Digital Transition
Index
Advantages offered by technologies in the field of digital transition
In every phase of our work alongside the customer, we use the most advanced digital techniques to catalog and document every information and iconographic aspect of the material, through the use of the latest three-dimensional digital technologies, colorimetry, and algorithms for evaluating and comparing products to the standards we set.
The process of purchasing marble blocks
As better described in the PURCHASE PROCESS , there are many complex aspects to be considered by the buyer in order to be satisfied with the purchase made.
The process of purchasing marble blocks can be optimized using the advanced digital technologies offered by Marengold.
â–ª Cataloging and documentation: The advanced digital technologies used by Marengold help to efficiently catalog and document the information and images of the material, making it easier for the buyer to find and evaluate the available options.
â–ª Evaluation and comparison: The digital technologies used by Marengold, such as colorimetry and evaluation and comparison algorithms, help to compare products against established standards, making it easier for the buyer to determine the quality of the product.
â–ª Accessibility: The digital technology used by Marengold makes it easier for the buyer to access and evaluate the material, even if it is located in a remote location. This is particularly useful if the value of the purchase you intend to make cannot justify the expense of a trip.
In-person testing and remote testing
In all cases, in-person testing is still the widely preferred method for determining the quality of a block. Photography in marble has always been seen as an indicative but not decisive element regarding the quality of the physical product: the main reason lies in the uncertainty of the shooting conditions, influenced primarily by the lighting conditions but also by the situation of visibility/accessibility of the block in all its parts and in the more or less accentuated propensity to minimize product defects in photographic reports. Remote testing is therefore chosen only as a last option when there is no objective possibility or economic sustainability for carrying out the testing in person.
Whatsapp and other classic social networks: role and limits
Social networks have assumed a dominant position in commercial communication and – having taken note of the intrinsic limits and credibility of photographic rendering – however, the use of classic media (images and video) in the preliminary phase is widely used; sometimes the very high volume of visual information leads to not infrequent cases of confusion for the simple reason that neither the electronic roll of mobile phones nor social networks (Whatsapp, Wechat or other similar) are real databases but in the collective imagination and above all in daily practice are interpreted as such; with all the consequences of the case.
Rationalization needs: ERP systems
In recent years, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, better known as specific “management systems” for the natural stone sector, has been developed: in this context, all the problems that have always represented an insurmountable obstacle to the use of standard management systems in the marble sector. These systems are oriented towards meticulously describing every documentary aspect for the (essential) purpose of controlling job order costs. The same systems often turn out to be ineffective in restoring a commercial vision and a streamlined, rapid, and at the same time effective use of social communication.
ERP / Social incompatibility and new solutions
We, therefore, find ourselves faced with a dichotomous context: on the one hand, ERP systems describe documents in detail, and on the other social networks are improperly used as a database to manage sales. In 2022, new tools appeared for the first time that aims to better integrate and make these two worlds interact, which in the end are nothing more than two complementary aspects of the same topic.
New 3D technologies
Since 2014, attempts have been underway (often not accepted by the market) to represent blocks of marble in 3D, in order to be able to carry out the technical testing (chromatic and structural) remotely; initially very structured and invasive solutions were developed (such as large darkrooms combined with advanced handling systems to obtain extremely accurate results); Now the available solutions have been enriched with new possibilities which include, among other things, the use of drones and cell phones themselves to construct the set of visual information.
How to structure the commercial description of blocks using the card
The 3D model, still far from being accepted as a genuine means for the graphic representation of the block to be tested, can now be corroborated by a simple yet effective solution, which consists of a so-called “card” (a sort of digital identity document) which smartly encompasses all the visual information, virtual 3D (that is, built with algorithms) and classical representation (such as videos and images) organized in a single space, the card, which allows the user to jump from one mode visual to each other within an organized space.
These tools appear to be very promising and therefore MARENGOLD has decided to use them systematically, wishing to encourage other operators to do the same.
How to represent a partita
The card turns out to be a very practical and docile tool, so much so that it can be easily inserted into a game which, with a single link, defines a stable set of blocks. For MARENGOLD, the card and the match are an essential daily work tool and make it possible to significantly increase productivity in the field, making information immediately usable and organized, according to a plastic and intuitive method that allows information to grow with the deepening of the negotiation.
Cost of information
To purchase marble blocks competitively you need to consider a large variety of options; acquiring information costs money, the time of the camera operator but also of the logistics operator is considered, therefore initially the information is more general while in the case of confirmed interest it becomes more and more specific. You can start with a small collection of photos possibly corroborated by a video and then move on to 3D representation in case of effective and concrete interest, thereby justifying the higher information costs with the greater probability of sale.
The hybrid approach: collaboration between native media and virtual models
The 3D model, even in its “lighter” version created with a drone, allows most of the testing operations to be carried out optimally remotely; for those aspects of extreme detail that may not be resolved with the model (few we can say, based on experience) it is easily remedied with a further resolution video. On the other hand, the video itself will never be as exhaustive as the 3D model: the two representation formats (virtual 3D and classic video and images) therefore work together in the same direction: that of providing all the information necessary to complete the professional test by remote; but also as a very useful and practical “notebook” for personal testing.
