Universal Classification

Advantages for enterprises and employees

Optimize the organization of master data with a universal classification system
Speed up the development process and support systems engineering
Use class lists of characteristics to reduce parts variety and costs – use object plans for visual support when searching for parts

Improve the organization of your master data with an extremely powerful classification system

Master data organization is one of the key tasks of product development. It makes use of various methods that categorize product data and/or information objects in object categories or higher-level class systems. Universal Classification provides you with a powerful mechanism for the characteristics-based organization not just of parts but of all data objects. Group together articles, components and modules as well as documents, products, projects and references systematically in characteristics-based classes and optimize the transparency of your data.

Reduce the effort involved in data maintenance with characteristics inheritance
Classify your data objects into groups of similar or associated characteristics-based within a hierarchically structured characteristics catalog. At the same time, characteristics inheritance ensures uniform naming within a class hierarchy. This cuts the time you need to perform data maintenance, reduces redundancies and improves the efficiency of characteristics-based search queries.

Characteristics inheritance ensures uniform naming within a class hierarchy

Speed up your development process and support innovative methods such as systems engineering

Use CONTACT Elements Universal Classification to cut your search times and lay the cornerstone for innovative development methods such as systems engineering: Universal Classification permits the functional classification of product data and consequently also feature-driven product development – a vital element of systems engineering. Your developers will find parts located together in intelligent groupings when defining the solution space and modeling product variability – for example, connecting elements made from a given material – and documents and projects can be retrieved in the shortest possible time. Universal Classification enables accelerated parts searches and opens up a range of additional possibilities for taking full advantage of this powerful mechanism.

Department-specific views of product data with multiple classification
Universal Classification helps you maximize the efficiency of your data organization. Multiple classification allows you to map specific views. This means that you can depict product data to meet the needs of your technical, service and sales departments. For example, you can add sales information to articles in order to optimize marketing activities regardless of their release status – which usually precludes further changes – or reassess mechatronic components for use in different applications as required. In addition, constraints allow you to define valid or invalid attribute combinations and exclude unwanted combinations. Formulas, rules and calculations make even complex operations possible during the classification process.

One article – two views: at the top, information for the sales department – at the bottom, the technical features

Reduce parts variety and costs and benefit from visual support when searching for parts

Parts classification using class lists of characteristics (CLC) is a proven standard based on DIN 4000/4001/4002. This involves mapping characteristics – e.g. functional, geometrical and physical – using characteristics groups. Your developers can make use of the parametric CAD integration to derive components directly from templates in the CAD system based on the characteristic values of classified articles taken from the 3D models. If a developer creates a new parts master record together with characteristics, then the associated 3D geometry and drawings are automatically available. Universal Classification provides you with the basis for finding parts as quickly as possible, achieving a high reuse rate, reducing part diversity, and thus lowering purchasing and storage costs.

Intuitive browsing of the parts inventory using the graphical object plan
Parts searches are further accelerated through the visual display of all web browser-compatible CLC contents in the graphical object plan. As an alternative form of navigation to conventional folder structures, the visually assisted search for components speeds up the identification of required parts by permitting intuitive browsing through the parts inventory.