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Future-proof product data management in record time
valantic and Akeneo are helping Marc O’Polo optimize its product data
Automated data maintenance, seamless SAP integration and intelligent rules – Marc O’Polo is setting new standards in product data management with Akeneo-PIM.
The challenge
Marc O’Polo was struggling with incorrect and unstructured license product data, which significantly increased the manual effort and susceptibility to errors in data maintenance. The parallel introduction of SAP brought additional challenges.
Consulting approach
valantic implemented a modern Akeneo PIM system that cleansed and automated the incorrect data using intelligent rules. Interfaces to SAP were created via middleware solutions so that license data could be processed seamlessly.
Customer benefits and solution
The project objective was to integrate a central and future-proof PIM system for data maintenance and standardization. For this purpose, an Akeneo PIM, suitable middleware solutions (eBiss, HOAG) and the SAP interfaces were implemented in just five weeks. The benefits following the implementation include
reduced manual effort thanks to the high level of automation (over 50 intelligent rules in the Akeneo PIM), seamless integration between the PIM and ERP systems and guaranteed future-proofing thanks to extensions for private labels and digital asset management.
The company: Marc O'Polo
Marc O’Polo is one of the leading premium fashion-casual brands and has stood for high-quality materials, timeless design and a modern, Scandinavian-influenced attitude since it was founded in Stockholm in 1967. Today, the company employs around 2,300 people from over 40 nations and is represented in 46 countries with its own online stores and a broad network of stores, franchise and retail partners.
The brand claim is clearly defined: the highest quality in products, service and communication. This attitude is also reflected in the technological orientation. Marc O’Polo consistently invests in modern infrastructure, innovative systems and efficient processes to support its vision of being a leading modern casual lifestyle brand in the global premium segment.
The challenge
Marc O’Polo, a leading provider of high-quality fashion and lifestyle products, was faced with a key challenge: the company needed a modern solution for onboarding and managing supplier data. The licensed products in particular, which are purchased from external suppliers and sold under the Marc O’Polo brand, presented a major challenge. The product data supplied was often incorrect, incomplete or structurally inconsistent. This led to high costs for manual post-processing and made data maintenance more difficult. At the same time, the SAP live system was running in parallel, which tied up a lot of resources and the complex interlinking between the PIM and ERP system posed additional challenges.
The first project phase focused on the onboarding of incorrect license product data, which was to be cleaned up and structured using the functions of Akeneo’s new PIM system. The aim was to integrate the product information into the PIM efficiently and automatically.
The timeline was extremely ambitious: Within a few weeks, the system was to be set up, filled with data and ready for the first exports to SAP – a remarkably short implementation time, especially considering the inadequate source data and the parallel SAP implementation.
Consulting approach
The project: Successful integration of license data
After a very compact project period, the first phase was successfully completed and the PIM system based on Akeneo went live.
Despite the tight schedule and the high level of complexity, the collaboration between Marc O’Polo and valantic was characterized by solution orientation, openness and focus. The joint team acted as a unit and mastered both technical and organizational challenges.
Technology and integration
The successful implementation included the integration of the following technologies:
- Akeneo (PIM)
- SAP (ERP)
- eBiss (middleware before Akeneo)
- HOAG (middleware between Akeneo and SAP)
Thanks to the close integration of the systems and precise project coordination, the license data could be processed seamlessly between suppliers, PIM and SAP. Over 50 intelligent rules within Akeneo significantly reduce the data maintenance effort and fill numerous fields automatically.
Customer benefits and solution
Record speed:
The system went live within five weeks, faster than any previous Akeneo implementation, which previously took a minimum of six weeks.
Efficient data handling
The Akeneo PIM functionalities enable the structured upload, validation and standardization of previously incorrect licensed product data.
High level of automation
More than 50 rules take over complex data maintenance tasks and minimize manual effort.
Future security
The initial data model is designed for licensed products and is already prepared for the addition of private labels.
A look into the future
The successful first phase has laid the foundation for the next steps:
- Interface expansion: The existing interfaces will be expanded to meet future requirements even more flexibly.
- Conversion from file exchange to API: In order to ensure more efficient and faster communication between systems, data exchange will be converted to modern API technologies.
- Integration of an in-house MAM development: A media asset management (MAM) system is integrated into the existing system to enable better management of digital assets such as images and documents. To this end, the data model in Akeneo is expanded to include asset management.
- Development of workflows: Automated and standardized workflows are developed to further optimize internal processes.
- Expansion of the roles and rights concept: The authorization system is being refined in order to clearly map and support responsibilities and processes.
Marc O’Polo and valantic continue to focus on close cooperation in order to jointly implement new requirements and sustainably drive forward the further development of systems and processes.
