ProMinent and crossbase - a smooth transition

The ProMinent group of companies withheadquartered in Heidelberg is a manufacturer ofcomponents and systems for dosing technology.The extensive product portfolioincludes metering pumps, peristaltic pumpsmeasuring and control devices and sensors forcontrol and dosing of liquidsas well as dosing systems for water treatment.The family-owned company employsover 2,700 employees in around50 of its own sales and service companiesat eleven production sites.

Based on the crossbase standard software, a PIM, MAM and cross-media solution was implemented for ProMinent, the existing PIM system was replaced and the data migrated accordingly.

The articles are classified in the product structure in crossbase. The products can be configured in many different ways, with configuration objects and partially configured products playing an important role. The configurable products are managed with configuration features and characteristics. Technical characteristics can be maintained both at product level and at configuration level, including the use of the inheritance concept. In addition, product relationships are maintained, e.g. spare parts and accessories.

The media elements, including photos and graphics for products and applications, dimension sheet drawings and diagrams, are managed in the integrated MAM on a product or publication basis. The image conversion integrated in crossbase is used to automatically prepare images for print and the Internet. The texts (product description, teaser, application text, technical details) are entered as continuous text or generated from text modules and features. The content is translated into over 20 languages.

Marketing-specific product views and product ranges are maintained for the relevant sales channels so that products can be used in printed catalogs and online media. A special feature of the website is the linking of product pages with industry solutions, applications and practical examples. The three catalogs, comprising over 1,000 pages, are database-supported and automatically produced using the crossbase print engine and Adobe InDesign. They consist of product pages with a modular structure and editorial pages with a free layout. The data for the online media is provided via a REST API.

People from marketing, product management, media production and translation management are involved in the process.