Industry:
Machinery Manufacturing (Greenhouse Roof Washers, Chalking Machines, and Repair Facilities)

Location:
Hazerswoude, The Netherlands

Customer Needs:
Compliant user manual creation and content management for various machines.

Overview

Since its founding in 1989, Van der Waay has been a global leader in the manufacturing of greenhouse roof washers, chalking machines, and repair facilities for the horticultural sector. Their innovative solutions are used worldwide to clean, coat, and maintain greenhouses.

Despite fierce competition, Van der Waay distinguishes itself by delivering top-quality, detailed user manuals with every product, ensuring the safe and efficient operation of their machines. These manuals have become essential guides for operators globally, enhancing productivity and minimizing operational risks.

However, as their machinery range expanded, so did their need for a scalable and legally compliant documentation process. Since 2014, INSTRKTIV has partnered with Van der Waay to address these challenges and create user manuals that give them a competitive advantage.

The Challenge

Van der Waay faced several documentation issues as its product range grew:

• Workload: Tom Zwanenburg, their Sales Manager, was tasked with creating manuals in addition to his other responsibilities, causing strain on resources.
• Visual Inconsistency: Their manuals relied heavily on photos rather than more effective line illustrations, which affected their professional look and feel.
• Content Management: The manuals were created in Adobe InDesign without a single-source management system, making updates and maintenance inefficient.
• Compliance and Safety Risks: The manuals did not fully comply with the EU Machinery Directive, and risk-reducing measures from safety assessments were not fully implemented.

These challenges led to a pressing need for streamlined processes, legal compliance, and improved safety measures in their manuals.

The Solution

INSTRKTIV provided Van der Waay with comprehensive support to meet their documentation needs. Typically, INSTRKTIV collaborates with clients using a content management system (CMS) to efficiently create, modify, and reuse content. This setup allows seamless collaboration between stakeholders and ensures compliance with all relevant legal frameworks.

However, due to specific circumstances, a traditional CMS was not suitable for Van der Waay. INSTRKTIV devised an alternative solution that offers the same benefits without the need for extensive content migration.

Lennard van der Meij, Technical Writer and Usability Expert at INSTRKTIV, developed a fully functional content management system within Google Workspace. This system was tailored to Van der Waay’s unique needs and offered the following benefits:

• Modular Content Creation: Using Google Docs and Sheets, Lennard designed a catalogue of interconnected content elements. This setup allowed for fast content creation and easy reuse of elements across multiple manuals.
• Consistency in Safety Warnings: The system significantly improved consistency, particularly for safety warnings. For example, when updating safety warnings about fall protection, the change could be automatically reflected across all manuals.
• Template-Driven Efficiency: The solution also included templates for general content that could be easily applied to all manuals, improving efficiency and allowing for quick adjustments for specific machines.
• Seamless Collaboration: Text and illustrations were easily migrated from Google Workspace to Adobe InDesign, ensuring alignment for optimal print design.

Results

Van der Waay’s collaboration with INSTRKTIV has resulted in significant improvements across their documentation processes:

• Sales Impact: In sales meetings, dropping a thick, detailed user manual on the table leaves prospective customers impressed. At trade fairs, highlighting their detailed installation, operations, and maintenance instructions has given them a clear competitive edge, helping them secure deals.
• Improved Content Creation Efficiency:
• 34% more efficient content creation.
• 40% improved safety and compliance.
• 54% enhanced end-user experience.
• 43% reduction in support requests.

Testimonials

Marcel Koolmees, CEO at Van der Waay:
“Creating comprehensive, legally compliant manuals for our expanding range of machines was overwhelming. We needed a partner we could trust to take this off our hands so we could focus on what we do best—building world-class machines.”

Lennard van der Meij, Technical Writer and Usability Expert at INSTRKTIV:
“At the start of our collaboration, we couldn’t have anticipated the large number of manuals we would be creating together. Now, several years later, we see the impact that one small content change can have on all previous manuals.”

Ferry Vermeulen, Owner at INSTRKTIV:
“I still remember the first call with Tom more than 10 years ago. He was precise about his needs. I have written the very first manual for them myself.”

Tom Zwanenburg, Sales Manager at Van der Waay:
"Whenever we present our manuals to clients, they’re impressed. It's become a key selling point for us, demonstrating our commitment to quality and safety."

Conclusion

Van der Waay's commitment to creating detailed, user-friendly, and compliant manuals has played a pivotal role in their market success. By working closely with INSTRKTIV, they have streamlined their manual creation process and set themselves apart from competitors.

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