonous, repetitive activities and make it possible for him to concentrate on more important tasks.

Which of your processes can be automated?

Which activities recur again and again in connection with your documentation?

How much effort is invested here? How quickly would the investment in auto-

mation pay off, e.g. for publication? We would be pleased to analyze your situa-

tion together with you and determine your individual return on investment.

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Published byTANNER AGKemptener Straße 99D-88131 Lindau (b)T +49 8382 272-0F +49 8382 272-900E info@tanner.dehttp://www.tanner.de

Editor in Chief: Dr. Sven Bergert_________________________________________ This issue was edited and created with the collaboration of: Elmar Dutt, Andreas Hett, Stefan Kügel, Melanie Meyer

_________________________________________ Images: Özgür Güvenç/shutterstock, Monika23 /shut-terstock, David Huntley /shutterstock, Black-fish/photocase

TANNER AG Kemptener Straße 99, D-88131 Lindau (B)Phone +49 8382 272-119Fax +49 8382 272-900E-Mail: info@tanner.de____________________________________________

Braunschweig branch officeCarl-Miele-Straße 4, D-38112 BraunschweigPhone+49 531 215-7858Fax +49 531 231-7531E-Mail: braunschweig@tanner.de____________________________________________

Erlangen branch officeNürnberger Straße 24-26, D-91052 ErlangenPhone +49 9131 970028-15Fax +49 9131 970028-88E-Mail: erlangen@tanner.de____________________________________________

Frankfurt-Eschborn branch officeMergenthalerallee 77, D-65760 EschbornPhone +49 6196 77933-95Fax +49 6196 77933-98E-Mail: frankfurt@tanner.de____________________________________________

Hamburg branch officeLübecker Straße 1, D-22087 HamburgPhone +49 40 702918-75Fax +49 40 702918-83E-Mail: hamburg@tanner.de____________________________________________

Munich branch officeFreisinger Landstraße 74, D-80939 MünchenPhone +49 89 321957-37Fax +49 89 321957-34E-Mail: muenchen@tanner.de____________________________________________

Paderborn branch officeBalduinstraße 1, D-33102 PaderbornPhone +49 5251 879718-11Fax +49 5251 879718-88E-Mail: paderborn@tanner.de____________________________________________

Reutlingen branch officeAm Heilbrunnen 47, D-72766 ReutlingenPhone +49 7121 144934-0Fax +49 7121 144934-20E-Mail: reutlingen@tanner.de____________________________________________

TANNER Vietnam Ltd.House 43D/8 Ho Van Hue St. Ward 9, PhuNhuan District, VN-70999 Ho Chi Minh CityPhone +84 8 39973-452Fax +84 8 39973-465E-Mail: vietnam@tanner.de____________________________________________

Tanner Translations GmbH+CoMarkenstr. 7, D-40227 DüsseldorfPhone +49 211 179665-0Fax +49 211 179665-29E-Mail: info@translations.tanner.de____________________________________________

TANNER s.r.l. Via G. Mazzini, 2, 22073 Fino Mornasco, ItalyPhone +39 031 40 525 00Fax +39 031 40 525 01E-Mail: info@tanner.it

Addresses _____________________________________

Reprinting in whole or in part requires permission in writing. TANNER AG assumes no liability for unsilicited manuscripts and photographs which have been submitted. __________________________________________ABZ is published six to eight times a year and is distributed to interested parties free of charge. There is no right to redress in law.

LEGAL INFORMATION____________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Telair audits TANNER___________________________________________________________________________

TANNER AG has successfully passed a supplier audit by Telair International GmbH. Telair regularly carries out audits of this type for all of its suppliers in order to guarantee consistently high quality and safety standards. Telair supplies over 50 airlines worldwide with complete on-board luggage or cargo handling systems for passenger and freight aircraft. TANNER AG has been active in aviation documenta-tion for many years. TANNER prepares maintenance instructions in accordance with ATA iSpec 2200 for Telair. The regular supplier audit was carried out in compliance with the DIN EN ISO 9001:2008 standard.

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TANNER is a member of the ATA e-Business Program___________________________________________________________________________

At the beginning of February, TANNER AG became a member of the so-called ATA e-Business Program. The ATA e-Business Program is a platform of the Air Transport Association of America (ATA). It aids the global aviation industry in cooperation and exchanging information. Among other things, the member list inclu-des airlines, manufacturers, suppliers, software providers and consultancies which work jointly on the further development of standards (Spec 2000, iSpec 2200, ATA, etc.) within the scope of the ATA e-Business Program.

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Norbert Gürntke, Head of development and construction at Telair International GmbH

»As a company in the aviation industry, we require high quality and safety of ourselves, as well as of our suppliers. Above all, TANNER AG won us over with its excellent quality management. The modernity of all tools used is also exemplary.«

Anton Rieser, Project manager at TANNER AG

»Membership in the ATA e-Business Program gives us the opportuni-ty to access ATA specs more quickly and helps us understand motiva-tions even better through direct dialog with other aviation experts. Our customers benefit directly from this, because the editorial processes are always on the cutting edge and documentation can be optimized and prepared efficiently in accordance with the current ATA specs.«

News in aviation documentation