Transforming a Fastener Catalogue into an Interactive, Downloadable CAD Library

When a fast-growing industrial fastener manufacturer approached us, they were facing a problem we see all too often: a product catalogue that wasn’t keeping pace with their sales process. Despite having hundreds of SKUs across threaded inserts, rivets, and specialty fasteners, their engineers and distributors were still working with PDFs, static datasheets, and back-and-forth emails to get the right CAD files. This not only slowed down quoting and design conversations — it created friction at the earliest, most critical point of the buying cycle.

They needed a way to make their components easier to discover, specify, and download — without overhauling their entire IT stack or building a custom configurator from scratch.

From Fragmented Files to a Centralized CAD Experience

We worked closely with their product and sales teams to set up DATUM. The first priority was digitizing their most frequently sold SKUs and building out structured metadata for each part. Within weeks, they had over 300 parts published in a clean, searchable online library.

The engineering team especially appreciated our Product Variant Configurator, which let them define parametric versions of key fasteners — like size, thread pitch, and material — all tied to a single master model. Instead of uploading dozens of separate models, they could now offer real-time configuration with live 3D previews, reducing file clutter and support requests.

Making Sales Faster — and Smarter

With DATUM, their sales reps no longer needed to act as file couriers. Customers could self-serve CAD files in the format they preferred — SolidWorks, STEP, IGES, or others — directly from the product page. Our Multi-Format CAD Downloader and Interactive 3D Viewer made this experience both simple and visually accurate.

Internally, their team used the Document Space to consolidate technical specs, compliance datasheets, and marketing PDFs — making it easier to send out complete, standardized product information during RFQs.

Results: Fewer Emails, Faster Quotes, and More Confident Buyers

Since going live with DATUM, the manufacturer has seen a measurable shift in how engineers and procurement teams engage with their parts. Here’s what’s changed:

• 300+ parts digitized and made CAD-accessible in under four weeks

• 70% reduction in incoming CAD file requests to the support team

• Faster quoting cycles, with sales using DATUM to send complete part packages in minutes

• Increased BOM-level visibility, as buyers can now configure and export directly from the design environment

As one of their senior engineers put it: “We used to spend hours each week just sending out files. Now our customers download exactly what they need — and sales happens much faster.”

Built for Teams That Don’t Have Time to Wait

This project reaffirmed why DATUM exists. Most MSMEs don’t have the resources to build enterprise-grade configurators — but they shouldn’t have to choose between technical depth and speed to market.

With DATUM, this fastener manufacturer didn’t need a dedicated IT department or months of integration work. They needed a tool that was built for manufacturers, easy to roll out, and powerful enough to change how they’re specified at the design stage. That’s exactly what we delivered.

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