Laattapiste-Pukkila started the systematic development of its product information management in 2016 by talking with suppliers offering different product information management solutions. In 2017, a centralized product information management solution was introduced for the first time - but it wasn't Adeona PIM.
"The product generation of Adeona PIM at that time did not meet all our needs, and the development of the next version was still so early that we did not dare to join the bandwagon", recalls CDO Joonas Tammisto.
"We would have been able to influence the development of the product at that time, but it would have significantly delayed all our other development projects", adds the Operations Manager Sanna Korpivaara.
"We set up our products on PIM and the master data flows from there to ERP, the online store and other channels, so everything else would have taken a significant time. So we chose another option as PIM, and started developing product information management with their help."
In front of the product information management system change
However, in 2021, the PIM provider at the time wanted customers to move from an on-premise solution to the cloud. The introduction of a new SaaS service would lead to significant development work, in connection with which all integrations and customizations would have to be redesigned.
"That would have meant a year's worth of work, and the development of product information would have taken a year backwards," says Tammisto.
"We realized that if we have to start from scratch in any case, go through all the product models and integrations and so on, then there was an opportunity to explore other options as well."
"I got a little excited about it at that point," says Korpivaara.
"The solution at the time had not made us happy in any way. I got the feeling that if we have to make changes in anyway, I'd make a list of things I would like see be in a better state."
Korpivaara's wish list included, among other things:
- The chosen partner should be a software supplier and not a consulting house.
"We had no direct communication with the previous supplier, except for the price increase letter. The partner, with whom we did development work, gave up the supplier's customer relationship, and through outsourcing, our developers changed. In the end, for example, getting new fields or attributes into the online service was always an expensive task that took weeks."
- The product model and the entire software content should be in Laattapiste-Pukkila's own hands.
"There was a need to be able to make the necessary changes to the system myself and, if necessary, create my own fields without having a coder. Nowadays, if we need a new attribute, the main user creates it in PIM and it immediately appears online."
- A more efficient and faster interface.
"The current one is at least half as fast. It is a significant benefit with our data mass."
- Simpler resource management.
"In everyday life, product data is largely handled with Excel. It is more user-friendly that all resources linked to the products, such as images and documents, can always be viewed in product information excels, when processing product information."
"Appropriately then, on my LinkedIn post related to the topic, Adeona commented that the product development has moved forward and the new product generation fulfills our wishes", recalls Tammisto.
"All the points in the listing seemed to be met for Adeona PIM, and we stated that we will reopen the discussion connection", continues Korpivaara.
"Of course, we also noted that there were certain shortcomings in the Adeona PIM at the time, which were absolutely essential for us from a business perspective," reminds Tammisto.
"We announced that they needed to be developed and implemented within a certain timeframe, because they generate so much added value for us. Fortunately, Adeona saw the potential of these functionalities in the business operations of other customers as well. If they hadn't been successful, we probably wouldn't have continued the collaboration."
So, at the end of 2021, the roads of Laattapiste-Pukkila and Adeona crossed again, and this time the journey continued together in the same direction. The implementation project started in March 2022 and the online store integrations were already ready before the summer holidays.
"However, it was decided not to rush unnecessarily, but to finalize the project in October 2022", explains Tammisto.
Product information management based on the master data principle - one source for information
Adeona PIM is involved in many things at Laattapiste-Pukkila. PIM is integrated both bidirectionally with ERP and the online store. Salespeople also use a 3D design program that utilizes both product information and product images. Even reporting is enriched with product information from PIM – for example, size or color values can be imported into reports, which ERP does not directly report.
In the online store, product information is used in a variety of ways. All the counters offered to the customer are based on product data: based on the quantity, the tile buyer is suggested the amount of sealing agent and the quality of the fixative based on the installation location, and the carbon footprint of the total purchases can be seen directly in the shopping cart.
In the same project, Laattapiste-Pukkila also implemented the EasyCatalog layout automation software, which has a ready-made connection in Adeona PIM. It is used to fold catalogs based on product models.
"EasyCatalog significantly speeded up the layout work: the catalogue of about 900 products took less than an hour," says Korpivaara.
The vision of the future is more integrations, says Tammisto. At the moment, Laattapiste-Pukkila has its own interface through which product information is forwarded to YIT and FIRA, for example, but we would like to have our own, centralized data hub. In addition, a portal is also being piloted where suppliers can enter their product information without sending Excels.
"Every time there is a new development entity, we have taken a deep look at how it was originally made. We are looking at what can be simplified or what hardcoded can be decoded."
For example, the turnover of the online store grew by about 40 % last year, and at the moment the goal is to better structure and simplify the existing information, rather than increasing the amount of product information.
Continuous development of information management
Laattapiste-Pukkila has internalized that development work also requires sufficient time and employee resources.
"We are very data-oriented and want to be pioneers," says Korpivaara.
"That's why we encourage people to develop our operations. We have six product coordinators and two production ADs working on product information. For example, our main user spends half of his working time on Adeona. He really has time to participate in meetings and think about how we could do things better."
"Development projects must be given enough time and space. If people have to 'do a little' in addition to their other work, then the result will probably look a bit like that. That's when a lot of things go wrong," says Tammisto.
Long-term cooperation supports continuous development
Tammisto and Korpivaara praise the cooperation with Adeona both during and after the implementation project.
"Even when I called customers for testimonials, they praised the creators on a personal level. I have to give the same feedback, that it's an incredibly good team, brilliant in terms of competence and discipline," says Tammisto.
"The project management was really good," says Korpivaara.
"We were constantly kept in the loop and aware of the progress and were reminded that 'in order to stay on schedule, you must answer these questions or test that feature'."
According to Korpivaara and Tammisto, the desire to serve the customer has also been visible after the project.
"Our expertise and opinions are utilized, and we are kept active and aware of new features and interested in the system," says Korpivaara.
"It's good that you push us to develop our own activities."
Customer-oriented approach from ideas to implementation
Korpivaara also praises the Adeona Community workshops organized twice a year, where the Adeona PIM roadmap is reviewed and new functionalities or wishes are discussed together with customers.
"They have excellent follow-up. If the idea sounds like it could be developed by Adeona, it will appear on the timeline very soon. For example, the first time I participated in the workshop, they talked about developing the search - the second time it was already on the road map. Ideas don't just stay ideas."
The ideas of Laattapiste-Pukkila's experts have also ended up in Adeona PIM: for example, the hot spot functionality and dynamic attributes of images originally came from the customer.
"This is a kind of continuous development and bringing out ideas and needs. We discuss together whether a need can be implemented with existing functionalities or whether new ones need to be developed. Adeona's active approach prompts us to tell how things are going and what we want to improve, instead of working together for years and getting bored."
"On the other hand, the experience with the previous supplier was very valuable: we have certainly been a completely different kind of partner than before, because now we know exactly what we want," Korpivaara reflects.
"I argue that we made the right choice then to take on another partner, and we made the right choice now to switch to Adeona. We learned a lot in between," sums up Tammisto.
Laattapiste-Pukkila is a specialist store serving the needs of floor surface and bathroom materials. In our local department stores, you can get professional advice and tips for both large and small renovation and construction projects. Under the same roof, in addition to tiles, you will find other floor surface materials and various bathroom furniture.
