From days to minutes: revision-controlled datasheets for Norsat
The Challenge
Norsat manufactures and sells specialized hardware used in technical environments — across RF components, robotics & drones, and redundant switching. Datasheets are used mainly by resellers, distributors, and internal sales teams for quotations and engineering clarifications.
Their requirements were demanding. Norsat needed to replace a manual Adobe redlining and editing workflow that was consuming significant time for every spec update. They needed product specifications to stay in sync with revision control by connecting their PLM system directly to Shopify. And they needed to move from family-level datasheets to individual product datasheets, making it faster for distributors to find the exact item they needed.
Spec updates were taking 1–2 days from change to published datasheet — an unacceptable lag for a technical hardware company where accuracy and currency are non-negotiable.
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The Solution
Today, Norsat uses LitPDF to generate product datasheets from Shopify product data synced directly from their PLM system. Two custom templates were built to support different product families and datasheet layouts — one for RF components and one for products requiring mechanical diagrams.
Updates stay revision-controlled and no longer require manual PDF redlines. When a specification changes in the PLM system, it flows through to Shopify and into the LitPDF-generated datasheet automatically. The result is consistent, sales-ready datasheets for resellers, distributors, and internal sales — always ready for quotations and technical clarification.
The Results
Norsat now saves approximately 16 hours per month on datasheet work. Spec updates that previously took 1–2 days now take a few minutes. With 1,000+ datasheet downloads per month, Norsat has one of the highest-volume datasheet operations of any LitPDF customer.
The two custom templates ensure consistent, professional documentation across all product families, and the PLM → Shopify → LitPDF workflow has removed the manual intervention that was previously required at every step.
Their Actual Datasheet
Here's what Norsat's LitPDF-generated datasheet looks like — automatically built from their Shopify product data.
Implementation Timeline
Built 2 custom templates for RF components and mechanical diagram product families
Connected PLM system → Shopify → LitPDF for automated spec sync
Individual product datasheets replacing family-level sheets
~16 hours saved per month, 1,000+ downloads, spec updates in minutes
About the Company
Norsat
RF Components & Specialized Hardware
LitPDF Features Used
- PLM → Shopify sync
- Multiple custom templates
- Revision control
- Mechanical diagram support
- Distributor-ready PDFs
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