Sheffer Corporation Sees Leads Convert to Dollars with 3D Part Catalog from PARTsolutions

Milford, OH — Aug. 9, 2011 — PARTsolutions, LLC, a global provider of 3D part catalogs for manufacturers and enterprises, and Sheffer Corporation, a leading cylinder manufacturer, today announce the completion of a 3D part catalog and interactive configurator, which are combining to substantially increase sales, while drastically shortening the design cycles of its customers.

“At Sheffer we embrace a corporate philosophy where the end-user always comes first, so after receiving feedback that our engineering customers prefer to work digitally, we wanted to make resources available that improve and simplify the design process,” said Randy Logsdon, vice president and COO, The Sheffer Corporation. “Our 3D part catalog is truly an investment in our customers, as they are just as critical to Sheffer’s success as our product innovations.”

Powered by PARTcatalog, Sheffer’s 3D part catalog contains more than a billion orderable parts, ranging from heavy-duty hydraulic cylinders, tie-rod cylinders and telescopic cylinders to custom hydraulic cylinders, NFPA cylinders and linear pneumatic actuators of all types and sizes. Using a complex configurator, customers can graphically configure components with the sizes, features and colors they need in more than eight million different combinations. Calculations are quickly and easily completed “behind the scenes” and, once configured, the system creates high-quality, native CAD data that can be downloaded in 3D native CAD and instantly inserted into the designs of customers like Lockheed Martin and NASA.

Previously, customers would have to contact Sheffer directly or through a distributor and explain to an engineer what they needed. The engineer would then develop a concept or design and send it to the customer, which could take up to a week. Today, customers simply plug in their parameters and criteria to instantly locate and download the parts they need. This automation not only results in a superior customer experience, but also frees up substantial time and resources among the Sheffer engineering team, which allows them to narrow their focus to innovation and quality in product designs.

“Sheffer’s commitment to quality and innovation, combined with its ability and willingness to create oneof-kind solutions led the company to seek out the very best CAD-native 3D product configurator technology,” said Jay Hopper, president of PARTsolutions. “As Sheffer’s partner, we’re thrilled to see that after only two months, its 3D part catalog is already paying dividends to the company and its customers.”

Sheffer chose PARTsolutions as its technology partner after evaluating three vendors. PARTsolutions was selected due to the ease of use and of its PARTcatalog solution.