Customers seeking a technical product do not always know its exact name. They may provide a manufacturer’s code, an old reference or only a technical property. Different brands may have equivalent products, and a reference may change over time.
Searching a catalogue in that situation requires more than matching words. In this project, laboratory references, technical information and customer requests lived in different places. Finding the right item relied on experienced employees’ knowledge.
Redefining product identity
A conventional catalogue stores a product under one name and code. Here, a product could have several reference codes, an old and a new code, equivalent-product relationships, technical properties and related documents.
We therefore treated it as a network of related data, not a single row.
Connecting search with the request
Users could search by a known reference or technical property. When they found a matching product, the customer request opened on that product record. The team could trace which request had been matched to which product through which reference.
Why advanced search alone was insufficient
A search engine can only find relationships represented in its data. If equivalent products or old and new codes are not connected in the model, a more powerful search box cannot guarantee the right result.
We established those relationships first, then built the search experience on top of them. Organizing the information behind the screen came before improving the screen itself.
Use and evidence
The reference-matching, catalogue and request-management system has remained active for more than eight years. Products and codes can change over that time; the durable part is a model that permits new relationships and improvements to existing data.
The client, product brands, codes and customer details are withheld. This account is grounded in the matching, catalogue and request workflow and the use period.
Where else might this need arise?
- Laboratory and medical products
- Automotive and machinery spare parts
- Electrical and electronic components
- Industrial consumables
- Technical suppliers dealing with equivalent products
If one customer code prompts several employees to search for the right item, the underlying issue may be the relationship between product records rather than catalogue design. Engin Sistem connects product information, search and requests in one workflow.
Common questions
How is reference matching different from product search? Simple search finds a product name. Matching considers manufacturer codes, old and new numbers, equivalents and technical properties as relationships around the same product.
Can existing spreadsheet lists be imported? Usually, but duplicates, conflicts and missing relationships should be reviewed first. Importing unclean data would carry the same confusion into the new system.
Can a customer request become a quote? Depending on the workflow, yes. Once product, quantity, customer and price are approved, the record can move into a quote or order process.