This is how TENTE International GmbH benefits from its new PIM system

Jena/Cologne – TENTE International GmbH, one of the world's leading manufacturers of wheels and castors, implemented a new product information management (PIM) system together with dotSource. This will enable efficient data management and a stable IT architecture with high scalability in the future. The digital agency supported the project with the »driving school model«.

TENTE is one of the world's leading manufacturers of wheels and castors, which are used by a wide target audience – from heavy-duty transport, industry and medical technology to the furniture sector. To ensure the future growth of the company, its IT architecture had to be comprehensively modernised. It quickly became clear which systems would support this process and which ones would be less suitable. In this context, TENTE decided to replace its existing PIM solution with a new one, as it had not been able to satisfactorily meet the increased product data requirements. The technically experienced team at TENTE proactively threw the Serenity Enterprise Edition of Akeneo's PIM system into the mix when it commissioned the digital agency dotSource to conduct a detailed requirements elicitation.

Well-Structured Workflows with Centrally Managed Product Data

The team's expertise pays off because the requirements and expectations regarding a new PIM system can even be met with the basic functionality of Akeneo – in combination with the surrounding software solutions. In addition, the tool impresses with its intuitive usability, product data transparency and features such as reference entities for the systematic structuring of product data. By using these reference entities, it is possible to link coherent and consistent data sets to a product with just one click. These and other properties are managed centrally in Akeneo and distributed to various target systems. This transforms the PIM system into a single source of truth, reducing its susceptibility to errors and making manual, resource-intensive product data management processes obsolete. It is connected to surrounding systems, for example the enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool, via interfaces, enabling seamless data exchange.

Competent Advice for Unrestricted Growth

»The collaboration with dotSource is characterised by transparency and openness. Even during the system selection process, it was clearly communicated to us what is possible with the new system and where further work needs to be done,« Michael Koch, Senior Marketing IT Consultant at TENTE International GmbH, comments on the project. »Especially the methodological approach adopted in the workshops has helped us make significant progress throughout the project,« Koch praises the »driving school model«, which dotSource used in this project to introduce the TENTE team to working with the new PIM system.

With the »driving school model«, the company that wants to implement the software solution has control of the project. The service partner provides advice as well as in-depth training and supports the technical implementation, but its primary goal is for the client's team to eventually use the system independently. Through this approach, TENTE employees will be extremely familiar with the practical use of Akeneo by the end of the project.

With their extensive knowledge and experience, the dotSource experts will continue to provide advice and support in the future. Thanks to the new PIM system, TENTE can also optimise its workflows with product information in the long term, for example by using modern translation software and content creation tools based on artificial intelligence (AI).

About TENTE International GmbH

TENTE International GmbH, based in Cologne, Germany, is the holding company of the TENTE Group. Founded in Wermelskirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia) in 1923, the company initially traded in ball castors for conveyor and assembly systems and castors for sliding cupboard doors. Driven by its brand values – globality, efficiency and inspiration – the TENTE Group has grown strongly ever since. With regard to its products, TENTE places particular emphasis on maximum durability, efficient design and the greatest possible environmental friendliness.