Quanos

Based in Nuremberg, Quanos develops software for technical documentation and after-sales. Known as SCHEMA GmbH until 2020, the company’s best-known product is the SCHEMA ST4 component content management system. In August 2024, Quanos acquired Fischer Information Technology from Radolfzell, the developer of the TIM component content management system. Since then, the group reports serving around 1,400 customers worldwide.

Products

• SCHEMA ST4: an XML-based component content management system (CCMS) for operating instructions, manuals, data sheets and catalogues. Content is maintained and translated in small, reusable components and published in multiple formats. ST4 is available as a cloud solution or for on-premises installation.
• Quanos SIS.one: a spare parts catalogue system that can be extended into a spare parts shop.
• Quanos InfoTwin or IQ Platform: connects documentation, spare parts and service data to create a digital information twin for service and after-sales.
• plusmeta: AI-powered tagging of technical content.
• TIM and TIM connect: a component content management system and PIM acquired through Fischer Information Technology. Quanos no longer offers either to new customers. Existing customers continue to receive support and can gradually migrate to SCHEMA ST4 or Quanos InfoTwin. See the Fischer Information profile for more details.

Is ST4 a PIM?

Only to a limited extent. Since 2012, ST4 has also managed product data such as attributes and variants used to create instructions, data sheets and catalogues. This provides a strong foundation for the technical aspects of a product. What it lacks are the typical capabilities of a marketing and e-commerce PIM: enrichment for sales, syndication to online shops and marketplaces, content syndication and digital shelf capabilities. We therefore list Quanos under “Technical documentation (CCMS)” in our filter, rather than as a PIM.

Strengths and limitations

• Strengths: technical documentation and product data in a single model, powerful variant and translation management, a large installed base in mechanical engineering, vehicle manufacturing and electrical engineering, and integration with spare parts and service processes.
• Limitations: the focus is on technical authoring. Marketing copy, online shops and marketplaces usually require an additional PIM integrated with ST4. Implementation and operation require expertise in structured documentation.

Who is Quanos suited to?

Manufacturers of complex products that require detailed explanations and have their own technical documentation team, for example in machinery and plant engineering. It is also relevant to existing Fischer TIM customers: Quanos continues to support TIM and offers a gradual migration to ST4. Companies that primarily need product data for sales and e-commerce should combine ST4 with a PIM. Our overview of PIM vendors shows which systems could be suitable.