PIM Implementation and Catalog Automation for the BACHMANN Group

More Efficiency Through Intelligent Media Management

For the BACHMANN Group, Kittelberger optimized the processes surrounding media management and product communication over the past year.

After analyzing the print and online processes, it became clear that many manual steps could be digitized and automated. A product and media database based on advastamedia® was implemented as a first step, which BACHMANN can now use as a media management tool. The system not only includes product information, technical data, marketing texts, and corresponding media, but also assortments and translations required for the internationalization of catalog editions.

With the media management tool and catalog automation, many new opportunities have opened up for BACHMANN: Product and media data are maintained in a central system and can now be used not only for print editions but also for other output channels such as web, print, and e-catalogs or segmented catalogs. “This not only helps us save costs in new projects but also ensures consistency and a short time-to-market through a uniform output,” says Andrea Hartmair, Head of Global Marketing at BACHMANN.

Data, Layout, Programming – Catalog!

The catalog production, which had previously been entirely manual in InDesign, was fully automated by the end of 2020. The next step is to produce additional country catalogs in various languages. 

At the beginning of the project, the complete product classification was transferred into the system. This included importing BMEcat data and other sources, as well as reviewing and refining the data. During an intensive workshop phase at the start of the project, the various data sets within the company were analyzed and gradually built into advastamedia® . While the corresponding translation processes were subsequently implemented, the catalog output was realized using the advastamedia® Print Framework. Thanks to the integrated reporting module – which enables rule-based checking and visualization of nearly all catalog content – it became possible to directly verify data quality within the layout.

Catalog Automation Also Enhances Data Quality

Managing Director Jan Kittelberger, who accompanied the project, explains why this approach makes double sense: “On the one hand, flexibility in terms of print run and print intervals is increasingly important in the print sector. With the high degree of catalog automation, BACHMANN is now well equipped for this. On the other hand, manufacturers have been facing growing demands for product data quality for years. A project like this improves that quality almost automatically, as the data is used further afterwards.”

After the Catalog – Comes the Next Project…

Even before the catalog project was completed, it was clear that the created product content would be used in future projects and editions. The implemented system now enables the quick deployment of assortment strategies; translation processes have been designed so that languages are sourced depending on the assortment. The catalog’s output structure and the media-neutral content are now used across multiple outputs, including online and dealer data.

About the BACHMANN Group

The BACHMANN Group, headquartered in Stuttgart, develops, produces, and markets products and services for various application areas. These include: electrotechnical components and systems, such as intelligent power distribution units; emotional products, such as award-winning tabletop connection panels; and digital services and solutions that promise superior added value, such as flexible, future-ready office equipment. In addition to production and development centers with strong manufacturing capabilities in Germany, Romania, and China, BACHMANN operates worldwide with around 30 sales and partner companies.