No More Data Silos for Bizerba: PIM System Paves the Way for a Digital Future
Bizerba has been a pioneer of weighing and slicing technologies for businesses and tradespeople for over 150 years. Now the company is pursuing a holistic digitalization strategy to strengthen and expand its position as a market leader. A key building block of this strategy involves modernizing its product information management (PIM) system to streamline workflows. The first phase of the implementation of the new Syndigo PIM system by Parsionate has been successfully completed.
For Yvonne Heinz, passion is the key to success. As PIM System Owner at Bizerba, she works closely with her team and the experts at Parsionate to oversee the implementation of a new product information management (PIM) system.
Ms Heinz, what challenges did Bizerba have to contend with before introducing a new PIM system?
Heinz: Our main problem was how to manage various disparate datasets. Product information had been stored in different systems, some of which were redundant, some of which were out of step because they were outdated, for example. This meant that it was taking a disproportionate amount of effort to make consistent information available on our website and customer portal, because we often had to do the work twice over.
What systems were you using?
Heinz: We were – and still are – using our systems and databases that we developed in house, as well as traditional Excel sheets. Many locations are using SAP as an ERP system, but not across the board, which created additional challenges for us. Basically, we had a patchwork of different systems that only partially interacted with each other. This led to a typical silo mentality in our IT structure.
What requirements does a new PIM system need to fulfill?
Heinz: We were looking for a centralized system to amalgamate, manage and enhance our product information. All Bizerba departments need to have easy access to our product catalogue and be able to rely on the data being accurate. It was also important to us to be able to distribute product information quickly and efficiently to our channels, our website and our customer portal. The Syndigo Enterprise PIM seemed like the ideal solution.
Read the case study to learn more about technology partner Syndigo
Are there any key performance indicators (KPIs) that are important to you?
Heinz: We don’t yet have any traditional performancedriven KPIs for our product data quality. Instead, we have process optimization goals. We want to be able to act more quickly and efficiently and keep our data pools cleaner. Our processes need to be more stringent and minimize any redundancy. You’ve been in the PIM team since the end of 2022.
What were your first steps?
Heinz: I came to the PIM team at the end of 2022, when the partnership with Parsionate and Syndigo had already been established. We started with traditional workshops to identify what Bizerba’s needs actually were. Together with Parsionate, we purposely opted for a small set to allow us to focus on what we really needed. We didn’t want to jump straight to an all-in-one solution with all the bells and whistles straight away. We wanted to start by delivering product information to the website and customer portal.
What is the project status currently?
Heinz: The PIM is already live. The interface to our website followed shortly after. The final preparations for connecting to our customer portal are underway. Internally, we are now entering a specification phase before we start the next implementation phase in the new financial year, which begins in April at Bizerba.
No More Data Silos for Bizerba
What does the implementation of the PIM system mean for Bizerba?
Heinz: We’re working on several digitalization projects at the moment. But the PIM implementation is of particular importance. The project is highly valued within the company, because the PIM system means that we have a “single source of truth” for our product data. Everyone can check and edit the product information centrally before it is made available to our output channels. This means we can save valuable resources by creating more efficient processes and eliminating redundancies, which can then be used more efficiently elsewhere in the company. We can also wow our
current and future customers with the high quality of our product data in our output channels, increasing our likelihood of more sales.
What were the biggest challenges?
Heinz: Data migration was a huge challenge for us. It wasn’t easy to transfer the data from the website into the PIM and check for any structural imprecision. We also had to factor in the human components. It was important to convey to employees how this project would add value, which created a lot of additional work at the beginning. But it was worth it to win people over to the project and get its benefits across in the right way.
How did you manage that?
Heinz: Communication is the most important thing. We spoke to our colleagues, took their concerns on board, showed them a lot and supported them – and we even motivated them with cake at times!
What are your next plans when it comes to IT and digitalization?
Heinz: We are planning to expand our interface from SAP to the PIM system so that core data can be drawn from SAP when we add a product to the PIM system. We also want to be able to generate price datasheets and product marketing packages directly from the PIM. Another important next step will be to connect our CPQ configurator to the PIM system.
Can you sum up the main benefits of the new PIM system?
Heinz: We now have a central system in which product data can be maintained and updated across the board and presented to our target channels. At the same time, we can also use and harmonize existing marketing texts – despite them being in different languages. Finally, we are displaying our technical information in a much more structured way. This has also been standardized and redundancies have been minimized.
Do you have any advice for other companies facing a similar challenge?
Heinz: We took things step by step and tested what was working for us. We also always remained flexible and tried things out together. It’s important to keep your goals in mind. But you should also be willing to reevaluate and adapt them if needed, or change the direction you’re headed if you notice that the situation has changed. For example, we sometimes had to adapt our specifications because the needs of the Product Management or Marketing teams had changed. I highly recommend involving these departments at an early stage. This saves having to loop them in and change
things later on in the process.
How did you manage to complete the project despite your team being so small?
Heinz: Luckily, our team is like a terrier – small but tenacious. You can’t allow yourself to be fobbed off, you have to remain flexible, and you need to take those overtime hours during crunch times in your stride. That approach pays off. Passion is the key to success.
