Automated product data management is a real game-changer for companies. We have already devoted many articles on this very blog to describing how businesses profit from implementing a smart
Product Information Management (PIM) system — in case you’re new here, check our list of recommended reading to delve in:
8 Solid Reasons to Get PIM
How Businesses Benefit from Automating Product Data Management
Use Case of Willi Schüller
In this article, we’d like to show a bit of a different perspective. To pinpoint benefits of Pimics that may not be obvious at first sight but actually bring invaluable
business advantages to companies and/or help them
address very specific (but not uncommon!)
issues.
#1: Pimics as an ERP Extension
The Challenge
Implementing a
new ERP system is always a highly complex process. Whether it’s the company’s very first ERP or whether it’s about migrating data from one ERP to another, it’s inevitably the kind of project that keeps people awake at night.
And in some cases, a few mishaps in the project may cost the company a lot of money. That’s because businesses are often managing webshops and online stores which are crucial for their income generation. The challenge lies in ensuring that everything runs smoothly during the ERP implementation/transition, particularly when it comes to transferring product data to the new ERP and
maintaining the performance of the webshops. Let alone if the company is also transitioning to new e-commerce sites.
Use Case: OPITEC Handel GmbH
OPITEC Handel GmbH faced this exact scenario. The company was moving from an
old ERP system (AS400 from IBM) to the modern
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. As if this wasn’t enough, they were also building
9 webshops (and moving data from previous 9 webshops to the new ones). Naturally, the webshops were all vital to OPITEC’s revenue – the priority was to keep the webshops running and minimise the risk of downtime.
The company already had a PIM system in place, but it wasn’t Pimics. Our experts consulted with OPITEC’s executives, carefully pondered the situation and came up with
two possible solutions to address their challenges:
- Approach #1: Use OPITEC’s current PIM and connect it to their new webshops. This makes sure data flows into the webshops and they continue generating revenue. The next step would be migrating product data (from the old PIM system) into the ERP system.
- Approach #2: Migrate product data to Pimics first, then connect Pimics with the new webshops. After this step, undergo the ERP transition to Business Central — which can take as long as it needs because the webshops are running and generating revenue.
Both approaches minimise the risk of
webshops downtime. Approach #1 has one weak spot: data migration from the outdated PIM to the ERP has a very
unpredictable outcome and cost. With approach #2, there’s practically no chance things could go wrong in this respect as Pimics is
seamlessly compatible with Business Central. Also, implementing Pimics literally means completing
20-25% of the ERP implementation, as the two systems are so intertwined.
The Result
Using Pimics from the start brought these benefits to OPITEC:
- product data migration into the ERP system got covered by the PIM project,
- minimised risk of lost revenue,
- minimal risk of project failure.
The entire ERP transition became a smoother, faster process without affecting sales.
#2: The Right Choice for Growing Companies: Pimics vs Odoo
The Challenge
Smaller companies often start with open-source or simpler systems to manage their operations. Then, as the companies grow, their systems can no longer scale with their business needs.
Use Case: Van Cronenburg
For
Van Cronenburg, a quite niche Belgian business, the need for scalability and more robust functionality became clear when they
outgrew their existing ERP system, Odoo. The open-source system was no longer able to keep up with the needs — Van Cronenburg had to decide between these two options:
- Have Odoo customised to suit their needs. That would come at a cost (a similar cost to investing in Pimics) and a lot of functionalities would be added just for Van Cronenburg — the Odoo team would develop them for the first time, creating a bit of an ERP/PIM unicorn. Any other new feature for this unique creature would mean another customisation and another not-so-little investment. That would impede the company’s growth for sure.
- Get Pimics as the first step, move product data from Odoo there, then implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. In this case, Pimics would function as the in-between converter, making sure product data is in a safe place when migration takes place. With Pimics, the company would gain new and modern features (including AI-powered ones) that are already a development standard.
As we’ve already mentioned, the cost of customising Odoo was comparable to the investment required for Pimics. And, unlike Odoo, Pimics also opened the door to the most
future-oriented and regularly updated ERP — Microsoft Business Central, which always leaves room for growth and offers all the functionalities companies need.
The Result
By choosing Pimics, Van Cronenburg didn’t just get a PIM solution; they gained a
scalable system that grows with their business and keeps up with their evolving needs. With Pimics and Business Central they gained:
- functionality,
- ease of integration,
- a powerful, cost-effective solution for their future.
#3: Managing Complex Data: A Game Changer for Large Businesses
The Challenge
For companies that deal with large quantities of
complex product data (particularly in industries like construction or manufacturing), keeping that data accurate, consistent, and up-to-date can be a daunting task. Manual data entry and management aren’t feasible at scale.
Use Case
Another client of ours, a company specialising in reinforcing steel and construction machinery, faced this exact challenge. They needed a solution that could handle
vast amounts of data coming to them from
various suppliers in various formats. Without a robust PIM system, manual management was slow and error-prone, leading to inefficiencies and delays in fulfilling customer orders.
Since implementing Pimics in 2020, this company has been able to
streamline their data management,
scale their operations, and
expand to new markets more efficiently. One of the key benefits they gained from Pimics was our
mapping feature, which allowed them to automate the process of ingesting supplier data, reducing the time and effort required to maintain accurate product information.
What is Mapping
In lay terms, mapping could be described as “teaching” Pimics to read a digital sheet from a supplier. The system basically creates a blueprint for reading a data sheet, then we define which columns correspond to specific data — price, dimensions, material, etc. Once you’ve got a sheet mapped out, the next time you receive a sheet from the same supplier, PIMICS processes the data automatically.
This means no more manual data entry and no more data out of date. What used to take months — especially for companies dealing with thousands of products — now takes just a couple of days. Mapping saves time and money and also makes businesses stand out among competition. For companies that need to fit in a traditional supply chain and meet demanding requirements on delivered product data from their clients, a PIM system is often the fastest route to compliance.
The process isn’t fully automated (yet!), but it’s still a meaningful learning curve that pays off in spades. And at Pimics, we help our clients with it.
Result
With Pimics, our client managed to:
- reduce manual data entry from months to just a few days,
- automatically process supplier data,
- maintain consistent, up-to-date information.
Thanks to Pimics, they stayed competitive and scaled quickly. Plus, Pimics made it easier to comply with the strict product data requirements of their industry.
→ OUR TIP: Here’s how
Pimics helps with compliance to industry standards such as ETIM or GS1.
Recognise Yourself in Our 3 Use Cases?
Get in touch! We’ll gladly consult your specific situation and find the best solution for you. Based on
30+ years of experience.