The customer

This customer is a global leader in the breeding and propagation of ornamental plants. They have an impressive portfolio with a wide variety of plants: from cut flowers to potted plants to flower bulbs and tubers. They invest heavily in research and development to achieve better crops in terms of color, fragrance, shape, growth habit, and disease resistance. Internationally, they supply their crops to growers, wholesalers, and retailers.

The project

Client needs

The client already had extensive product catalogs, but there was a need for a single source of truth – Master Data – to optimize operational data processes. Additionally, they wanted to improve customer interaction to provide even better service to their customers.

The challenge they faced with data entry was that colleagues could overwrite each other’s product data, resulting in duplicate work. This issue needed to be addressed. Additionally, one employee was responsible for entering data into the ERP system via Excel lists, which was not an optimal workflow.

Due to the dual challenge, we decided to carry out the project in two phases:

• Phase 1: Implement master data and resolve security issues
• Phase 2: Optimize data entry into the ERP system

We have successfully completed Phase 1 and are currently working on Phase 2.

Approach

Before starting the project, the client used a SharePoint system to manage all marketing-related data. To replace this system, we proposed a Stibo STEP system with more functionalities than a simple PIM solution (Product Information Management). This was necessary because they work with complex data.

For example, in addition to product information, there was a lot of supporting data. This is supplementary data that provides more insight into the product and is relevant to include in the system but does not directly contribute to the sellable end product. With the newly implemented system, their ERP remains the master for much of the supporting data, such as product forms, types, cultivation schedules, suppliers, etc. However, we ensured that this supporting data is also sent to the Stibo STEP system. The data initiated by the PIM system is mastered by the PIM system, primarily data about the product itself, i.e., the sellable level.

Since it is an international company, product location data is important in their systems. They operate across various regions, each with regional managers who need access to their part of the data. With a Stibo STEP system, rights can be better managed regarding who has access to which data. This way, everyone has access to the global data, but when data varies regionally, regional managers can enter this into the system. This not only resolved the security issue but also improved data quality.

Another complexity of the data was the many levels of data in their business. When looking at the sellable product, there are usually multiple variants in which the plant can be purchased. For other YellowGround clients, the variety level often equals the sellable product, but here we had to dive two levels deeper. This is because certain flowers and plants have significant regional differences that affect delivery and product packaging, which are so essential that they are part of the product. For example, hyacinths grown in Guatemala may only be sold in the American market, while hyacinths for the European market only come from Africa. Some flowers are commercially sold in America but not in Europe. This adds complexity as they will have different product lifecycles and packaging methods. This led us to choose to go two levels deeper at the variety level.

Benefits of the MDM solution

One advantage of the Stibo STEP solution is that business users can now enter their data into the system in a defined manner. The MDM system incorporates rules regarding data validation. For example, format validation: data must be entered in a specific format to be accepted as valid. Or value validation: if you make a typo when entering a specific country, the system will indicate that this is a non-existent country.

Challenges

Now that the first phase of the project is live, business users can enter their data into the system themselves. This means a change management process for the company’s workflows. With the help of YellowGround experts and various training sessions, we managed to turn the initial resistance from employees into a positive story.

Result

We can begin phasing out their former PIM system. The new system no longer suffers from security issues, and many validations have been built in. These are significant bonuses. We are also fully engaged in the second phase of the project: configuring the data part that is sent to the ERP.

Curious how we can optimize your data flows? Contact our experts, they will be happy to assist you.