The Smartwares Group, a leading B2B supplier of smart safety, lighting, and home appliances, faced significant challenges with their product data management after merging Smartwares Safety and Lighting with Tristar in 2016. Managing product data across multiple platforms and systems was inefficient and prone to errors.
The Challenge
Following the merger, some product data was maintained in two different ERP systems, while other data was scattered across Excel sheets, server files, InDesign files, and a CMS system. This fragmented data management approach led to inaccuracies and made it difficult to export data based on language. Additionally, distributing data to various websites was not feasible.
The Solution
To address these challenges, Smartwares Group selected the Perfion Product Information Management (PIM) solution for its scalability and seamless integration with the Sana Commerce platform and Dynamics NAV 2013 ERP system. Perfion now serves as the single, central place for managing product information for Smartwares Group.
With Perfion, Smartwares can manage product data for 6500 items in 8 languages, feeding this data to:
- 15 websites and webshops (e.g., Smartwares.eu, Tristar.eu, Princesshome.eu)
- InDesign catalog files
- Icecat catalog solution
- Marketplaces
- Excel exports for customer product lists
- Data sheets via Perfion’s built-in designer
- Pricelists
- Distribution partners
Future plans include connecting Perfion to Spotler, the group’s newsletter marketing automation tool, and creating connections to GS1 and more direct customer connections. Additionally, Perfion content will be distributed to a supplier portal to ensure ordered goods meet the correct specifications.
“The best about the Perfion PIM system is that we now have one central place for product information. Changes are made easily, and consequently, we can act faster. From Perfion we have an easy connection to our websites and other marketing channels – we can export data to other parties in a standardized way as well.”
– Pim Poll, Director Business Systems, Smartwares Group
Benefits Realized
Implementing Perfion forced Smartwares to confront and address their data structure issues. They restructured features and feature data, cleaned up their ERP system, and now enjoy significant advantages:
- Centralized Data Management: All product data is managed from a single source, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
- Quick Updates: Changes are made easily, allowing Smartwares to act faster.
- Seamless Integration: Perfion provides easy connections to websites and other marketing channels, enabling standardized data exports.
- Flexibility and Scalability: Perfion’s system is highly adaptable to meet Smartwares’ evolving needs.
About the Smartwares Group
Smartwares Group is a fast-growing consumer goods company based in the Netherlands, specializing in smart safety, lighting, and home appliances. Formed from the merger of Smartwares Safety and Lighting with Tristar in 2016, the group operates in 47 countries with 16 offices and 400 employees worldwide. Their main brands include Tristar, Princess, and Smartwares.
