Custom app for exploded views and parts ordering
A service engineer is standing at a machine with a broken part. He needs to know which part it is, for this year of manufacture and this version, and order it quickly. Appfront builds apps for ordering parts via the exploded-view drawing: scan the machine, open the right drawing, tap the position and order, on a phone or tablet at the machine, including for customers who order parts themselves.
What is an app for ordering parts via the exploded-view drawing?
An app for ordering parts via the exploded-view drawing brings the drawing to where the part is needed: at the machine. The engineer or the customer scans a QR code or types the serial number, the app opens the drawings that belong to exactly that machine, and a tap on a position shows the part number, description, stock and price. One more tap and the part is in the order or in the work order.
Without an app, that means a PDF on a phone, a photo of the type plate and a call to the parts department. A misread position or a drawing from a different year of manufacture means the wrong part, a return and a machine that stays out of action for longer. On site there is often poor reception too, whether in a cellar, a barn or a factory hall.
We build custom because every manufacturer and dealer has different machines, drawings and systems. How your drawings are structured, how serial numbers and versions relate to each other, who may order at which price, and whether the order goes to your ERP or your webshop all determine how the app works.
At the machine
Scan and order.
Correct drawing
For this serial number.
Works offline
In a cellar or barn.
How we build your exploded-view parts ordering app
We start with your machines and drawings: how they are structured, how a machine is identified, who orders, and where an order goes. Then we build a first version for a few machine types, with scanning, drawing and positions, because that is where the biggest gain lies. A few engineers or customers use it for a while. More machines, ordering with prices and stock, offline working and the integrations follow once that goes well. After that, we maintain the app as your machines or systems change.
Drawings and serial numbers.
Scanning and positions.
Price, stock, work order.
Go-live, monitoring, and maintenance when things change.
What an exploded-view parts ordering app actually does
The features below appear in almost every parts ordering app. Which ones you need depends on your machines and who is ordering.
Scanning
QR code or serial number.
Drawings
Per machine and version.
Positions
Tap to see the item.
Order
Or in the work order.
Offline
Even without signal.
History
What was replaced before.
Who we build an exploded-view parts ordering app for
The app is intended for companies whose engineers or customers order parts for machines with many variants. The more machines and engineers, the greater the return.
Manufacturers
Parts for customers.
Dealers
Engineers on the road.
Landlords
Own equipment.
Clients
Ordering themselves.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we make your idea tangible in a single day for €1,150, so you know whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we deduct the cost in full.
View OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about the app used at the machine. For managing drawings and orders in the office, see our page on exploded-view and parts ordering software, for service parts in general our page on service parts software, and for car parts our page on the TecDoc app. You can read about our approach on custom software development.
Why Appfront for your exploded-view parts ordering app?
A wrong part, a return or a machine that stays out of action a day longer because the engineer could not find the right drawing costs a service company money and tests a customer's patience. That is what we build on: the drawing of exactly this machine, tapping a position instead of reading it off, and ordering where the part is needed.
Right part
No wrong position.
Faster ordering
At the machine itself.
Fewer calls
With the parts department.
Security and privacy in an exploded-view parts ordering app
The app contains drawings, prices and customer data. Access is set up per role: a customer only sees their own machines and their own prices, an engineer sees the machines on their work orders, and every order is recorded with name and time.
Data on the device is stored encrypted, and the back end runs in a European data centre with encrypted storage and daily backups. Manufacturers' drawings stay within the app and cannot simply be downloaded.
Frequently asked questions about an exploded-view parts ordering app
Questions that manufacturers and dealers ask before they get started.
At the machine, it opens the drawing that belongs to exactly that machine. The user taps a position to see the article number, description, stock and price, and can order the part straight away or add it to a work order.
The software is for the office: managing drawings, linking positions to articles and processing orders. The app is for the technician or customer at the machine: scan, tap and order, even without a signal. They work together on the same data.
Via a QR code or barcode on the machine, or by typing in the serial number. The app looks up the year of manufacture and the configuration, so only the drawings and parts that belong to that machine appear.
Yes. The drawings of the machines the technician is working on are stored on the device, and an order is sent as soon as there is a connection again.
Usually, yes. We convert drawings from your drawing package or from PDFs into drawings with tappable positions, and we link the positions to your articles. We look at the best way to do that in the first step.
Yes. A customer gets access to their own machines, with their own prices, and orders directly. The order arrives in your ERP or webshop, so your parts department processes it like any other.
For manufacturers, dealers and service companies with many machines and configurations, and technicians or customers who order parts regularly. If you have only a few machine types and rarely order, a good parts list will do.
The right part, ordered at the machine?
Tell us how your technicians or customers currently search for and order parts. We'll show you how the app can handle that.