Potentials in the Product Communication field

Despite an increasing number of web markets and e-commerce systems in Germany there are just a few SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses) who are able to sell their products on the Internet or via business-to-business marketplaces. A major reason, besides lacking internal IT know-how, is often an insufficient Product Information Management.

Product data (Texts, photos, images, prices, CAD models, etc.) are administered in various operative IT systems such as CAD, DTP, PDM or ERP systems and commonly disclose redundancies, inconsistencies, incomplete contents or a lacking topicality for online usage.

The missing cross-company Product Information Management (PIM) is also a problem for the effective use of enterprise-wide product information for creating technical documentations, marketing and sales materials as well as print and electronic catalogues (i.e. CD-ROM catalogues). As a result, only a few SMBs with Internet presence are able to feature an online product catalogue or a web-based product basket.

For usage in online catalogues or at electronic market places product data of various application systems need to be manually extracted, filtered, converted, cleaned, harmonised and re-entered in new software systems. The personal and financial effort involved is not affordable for most SMBs. Therefore, their access to the world of e-business remains shut and as a result, producing SMBs are facing an increasing competitive pressure.

And also the pressure of key accounts on their suppliers is constantly growing by requesting their participation in electronic market places and providing product information in an adequate style and proofed quality. If a supplier cannot provide the requested information in desired file formats he is not able to stand stiff competitions.

As a result, companies are facing significant efforts in costs and time. Partially aged information in product documentations, catalogues or user manuals lead to customer dissatisfaction and therefore to further avoidable high costs resulting from complaints and recalls. Product data topicality is a matter of special importance with regards to the Product Liability Law (Consumer Protection Act): product information must be kept consistent and fully available, even years after market launch.

These deficiencies result from predominantly heterogeneous IT environments in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs):

• Each department creates parallel information during product development process without correlating with each other.

• These types of information remain widely unknown to other departments.

• Product information is widespread, redundant, out-of-date and inconsistent.

• Required information (e.g. catalogues or publications for marketing and sales) need to be assembled from different operational systems.

• Consistency checks must be performed manually.

• No integrated, system-based organisational concepts for product information considering versioning, editorial deadlines and approvals.