An e-catalog allows SMC Corp.of America to efficiently present its complex product line to manufacturing customers.

By Alicia Orr Suman

SMC used to spend $30 a piece to build about 400 custom computer-aided design (CAD) models a month for its customers — amounting to a whopping $12,000 each month in extra expenses. Making matters worse, customers ended up with catalogs comprised of hundreds of pages filled with part numbers and product photos. But to make their design decisions, customers often required more specific data in the form of 2-D and 3-D CAD drawings — thus their need for individualized CAD designs.