Publishing with 'PIM': The Magic Bullet for Automated Data Structuring

Without appropriate scheduling in place, managing gigantic amounts of product data can be disillusioning for enterprises. The kind of leaps past years have seen in the realm of automated data publishing by tying systems together and consolidating them to control the workflow, is nothing short of extraordinary. 

To cut the long story short, single source databases aren't just a norm, they've become the backbone for today's enterprises, including wholesalers and manufacturers, as it offers them great leverage to compete in their industry. 

Pimcore, recently enabled two enterprises looking to reclaim the control of their product data, by installing a fully automated single source product database using Product Information Management (PIM).    

Van Iperen International | Manufacturing Industry 

Van Iperen International, the Dutch producer of fertilizer solutions for foliar application and fertig

ation was documenting their products using technical data sheets. These documents were getting used in Indesign, alongside newer data from excel, word or outlook files. The process was proving to be tedious and time consuming. Consequently, product renewal, translation, and expansion to other brands was also lagging behind schedule. Subsystems such as, website and calculation module too, needed reliable data. 

To counter the challenge, Pimcore's partner "Tetrasoft" implemented Pimcore, since its scalability, extendibility, and ease of use could provide Van Iperen's data the right environment for optimal performance. Tetrasoft used its database publishing software known as 'Leaflet', that comes with the capability of connecting live to Pimcore database and publishing documents of whatever complexity or size. Leaflet can have its product exported to the latest edition of Indesign, whenever required. Besides, the dynamic template ability of Leaflet, renders it to be completely automated.

Pimcore's PIM could effortlessly provide a tailor-made database for bulk products, having advanced technical content, delivering easy to use screens, while facilitating a composition of striking, technically up-to-date documents needed by prospects and customers, alike. Additional plug-ins were also included by Tetrasoft, to ensure all things are taken care off.

Pimcore's PIM database served 3 subsystems (PDF product documents, calculation module, and website), which was vital for the success of the project and productivity of the organization. The completion of the project happened with the help of limited people, and neither were many people needed to run the newly implemented system. Also, automation in document production imparted the marketing department necessary tools to capture new markets and grab fresh opportunities. Van Iperen achieved all this at reasonable costs, that too with a high-quality open-source software like Pimcore. By the end of the project, Van Iperen's Marketing Manager, Marc Van Oers, was all praises for Tetrasoft's team for installing Pimcore. He said,

"With Pimcore, we're able to output hundreds of documents in most world languages in a snap and product updates are a breeze too. Also, with data consistency, we're able to feed other subsystems in real time from our single source database. Our Pimcore project is a success! All because we chose the right product and the right implementation partner, Tetrasoft, who was pragmatic, down-to-earth and capable to deliver."

Vadigran: B2B | Wholesale Distribution 

Vadigran, a family-owned company, engaged in production of more than 5,000 food products and accessories for a range of animals, needed a consolidated product database. Their existing ERP software was neither capable, nor it could be customized to the desired effect. Moreover, their current website was dated and desperately in need of a revamp. As a result, they were facing immense competition and their market share was diminishing. Also, their biggest clients were in favor of shifting from computer centric data exchanges via GS1 data pools. An exclusive PIM database was needed so the use of excel files could be eliminated. And all processes right from website, marketplaces and publishing systems required a single source data.

Once again, Pimcore was installed by Tetrasoft, and once again they made use of their database publishing software- Leaflet, that's got the capability of publishing documents of any size or complexity. Leaflet automatically generated a huge number of pages, while some pages that needed to be finished manually, were exported to Indesign. 

Pimcore helped publish a month-wise, up-to-date, high quality and accurate catalog. DAM (Digital Asset Management) component of Pimcore was also used to store scores of images for all required purposes. Pimcore consolidated the products, while all the data was interfaced to the website. Attribute categories were also established for GS1 data interface.    

Having Pimcore's PIM as a database to serve upgraded subsystems was at the core of the project's success. Vadigran's Chief Technology Officer, Willem Van Diest appreciated Tetrasoft's effort by saying, "Our new Pimcore PIM database allows us to enrich our product data in order to interface to our new website, catalogue system and marketplaces like GS1 or Amazon. Because Pimcore is an open source framework, flexibility and affordability, are naturally associated with it."

Vadigran's new eCommerce store and catalogs offer their salespeople up-to-the-minute tools to outsmart competitors and capture the market. The GS1 data interface has also proved to be a big push for productivity.  

Wrapping Up

In the face of increasing complexity, the practice of putting product data into ERP systems is meeting huge challenges. Even customizing ERPs to manage product data isn't working for enterprises.

They're realizing that Product Information Management (PIM) is the one that's meant to handle product data, while ERP systems must be left to do what they do best—manage transaction data for operations like sales, invoicing and other related tasks. 

That is where Pimcore comes into the picture.

It is highly equipped to install a fitting PIM solution which can exceed your enterprises' expectations by offering a customized database for a variety of products including technical data or digital assets. 

Pimcore can enable enterprises to meet their requirements faster, more effectively, and in an economical way by placing a single-source database at their core.

Both the aforementioned solutions were implemented by Pimcore's partner in Belgium, Tetrasoft.

Click on the links below to see the detailed Case Studies:
 1) Van Iperen International 
 2) Vadigran