Transformation of High-value Automotive Data Keeps Mitchell1 in the Driver’s Seat

Mitchell1 is the leading provider of software that is designed to help technicians perform vehicle diagnostics, track maintenance, estimate labor costs, and perform a wide range of other tasks related to automotive repair. Mitchell1’s repair manuals are the most sought-after guidebooks across independent repair shops, service stations, automobile dealerships, educational institutions, and libraries.

Challenge Transform Millions of Pages of Auto Repair Documentation

As more automotive shops have become automated, delivering updated information digitally to mechanics on the shop floor and via mobile devices has become a competitive necessity.

Mitchell1 faced the challenge of digitizing a five million page backlog, from over 90 years in business, to make the information more accessible to its automotive industry customers.  The information was locked inside PDFs and print manuals, making it an unsearchable and disorganized digital repository.

Meanwhile, page count was increasing monthly and the onshore cost of transforming subject matter expert (SME) specific data was prohibitive. In short, if the company didn’t find a way to efficiently manage this content, it risked losing its position as the market leader.

Solution Creating a Custom, Offshore SME-Intensive Operation

Lacking the resources for such a massive content transformation project, as well as the requisite knowledge to create effective digital workflows, Mitchell1 approached Aptara searching for a cost-effective way to transform its content and maintain its quality.  Working with an executive management team charged to lead the initiative, Aptara’s team of automotive industry SMEs and XML and SGML experts developed an offshore operation tailored to meet Mitchell 1’s specific business needs.

After a knowledge transfer session with Mitchell1 that included on-site training, the Aptara team began building the infrastructure to support the project.  A Citrix-based, point-to-point network was established between New Delhi and San Diego and QA and error analysis teams were created to ensure data accuracy. SMEs with automotive industry backgrounds then created metadata by mining full-text transcription data from leading automobile manufacturer sites. They wrote captions for images converted from print, marked-up diagnostic information from the repair manuals and created customized, digital diagnostic manuals. When necessary, the SMEs also rewrote selected text from the automotive manufacturers.

Results Fine-tuning Mitchell 1’s High Performance Revenue Engines

Aptara has converted more than 4.5 million pages for Mitchell1, enabling the company to clear its entire backlog of non-digitized content. The widespread distribution and repurposing of the digitized content has helped Mitchell 1 retain its position as the premier provider of information solutions for automotive repair professionals. Moreover, the company has taken advantage of Aptara’s capability to author original content for its website and expanded its service offerings. Offering these new revenue streams – at a significantly lower labor cost – has enabled Mitchell1 to significantly improve its profit margins. For Aptara – which continues to handle 100% of Mitchell 1’s conversion needs – this project serves as another example of its ability to help content-intensive companies efficiently and affordably meet the demands of their marketplace.