General Archives

I'm going to be a technical editor - now more than ever!

I'm going to be a technical editor - now more than ever!

The job description of a technical writer seems less attractive to many school leavers, the number of students on degree courses is falling - and at the same time, the shortage of skilled workers is becoming increasingly apparent. This is precisely why there is enormous potential in this career! Silent heroes of digitalization Technical editors are the silent heroes of digitalization. They make complex content understandable, write precise instructions and [...]

Volker Granacher2025-05-07T14:48:14+02:0007.05.2025|Kategorien: General, Technical Communication, Training|Tags: profession, digitization, technical writer, tekom, training|0 Comments

Create plant documentation and make it available digitally

Create plant documentation and make it available digitally

The systems used in today's industrial landscape are becoming ever more extensive and complex. Comprehensible, clear and structured plant documentation is essential. It not only ensures compliance with legal requirements, but also contributes to efficiency and safety in operation. Digital provision makes it easier for plant operators to access information for training, service and other [...]

Olaf Dömer2025-04-09T16:49:12+02:0009.04.2025|Kategorien: General, Consulting, Standards and directives|Tags: Plant documentation, Electronic spare parts system, EU Machinery Directive 2023/1230, EU Directive 2006/42/EC, IEC 82079-3|0 Comments

Round Table on COSIMA and SCHEMA ST4

Round Table on COSIMA and SCHEMA ST4

How can editorial processes be made more efficient? What automation options do COSIMA and SCHEMA ST4 offer? These and many other questions were the focus of the round table events at our company. Numerous users of COSIMA and SCHEMA ST4 attended two round table events at tecteam. Together with employees from the manufacturers, they experienced events full of exciting discussions and [...]

Heinz-Günter Halstenberg2025-02-25T15:59:47+02:0025.02.2025|Kategorien: General, News and Events|Tags: User Forum, Cosima, docufy, Quanos, Round Table, Schema ST4|0 Comments

Legal aspects of the editorial use of artificial intelligence

Legal aspects of the editorial use of artificial intelligence

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been available to the general public since around 2022. Until now, there has been a large legal gray area, only a few laws and very few judgments relating to the use of artificial intelligence. However, this has already changed in the EU thanks to the EU AI Regulation. Some regulations will soon come into effect and must be observed and [...]

Christian Fahn2025-10-09T09:25:13+02:0016.01.2025|Kategorien: General|Tags: AI, EU regulation, AI regulation, Artificial intelligence, Legal aspects, Everyday editorial work, Risk|0 Comments

The use of AI systems and the shift to high-risk products

The use of AI systems and the shift to high-risk products

The use of AI systems is already an objective for the near future in many areas of mechanical and plant engineering. However, a 2020 report by the European Commission found that the current product safety legislation at the time, including in relation to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, had a number of gaps with regard to safety risks in [...]

Heinz-Günter Halstenberg2024-12-12T13:53:52+02:0028.11.2024|Kategorien: General, Standards and directives, Technical communication|Tags: hazard potential, high-risk product, AI, AI system, conformity assessment, Machinery Directive, Machinery Ordinance, risk assessment, risk management|0 Comments

Summary of changes in EU law and implications for technical documentation

Summary of changes in EU law and implications for technical documentation

A number of new EU directives and regulations have been published in recent months, which also place requirements on technical documentation. In view of the numerous changes, it is not easy to keep track of everything. In this blog article, I will give you a quick insight into the upcoming developments. Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 The new Product Safety Regulation comes into force on 13.12.2024 [...]

Olaf Dömer2024-10-11T09:57:12+02:0016.09.2024|Kategorien: General, Standards and directives, Technical communication|Tags: Battery passport, Battery Ordinance, Machinery Ordinance, Ecodesign Ordinance, Product Safety Ordinance, Repair|0 Comments

How do I explain it to the AI? - Prompt engineering for Excel programming

How do I explain it to the AI? - Prompt engineering for Excel programming

Some even want to turn it into an apprenticeship. This is certainly an exaggeration, but prompt engineering should not be underestimated. If you proceed correctly, GPT-4 is a great help and you can save a lot of time. GPT-4 helped me to create an Excel VB program. This opportunity also showed me what you can do with [...]

Christian Fahn2025-04-03T09:19:03+02:0013.08.2024|Kategorien: General, Working at tecteam, Technical Communication, Outside the box|Tags: AI, ChatGPT, Excel, GPT-4, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Project, Prompt, Prompting, Visual Basic|0 comments

Are you a translator? Then use your language skills and become a technical editor

Are you a translator? Then use your language skills and become a technical editor

Skills shortage as an opportunity: lateral entry into technical documentation In times of skills shortages, many industries are struggling to fill vacancies - a problem that naturally also affects technical documentation. So what do you do if there are no technical writers available on the job market? Exactly - train them yourself! As the market leader for training and [...]

Heinz-Günter Halstenberg2025-05-15T08:53:45+02:0018.07.2024|Kategorien: General, News from the educational institute|Tags: language competence, tekom certificate, tekom certification, translator, translator, further education|0 Comments

Technical documentation in the age of AI and IoT - mandatory becomes optional

Technical documentation in the age of AI and IoT - mandatory becomes optional

It all started with the Product Liability Act, which first stipulated in 1989 that the safe operation of products must be guaranteed in every respect. This was followed in 1993 by the Machinery Directive, which explicitly stipulated this requirement for machinery and plant engineering. After a transitional period of 2 years, the Machinery Directive became a mandatory basis for manufacturers and [...]

Volker Granacher2024-05-15T14:50:41+02:0025.04.2024|Kategorien: General, Consulting, Technical communication|Tags: Improver, DIN ISO 82079, Internet of Things, IoT, Machinery Directive, Mandatory fulfiller, Product Liability Act|0 Comments

Time travel into the past

Time travel into the past

I recently took a trip back in time. By chance, I got my hands on a set of instructions that I created around 20 years ago for a Cobi (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConferenceBike). I still have fond memories of the research and creation of the instructions. At the time, it was the company's first and only product and [...]