From historically evolved workflows to a unified documentation organisation

SCHAKO KG, a manufacturer of components and systems for ventilation and air conditioning technology with a focus on solutions for buildings and industrial applications, set out in 2024 to professionalise their technical documentation by defining standardised cross-site processes, clarifying responsibilities and introducing a CCMS (component content management system) as the basis for modular content.

kothes supported SCHAKO throughout this journey – from the structured assessment of the current situation and the selection of a suitable authoring system through to the implementation of the Paligo system from the manufacturer of the same name, including a proof of concept.

The initial situation

The creation of documentation was heavily shaped by historically evolved workflows. Content was created in Word and FrameMaker, revisions came from Product Management, and implementation was carried out in Design Engineering. At the same time, there was no overarching concept that brought together the requirements of SCHAKO’s two sites in Germany and Spain.

• The consequences were clearly visible in day-to-day operations:

• Inconsistent processes between Germany and Spain

• Frequent feedback about missing information in the technical documentation

• No standardised editorial process with clearly defined responsibilities

• A growing need to adapt content more closely to users and to new digital channels

SCHAKO therefore wanted to put its technical writing team on a professional footing with standardised processes across sites and an authoring system as the foundation.

The task

At its core, the project focused on three objectives:

• Establishing standardised, cross-site processes with clear roles, responsibilities and workflows

• Selecting and implementing a CCMS that meets SCHAKO requirements, can be used decentrally and provides the basis for modular, audience-specific content

• Structuring content and information products more consistently from the user perspective

The proof of concept (PoC) provided the necessary basis for making a sound decision on the future use of Paligo.

The approach

1) Structuring the selection process and safeguarding the decision

kothes supported SCHAKO in selecting a CCMS through a tailored workshop involving tech writing staff from Germany and Spain, Project Management, Marketing and Product Management – and, of course, ourselves. The aim of the workshop was to assess the current state, define objectives, derive fields of action and develop a roadmap. In an additional workshop, the team also defined the test scenarios for assessing the shortlisted systems realistically.

The outcome: SCHAKO selected Paligo as the most suitable CCMS, above all because of its cloud-based architecture, collaborative capabilities, flexible publishing options for PDF, Word and HTML as well as its automation features.

2) Proof of Concept 2025: Bringing together content, processes and organisation

kothes supported the implementation and the PoC with a clear focus on day-to-day practicality:

• Support in defining a migration concept for the most efficient possible transfer of existing content from Word and FrameMaker

• A modularisation workshop for deriving a concept for audience-specific structuring as well as to define future information products and the content required

• A process workshop for defining a clear workflow and clearly assigned responsibilities for new or revised requests

• Support with an internal stakeholder survey to assess the new workflow and the acceptance of Paligo

• Regular participation in the weekly operational meetings and the company-wide stakeholder meetings throughout the year

In doing so, we also lived up to our own standard of responding flexibly at all times to the needs, wishes and changing circumstances of our customers.

3) Managing critical phases and staying on course

As the project progressed, the timeframe became particularly critical: The Paligo licence was initially limited to one year, which meant that a decision on continued use had to be made by the end of November. During this phase, kothes provided SCHAKO with intensive support in the editorial implementation of the first part of the PoC in order to keep the project moving forward purposefully and to enable a well-founded strategic decision for the future documentation set-up. In this way, SCHAKO was able to create the basis for decision-making on time.

The decision was then made in good time in November 2025: Paligo was confirmed as the right CCMS and the management approved its continuation. A decisive factor was that Paligo would become the central platform for product-related information, thereby giving Technical Documentation greater organisational independence and subject-matter responsibility. The support provided by kothes as a methodological partner in the first two quarters of 2026, together with the progress made in modularisation, also convinced the management team. A major success for the Technical Documentation department.

“With Paligo and the new processes, our Technical Documentation department has reached a completely new level: We now have clear roles, transparent workflows and a platform where everyone works together. Changes and new requirements are now channelled properly through the request portal, we can reuse content in a targeted way and deliver it appropriately for different audiences. kothes helped us turn many isolated activities into a professional, future-ready documentation organisation,” says Nicole Eisl, Head of Technical Documentation at SCHAKO.

What was achieved

Over the course of the collaboration between kothes and SCHAKO, key foundations were laid for the future of their technical documentation:

• Together, a cross-site and cross-language team was established that works openly, trustfully and in a self-organised way. This new form of collaboration represents the greatest lasting success, as it creates a professional basis for all future activities.

• The introduction of Paligo was comprehensively tested from a professional, technical and organisational perspective. The system demonstrated its future viability impressively, and all operational tasks involved in creating technical documentation are now successfully managed via the new platform.

• Important processes were revised, streamlined and clearly defined. Workflows and responsibilities are now clearly regulated, and the principle of modularisation ensures a flexible, efficient and scalable documentation structure.

• Another central success factor was the introduction of a request portal: All requests for changes to or the creation of technical documents can now be managed in a structured, prioritised and process-reliable way.

• New personas were developed and their requirements systematically integrated into the documentation concept.

• The foundation for continuous improvement was established with clear KPIs such as the reuse rate and the implementation time for necessary changes, making the efficiency of the new solution objectively measurable.

• The strategic direction was also set jointly: Thanks to the successful pilot phase and transparent results, the management team decided in favour of a 36-month use of Paligo.

The benefit for SCHAKO

The project with kothes has fundamentally changed many things for SCHAKO:

Today, the Technical Documentation department works according to clearly defined processes and responsibilities. This makes work significantly more predictable for everyone involved and ensures smooth collaboration, even across different countries and sites. With Paligo, SCHAKO can now maintain its content modularly and tailor it flexibly to the needs of different target groups. This not only accelerates processes, but also noticeably improves the quality and relevance of the documents. Thanks to the close, hands-on support provided by kothes – through consultancy, workshops and operational assistance – SCHAKO was able at all times, even during challenging phases, to make key decisions with confidence and to continue consistently along the chosen path.

The result: SCHAKO now benefits from more transparent processes, a future-ready systems landscape and technical documentation that makes a sustainable contribution to business success.

The collaboration is continuing in 2026: kothes trained the new editorial team in the fundamentals of documentation creation, including legal principles and content requirements. In addition, kothes is supporting the development of further document types through training on the job – with practical assistance, conceptual guidance and quality assurance.