Stala's transformation journey: From Excel to a managed information system
Four years ago, the product information management of design company Stala, which focuses on steel products, was still mainly based on Excel files. Through an internal mapping process, Stala began the task of figuring out what product data the company has, who processes it, and where it is maintained.
"We found that in a small organization a lot of time was spent on mechanical data processing and searching for data as well as ensuring correctness. Different parties also asked for and maintained the same information without knowing each other, which means we did a lot of overlapping work," describes the product development engineer Ville Siihola.
Before the implementation of PIM, the master data of Stala's product information was siloed and scattered in different systems in different parts of the organization. Different teams maintained their own lists for their own purposes, for example in Excel.
"In practice, we didn't always know exactly what information related to the products existed and where that information was stored. In addition, version control was challenging, and it was not always clear which information was correct," says Marketing and Communications Manager Anne Kanervo.
"Even the company's website served as an unofficial product information bank, which was often visited to see details about any given product."
"We wanted to streamline and clarify operations and transfer resources to more productive and meaningful work instead of mechanical searching and checking," Siihola continues.
"Then we came up with the idea that there must be some place where the master data is maintained. In the same context, we wanted to define the principles of product information and name the responsible persons."
The product information management system implementation project finished on schedule
Once the challenges of product information management had been identified and the intent was clear, Stala began to map out alternatives to make the work more efficient. Very soon, the implementation of the PIM system was found to be the solution. The search for a partner began at the end of 2020, and the project was refined with possible suppliers in the fall of 2021.
"Adeona was involved from the beginning and already during the first round seemed like a very interesting and potential supplier", say Siihola and Kanervo.
In addition to the price, the choice was influenced by the ease of use and the modern user interface of the Adeona PIM system. Important factors were also that the entire package was obtained from a domestic operator and that the program is standard for all users: in the case of an update, there is no need to fear that your environment will get messed up due to several customizations.
The implementation project was launched at the beginning of 2022 with workshops in which specifications and boundaries were checked. Once the main lines had been shaped, the construction of the actual PIM program began with the creation and definition of categories, schemas and attributes.
The original goal of the project was to implement the categories of Stala products and the information of a few critical products into PIM. In the end, however, the entire selection was categorized and enriched information was produced for a significantly larger number of products than what was initially defined as the minimum goal.
"One day I realized that this is quite easy, so why not put all the rest in there with the same effort," laughs Siihola.
During the project, it was also precisely defined who at Stala processes product information and how. Responsibilities and authorizations were recorded in a tabular format that clearly shows the ownership of the product data and the main responsible persons as well as their deputies.
Adeona PIM will be the master database for product information in the future
Most of Stala's existing product information has now been exported to Adeona PIM. The goal is to get the missing information into PIM before the turn of the year.
"The project left a good feeling and we are satisfied with the purchase," says Siihola.
"Now, for once, we have a proper master database from which to search for information about products. It is easy to add and maintain information in PIM, and you can also attach, for example, pictures or user manuals. This way, each product is a unified entity, and you no longer have to search for different types of information in different places," says Kanervo.
"In our internal survey, none of the respondents longed for the old system," adds Siihola and grins.
Stala is a Finnish design company that designs, manufactures and markets innovative solutions for functional home spaces. The core area of our expertise is combining stainless steel, Finnish design and practicality. At our factory in Lahti, we manufacture products with the Key Flag and Design from Finland labels. Our products are also exported abroad. Stala Oy has been part of Kovinoplastika Lož Group since September 2020. www.stala.fi
