Compano PIM-software kick starts German transformation Oventrop
Compano PIM-software kick starts German transformation Oventrop
Since 2016 the Dutch division of Oventrop—a leading European manufacturer of valves and controls for cooling, drinking water and central heating—has been working intensively with Compano software to manage its product data. Oventrop had clear motives for making this choice, as Dennis van den Pol, sales manager at Oventrop Netherlands explains: ‘In 2013 we left our former importer, because of developments in the market. We saw better opportunities for us to operate on our own. We detected a growing need for product data. This was also the reason I considered several issues concerning these developments:
- What is product data used for?
- What would be the requirements for product data at Oventrop Netherlands?
- What is the cycle of supply and demand in product data?
I noticed that a growing number of companies was frequently updating their product data and I saw a whole slew of customers and engineers asking for this kind of data. So, we wanted to respond to this development.’
Compano’s PIM: user friendly, easy and with a clear view
Dennis was given the assignment to build a sales department for Dutch branch of Oventrop and in 2016 he had the opportunity to look behind-the-scenes at two companies to see how they dealt with this product data issue. One of these companies was Compano. Dennis notes that at that time a lot of manufacturers tended to quickly respond to the need for product data by producing large Excel sheets filled with product data. This was done with the best intentions of course, ‘… but an Excel sheet is pretty labor-intensive. This is exactly the reason why Compano software was considered as an easy solution. Our impression was very positive as they had a wonderful PIM solution. To name just a few features that convinced us: user-friendly, easy to use, intuitive, and a fast way to level up your data. I was looking for software which would allow me to manipulate product data in such a way that we could easily publish at 2ba and Artikelbeheer.nl, which are the two main product databases in the Netherlands. Another advantage is that Compano employs a very transparent cost structure; we only pay a monthly fee and honestly, that’s it.’
To enrich data is a mission
Dennis: ‘We do not produce any heat sources like boilers or heating radiators, but we do produce everything in between, like tubing, seals, storage, buffers, floor heating and control valves. With Compano’s software it has become very easy for us to manage the product data. We are now able to serve our data to wholesale companies in a quick and very efficient way.’
‘The Netherlands are leading in data management. The effort Oventrop must make to deliver the most recent product data to the market has now become minimal. Enriching data still is a work-intensive task but for us it has become almost a mission. We aim to have the best data. This way we are assured that customers will find and buy our products and not those of our competitors.
It took some time and we spent a lot of energy to convince other stake-holders within the company that product data are important. Fortunately, we had Compano to help us figure out these complex situations. Company and Oventrop cooperate closely; the way we communicate is very direct, and Compano even went out of its way to solves issues after working hours. Indeed, I consider this to be top-level service!’
Compano from Holland to Germany?
With tight connections to the German mother-company, Dennis explains that his Germans colleagues learn a lot from the Dutch working method.
‘In 2013 the need for data was quite simple in Germany. A product, an illustration, a couple of features, and that was basically it. Because of the intense way of working together with Arge Neue Medien the product data issues changed drastically. This contributed to a higher priority for collecting data at the Oventrop plants.’
In Germany, Oventrop has been connected to Arge Neue Medien (ANM) for quite a long time now. ANM is running the data pool for the German SHK (Sanitär- Heizungs- und Klimaindustrie).
‘In 2016 we decided Oventrop also should work with ETIM in Germany. Georg Rump, CEO of Oventrop, has recently accepted the chairmanship of Arge Neue Medien. He agrees that in fact all the ETIM specifications are already there, they originate from Compano.
we transferred all the ETIM-specified data to the German systems"
Is Europe the next step?
‘Last year, in November, we considered using Compano’s software to tackle the wider European market. Compano had already proven to be suitable for this market with earlier projects. Rump predicts the ‘euroizing’ of the need for product data. Therefore, two of my colleagues are now dedicated to the ETIM specification issue. At this moment, a quarter of our complete assortment is specified to the max in ETIM.
‘Our Germany company uses its own PIM system. What we are working on now, is submitting standard data, such as item numbers, into the software of Compano. We then complete the data with ETIM specifications. The good thing is that we are now able to easily distribute these data to other data systems (including translations) in Europe.’
Huge boost
‘Achieving the awareness that data is really important, has cost me a lot of energy. There was simply no regard for product data in Germany but gradually this is changing. We notice that at the level of boards and operational departments people are becoming aware. The fact that Germany is now classifying product data using Compano software, is a huge boost for my Dutch sales division. I looking forward to a bright European future for our company.’