Years of collaboration
2023 – ongoing
Context
A global provider of automated laundry systems
Kannegiesser is the market leader in providing, installing, and commissioning advanced, automated laundry processing machinery. Founded in 1948, Kannegiesser has locations around the world, including the US, UK, France, and Thailand.
Aim
Customisable documentation for a highly customisable automated system
The Supertrack Monorail System is a multi-track system used for transporting bags of laundry through custom-built laundry systems. Laundry systems consist of multiple machines and processes that sort, store, clean, and process a wide range of laundry materials for a wide range of service requirements, for example, hotels and hospitals.
Supertrack Monorail Systems are custom-built for each customer. Each system consists of multiple machines and parts, performing different tasks to prepare and handle laundry between each laundry processing stage.
After a Supertrack Monorail System has been installed and commissioned, it often runs 24/7 and is controlled by large complex software control systems. With continuous use, it is important that every part of the system is well maintained. To help with this process, the maintenance and supervisory staff required a document that would provide details of each Supertrack component. This document should include a basic description, operation instructions, safety information, and recommended maintenance schedules for each component.
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Challenges
A complex product with legacy documentation, which needed localizing into many languages
The Supertrack Monorail System consists of a range of machine types, from complex lifting and sorting machines to a range of simpler ancillary equipment. Originally, the operation and maintenance manual was made up of multiple Word documents that were ‘mashed’ together to create a single custom manual that was unique to each customer installation. However, as systems changed and laundry systems grew, these custom manuals quickly became outdated.
Kannegiesser wanted to enter new markets and therefore needed to localize their manual into many European and Asian languages – German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Hungarian, Croatian, Chinese Traditional, and Finnish, to enter new markets. Because of the innovative modular nature of the Supertrack system, preparing terminology and identifying suitable terms was not straightforward.
Kannegiesser also needed different outputs of their documentation for different situations. A printed PDF version was required as part of the commissioning processes and their sign-off, while an HTML version was needed for point-of-access information when a fault was detected in the system.
Solution
Building new documentation with localization in mind
The 3di team:
- Used MadCap Flare to create new documentation from the ground up, that was designed to be localized into all the languages Kannegiesser needed, and any more needed in future.
- Agreed on a terminology list with Kannegiesser that our linguists used during the translation process. This kept the documentation consistent and accurate when translating their key terms.
- Created an Operation and Maintenance Manual in MadCap Flare available in both PDF and HTML output formats.
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Result
A more efficient, centrally controlled documentation set
- With a single manual that covers every configuration of the Supertrack Monorail System, Kannegiesser can now supply the manual prior to the final installation and commissioning process. This means that the end user can be trained and up to speed on the system even before it has been installed and is working.
- 3di implemented a modular process for developing content so that any new Supertrack Monorail components can be quickly and seamlessly added.
- 3di provided localized versions of Kannegiesser’s manuals in all planned languages, with additional localized versions to follow later this year.