New Article for The Seybold Report
September 3, 2004
I wrote an article for the most recent Seybold Report about an effort by power tool company DeWALT to automate their catalog production process by using XML. The following is a brief excerpt from the article, which is only available by subscription.
DeWALT Industrial Tool Company of Baltimore manufactures and markets high-performance power tools and accessories for woodworking. A growing company with a growing product line, DeWALT's tools are used in residential and industrial construction, professional remodeling and woodworking. Chances are, you have a DeWALT power tool or two in your workshop, and it's almost certain that something in your home was built with DeWALT tools.
In the early days of the company, DeWALT produced a single, all-purpose product, the universal woodworking machine known as the "DeWALT Wonder-Worker." Times have changed since the 1920s, of course, and woodworking has changed along with it. DeWALT now makes more than 200 specialized machines, with more than 800 accessories and thousands of parts.
It's no wonder that for a product company such as DeWALT, timely and efficient production of catalogs has been an increasing challenge. In recent years, as the
product line grew, DeWALT found itself doing more tailored and segmented marketing. As a result, the company's small graphics department has had to produce more catalogs tailored to different markets and audiences. This targeted marketing has led DeWALT to look even more closely at automating and gaining efficiency in the catalog production process.
Posted by Bill Trippe at September 3, 2004 8:23 PM
