Product information management or PIM refers to processes and technologies focused on centrally managing information about products, with a focus on the information required to manufacture, market and sell the products through one or more distribution channels. A central set of product data can be used to feed consistent, accurate and up-to-date information to multiple output media such as web sites, print catalogs, ERP systems, and electronic data feeds to trading partners.

 

• E-commerce / E-store Product Configuration and Management: Starting or expanding an e-store? Your product data not only needs to be organized for upload, it also has to work with your ERP, accounting or other database systems without re-structuring it. We can organize your product data to fit in with both your e-commerce site and your back office database.
• E-store Planning & Setup Assistance: If you're planning on setting up an ecommerce site let us assist you with planning the navigation, categorization and structure of your store. We'll partner with your web developer to deliver a logical data structure with attributes required for your platform.
• Bill of Materials (BOM): Whether you're a manufacturer, contractor or anyone who deals with Bills of Materials (BOMs) we're here to help when you need us. We'll get your information from invoices, CAD drawings, whatever into an organized format ready for input into your database system.
• Data Cleansing: Is your product data just a bit of mess and constantly being corrected on the fly? Let us proof your data and return it to a clean, organized structure, putting a stop to the administrative waste and mistakes associated with misspellings, improper formats and bad dimensions.

The increasing number of channels for product data (e.g., web sites, print catalogs, electronic data feeds) emphasizes the need for product information management, as information kept by businesses is frequently scattered throughout disparate departments and held by certain employees or systems instead of being available centrally. Product data often exists in ERP systems, R&D PLM systems, spreadsheets and personal databases. Information might be saved in various different formats or only available in hardcopy form. Properly organized information can be utilized in varying environments and contexts such as for detailed product descriptions with pricing info in product catalogs or for size and weight data for calculating freight costs.

 

We can help with the maintenance and modification of product information within a centralized catalog to provide consistently accurate information to multiple channels without the cost and error associated with maintaining multiple versions of the same information.

 

Some other terms used to describe the management of product information are:
PDM – Product Data Management derives from the concept of engineering data management (EDM), denoting systems for the effective management of product development data and the coordination of manufacturing-related processes. The term is used primarily in the field of computer-aided design (CAD).
PRM – Product Resource Management is used by some software providers as a synonym for PIM (Product Information Management), as well as Product Content Management (PCM), mainly popular as a term in England and France.
PLM - Product Lifecycle Management refers more to a management strategy than to a specific IT technology, the goal of which is to optimize product life cycles through the gathering and analysis of product data generated over time.
MAM - Media Asset Management refers to the management of unstructured multimedia objects such as images, graphics and presentations as well as ‘meta-information’ (data about data). The term is used primarily in the media business.
CMP - Cross Media Publishing comes from the print and advertising industries, referring to the coordinated use of multiple media in complementary fashion. It also denotes the repeat usage of individual structural elements such as text, images or graphics within different media.
PCP - Product Catalog Management