Instructions for use, online and on the machine
Power tools, garden machinery, pumps, compressors and workshop equipment are used for years, by people who were not there when the box was opened. A code on the machine keeps the instructions, parts list and service contacts with it.
- First look
- Carton and safety leaflet
- Long term
- A durable label next to the rating plate
On a building site or in a workshop, the manual is the first thing to go. The questions that follow are practical: which blade or bit fits, how to change the brushes, what the torque setting should be, where the nearest service centre is, and whether the model has a known issue. Rental fleets and second owners ask the same questions with even less paperwork.
A durable label on the machine, next to the rating plate, connects every future user to the current instructions. From 20 January 2027, the EU Machinery Regulation also sets out when instructions may be provided digitally. ItemDocs can host those instructions, but it is not a compliance tool, and the notes below say where its limits are.
What to put on a tools & machinery page
- 01 · Documents
Instructions, safety and declarations
The instructions for use, the safety instructions and the declaration of conformity as PDFs, each with a version label and language. Keep download switched on so users can print and save them.
- 02 · Spare parts & accessories
Parts by part number
Blades, bits, brushes, filters, batteries and chargers with part numbers, photos, compatibility notes and buy links to your dealer or store.
- 03 · Support
Service centres and dealer network
Phone, email and hours, plus a link to your service-centre locator. Ask customers to have the ID and proof of purchase ready.
- 04 · How-to guides
Maintenance, step by step
Changing a blade, cleaning a filter, winter storage, chain tensioning. Guides can carry warnings that are shown before the steps.
- 05 · Product updates
Safety notices and recalls
A dated safety notice appears at the top of the page for everyone who scans, including owners you never registered.
- 06 · Specifications
The numbers people look up
Power, voltage, speed, weight, noise and vibration values, and consumable sizes, in a table that reads on a phone.
A cordless drill page, top to bottom
An illustration of how the modules come together for one product, in the order customers meet them. Every module is optional; publish what you have and add the rest as your search data shows what is missing.
- Safety notice, if one is active (shown before everything else).
- Product, model and ID; search for “chuck”, “battery”, “torque”.
- Start Here: charge the battery, fit a bit, set the torque, first use.
- Documents: instructions for use (PDF, downloadable), safety instructions, declaration of conformity.
- How-to guides: change the chuck, clean the vents, store the battery.
- Troubleshooting: won’t start, battery drains, overheating.
- Spare parts and accessories: batteries, chargers, chucks, with part numbers.
- Warranty and registration; service centres and support.
Things to get right
- 01
What ItemDocs helps with under the Machinery Regulation
A QR code on the machine shows how to access the instructions; the PDF can be viewed, downloaded and printed; and a product page stays at the same address for as long as the product stays published or discontinued on a plan.
- 02
What you still need to arrange
Paper instructions on request within one month and the essential safety information on paper for non-professional users are your processes, not ours. Brands can switch off download per document, so keep it on for instructions. Archived products show only a short support page, so don’t archive machinery whose instructions must stay online.
- 03
Keep older versions findable
ItemDocs keeps a revision history in the Console, but the public page shows the current documents. If owners need the edition that shipped with their machine, publish it as a separate document labelled by version or serial range.
- 04
Label for the environment
Use a durable label material near the rating plate, print the code at 20 mm or more (larger if it is read from a distance) and keep the ID underneath. See QR size and placement.
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