Any machine sold in Europe must comply with the Machinery Directive. This Directive also states that the machine manufacturer must supply an instruction manual.
For many, however, a machine instruction manual doesn’t make for inspiring reading. Who will really sit down and look through it? People prefer to unpack the machine and start using it right away. Still, a manual is important: you can’t cover a machine with stickers showing how to perform this or that operation.
Alongside preventing damage, accidents, and personal injury, following the instruction manual means you’re more informed about how to operate, look after, and repair the machine. In other words, the instruction manual lets you use the machine safely and successfully.
The manual is an important document and should be delivered together with the machine.
Fundex Equipment, a manufacturer of pile drivers and foundation machines, contacted us after their technical writer left employment. The head of the engineering department was at a loss and thought: ‘We’ve been making the same machine for so many years... this is the last thing we needed.’ But no two machines are the same, and each customer wants the machine customised to their needs. As the head of the engineering department realised he didn’t have time for the all-important manual, he asked whether VIRO could provide people who could help to write manuals.
VIRO has plenty of experience in writing procedures and work instructions. Our visit to the customer, Fundex Equipment, reassured them that we had the right skills. We agreed that we would work a few days a week on the customer’s premises and the rest at VIRO’s Beverwijk office. We found that several technical writers had been working on the manuals, which sometimes made the instructions difficult to understand. We were able to simplify the text in the instruction manuals without losing the essence of the instruction. We also created a clear template for future manuals.
‘Made thanks to a pleasant and effective partnership between Fundex and VIRO.’
- J. Hermes, Fundex Equipment
Ultimately, an instruction manual is more than just a piece of paper: it’s a guide to safety, efficiency, and satisfaction, both for manufacturers and users.
