Building a Scalable PIM Foundation for High-End Jewelry and Watch Retail

Food Distribution
PIM, DAM
Data Quality, ERP Integration, Cloud PIM, Automated Workflows, Compliance, CMS Integration

Asian Food Group is a leading European distributor of authentic Asian food and non-food products, offering an extensive range of over 3,500 items from more than 380 brands, including 14 exclusive and 11 own brands. Formed in 2022 through the merger of three family-owned companies (Lucullus, Thai Mas, and Sin Wah Foods), the group brings together over 80 years of experience in Asian food distribution.

Operating from a modern 30,000 m² BREEAM+ certified warehouse near the German border, Asian Food Group supplies customers in more than 35 countries across Europe. The company emphasizes efficiency, sustainability, and strong, long-term partnerships with both brands and retailers, while striving to make authentic Asian products easily accessible throughout Europe.

Building a Scalable PIM Foundation for High-End Jewelry and Watch Retail

Challenges

Asian Food Group faced several key challenges in managing and optimizing its expanding product data ecosystem:

  • High Customer Demand for Accurate Product Data: Customers in over 35 countries required complete and precise product information, including packaging, barcodes, ingredients, and nutritional values.

  • Frequent Regulatory Updates: Constantly changing food legislation required continuous maintenance and verification of product packaging data to ensure compliance.

  • Inefficient Article Master Data Management: The existing ERP system was error-prone and not optimized for handling large volumes of complex product data, leading to inconsistencies.

  • Dispersed Data Storage: Product master data was stored across multiple, disconnected systems, making it difficult to track updates, ensure accuracy, and extract relevant information efficiently.

  • Lack of a Single Source of Truth: The absence of centralized and synchronized data management led to inconsistencies across systems, reducing overall operational efficiency.

Goals

To address these challenges, Asian Food Group set clear goals. The main goals of the company were the following:

  • Implement a Modern Cloud-Based PIM System: Introduce a low-cost, flexible, scalable, and user-friendly product data management solution to replace the existing inefficient setup.

  • Establish a Single Source of Truth: Ensure the PIM system serves as the central repository for all article master data, providing accurate and up-to-date information to all connected systems through modern REST API integrations.

  • Adopt Clear and Automated Workflows: Create an intuitive workflow for users to efficiently create and maintain product data, ensuring that only complete and validated articles are synchronized with target systems.

  • Enhance Operational Efficiency and Compliance: Use automated workflows to reduce manual work, improve operational efficiency, and ensure regulatory compliance across all processes.

  • Enable Real-Time Synchronization with the ERP System: Ensure seamless data exchange between departments, improving operational visibility and minimizing manual data entry errors.

Solution

To achieve its goals, Asian Food Group implemented a modern AtroPIM system, a flexible, scalable, and secure cloud-based solution supporting multilingual product data management.

Key solution features included:

  • Custom Data Model Development: A flexible, user-focused data model was created to consolidate all product information, including features, images, documents, and supplier data.

  • Automated Data Exchange: Regular exports from PIM to ERP and imports from an sFTP server ensure up-to-date product data synchronization across all systems.

  • Data Quality Assessment Mechanism: A system for evaluating data completeness was implemented across purchasing, finance, logistics, and sales. Automated workflows determine if an item is ready for ERP export.

  • Role-Based Access Control: Team-level role configurations manage user permissions at entity and field levels, ensuring clear responsibility and minimizing unauthorized changes.

  • Automated Workflow Processes: Workflows automate field population, user notifications, and value updates based on triggers, streamlining operations and reducing manual effort.

Results

  • Centralized Product Information: All relevant article data is now stored in one system, accessible to all departments, with PIM serving as the single source of truth.

  • Real-Time Data Integration: A state-of-the-art, automated real-time integration with the ERP system ensures that PIM consistently provides the latest product data.

  • Optimized Data Management Process: The introduction of structured workflows and automation significantly reduced the number of master data errors.

  • Improved Data Accuracy and Consistency: Data quality and synchronization across all systems have been greatly enhanced, ensuring reliable and consistent information company-wide.

  • Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Streamlined workflows and automation reduced manual tasks, allowing teams to focus on higher-value activities and faster product launches.

  • Better Regulatory Compliance: Automated data checks and standardized processes help maintain compliance with constantly changing food legislation across all markets.

  • Scalable Product Data Management: The new PIM foundation supports future growth, allowing Asian Food Group to efficiently handle an expanding product portfolio and onboard new brands and markets with ease.

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