Press Release
Together with the digital agency dotSource, Pöppelmann TEKU® succeeded in implementing a fully functional product information management (PIM) system and a media asset management (MAM) system, including print publishing, within just a few weeks. Product data of 600 products in 2,000 variants can now be managed centrally and used decentrally to make it easier for customers to find the right plant pot for growing plants and herbs.
What does product data management have to do with plants and herbs? Not much at first glance, but if one takes a closer look at Pöppelmann TEKU®, the connection quickly becomes clear: Pöppelmann TEKU® develops plant pots and professional growing systems for commercial horticulture, which includes plant and herb cultivation. Pöppelmann TEKU® is characterised by a market-leading product range of pots and bowls, transport and cultivation trays as well as various germination trays and wants to convince customers with excellent service. The company has recognised the advantages of a professional PIM system and relies on the digitalisation of various processes to benefit from them.
600 Products, 2,000 Variants and a Single Source of Truth
With dotSource as its implementation partner, Pöppelmann TEKU® was able to implement a PIM software from Contentserv within a few weeks. An agile approach and short communication channels rapidly led to the launch of the first minimum viable product (MVP). The data of 600 products in around 2,000 variants, coming from the ERP system and from numerous Excel lists, was brought together in the new PIM system. It is now managed centrally in one place. All employees can access this data pool, also called single source of truth, from anywhere and at any time.
At the beginning of the project, dotSource and Pöppelmann TEKU® had agreed on a standard-first approach, which meant that the teams used existing standard components to meet the majority of the requirements. As a result, few in-house developments were required, which saved time and conserved resources. The main goal of implementing a fully functional PIM system within one hundred days was achieved with the MVP going live within the set time frame and budget. Wishes of the client, which required a more complex customisation of the software, were addressed afterwards and under less time pressure.
Make Three Out of One: PIM, MAM and Print Publishing
However, it was not only the MVP of the PIM system that was implemented in record time: with the support of the software partner, dotSource and Pöppelmann TEKU® were also able to implement a print publishing solution for the company with headquarters in Lohne, Lower Saxony. This facilitates the production of catalogues since the central provision of data eliminates the need for manual editing. In addition, it allows Pöppelmann TEKU® to ensure good catalogue quality because automated data transfer minimises potential errors. Last but not least, it was also possible to replace the existing media asset management software earlier than planned thanks to the high level of commitment of the entire project team. »Our cooperation with dotSource has proven that agile project work is the way to go nowadays. Together, we successfully implemented the TEKU® subproject earlier than planned thanks to a holistic approach with modern methods as well as fast, determined efforts. We now want to transfer this momentum to the other subprojects,« Julia Kuhnert, facilitator and project manager at Pöppelmann, says.
Independent and Flexible Thanks to Comprehensive Enablement
With the implementation of the PIM system and the close cooperation, dotSource and the project team have created a basis for the entire Pöppelmann company on which PIM systems for the three other divisions FAMAC®, K-TECH® and KAPSTO® can be implemented independently. Parallel to the project, dotSource passed on relevant knowledge to Pöppelmann employees so that they can now carry out imports and configure data models, attributes, roles and rights on their own. For the upcoming projects, dotSource will continue to be available as a contact and consultant for technical questions and challenges. Based on the positive experiences, the two companies also want to tackle projects together in the future: dotSource will, for example, take on consulting tasks related to data quality, translation management and terminology management as well as to the automation of interfaces.
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