Case Study: Bombardier improves technical documentation and parts catalog management with Bluestream XDocs DITA CCMS

Bombardier - Integrating Technical Documentation and Illustrated Parts Catalogs with the Manufacturing Suite

The customer, Bombardier Transportation, a major rail transport manufacturer, faced a labor-intensive challenge in managing its complex technical documentation and Illustrated Parts Catalogs (IPCs) from disparate sources. For years, their publications team could not garner executive buy-in to transition from traditional tools to a structured authoring system, as conventional efficiency benefits were not sufficiently persuasive.

The vendor, Bluestream, provided a solution using its XDocs DITA CCMS and Manufacturing Suite. This platform created a single database to manage and publish all content, integrating Bills of Materials from ERP systems and parts diagrams from CAD systems. The solution enabled the quick publication of online IPCs linked to ordering systems, which was projected to increase after-market parts sales by 10%—a significant revenue boost—while also reducing support costs.

Bombardier