High quality product data is a must in today's digital product communications. In 2017, WILO SE, an international mechanical engineering company headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, launched an organizational development project to improve and ensure product data quality as part of its digital strategy. In this interview, Eva Kerstholt, former project manager and now Group Director Digital Products & Solutions, gives an insight into the measures implemented and their impact so far.
This interview is also available as a free PDF version. (Currently only available in German.)
Ms. Kerstholt, the question right at the beginning: How sustainable were the process improvement results? And does their effect really last until today?
Yes, because we have been able to maintain the importance of high quality product data through good internal communication. Even though it's an issue that requires constant attention, I can say today that it's second nature to us compared to the situation a few years ago.
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What time period are we talking about?
At the beginning of 2017, we launched a dedicated organizational development project. After a little more than a year, we moved all the processes to the line, and that's how we work today.
What was the initial situation back then?
At the beginning of 2017, we had completed the key project milestones for the implementation of a new PIM system. Product data had been migrated, the old system was about to be shut down, and the interfaces to the output channels had been designed or were being tested. As the PIM implementation was seen as a key enabler for further digital projects, the expectations for the results were high. One of the goals of our digital strategy is to provide our customer groups with the best possible digital experience when working with Wilo - and in our industry, this clearly includes making all data and information related to our product portfolio available at a variety of customer touch points.
Why was it necessary to optimize the process situation in the first place?
Since we had been using a PIM system at Wilo since 2005, we also had a correspondingly "historically grown" process landscape. As a result, much product information was not captured in time or in the required quality for a publication date, requiring repeated rework.
On the one hand, we wanted to make our internal processes more efficient, but at the same time we wanted to position ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead: A few years ago, product communication was very controlled with extensive printed catalogs. Today, in the digital environment, we are dealing with short update cycles of our digital customer touch points, actively seeking customers with a desire for "self-service" as well as new digital business models - all of which require consistent product data management.
"Every process stands or falls with the people involved in it."
Eva Kerstholt, Group Director Digital Products & Solutions at WILO SE
About the person
About the person Eva Kerstholt is Group Director Digital Products & Solutions at WILO SE, a leading global manufacturer of pump systems for building services, water management and industrial applications. In her previous role as Head of Product Information Management, she led an organizational development project to sustainably improve international product data processes starting in 2017.
With her team of 30, Eva Kerstholt is currently responsible for all digital and analog customer touchpoints of the Wilo Group. Her areas of expertise include global product information management, pre- and after-sales product communication via web and app, and Wilo's connectivity solutions.
And what is the organizational structure today?
Our PIM system is rolled out globally, which means that product data is captured at all international production sites of the Wilo Group where it is created - whether in Dortmund, Beijing or the USA. Our international users are supported by a core team that is anchored in a central function, but distributed across the Dortmund and Beijing locations.
Today, we have a total of 150 active users in various roles, and approximately 100,000 SKUs are actively managed in the system throughout the entire product lifecycle. The status of a dataset is continuously monitored through system-supported workflows with the goal of having all data captured, reviewed, and released by the target publication date.
The core team also takes care of feeding the associated publication channels via various exports and interfaces. This includes the Wilo websites with the market-specific online catalogs, the Wilo Assistant App, the Wilo product design software, but also the transmission of our product data to wholesalers or BIM portals.
Maturity models help to evaluate and improve processes. What methods and processes did you use?
The goal and focus was to develop an organizational model and corresponding end-to-end processes for technical product communication. SIPOC workshops and the use of the RACI method to clarify roles and responsibilities have proven to be very successful.
You are talking about end-to-end processes in technical product communication. Does that mean involving departments and divisions outside your area of responsibility?
Exactly. We focused on marketing, product management, and sales, looking at all processes/sub-processes from product creation (in the PIM) to data enrichment, translation, and use in the appropriate media channels.
This has proven to be quite easy, as the business units have very quickly recognized the added value we can create by consistently addressing the issue of product data. For one, it means increased efficiency; for the other, it means higher quality for the customer.
We have also worked closely with R&D, our primary data supplier, on the data transfer point. Again, it was clear who was responsible for what.
"To this day, I'm thrilled with the naturalness with which my team trains new employees on the processes we set up and ensures compliance - and how well everyone follows through."
Eva Kerstholt
Back to the maturity models. A maturity model facilitates the objective assessment of processes. What was it like at WILO SE?
A maturity model allows you to compare yourself to other companies or business units and simply provides incredible objectivity. That's where Xtentio comes in. With Xtentio's know-how, the external view of our company and especially in the competence of Heiko SĂŒthoff, Xtentio was able to help us very well and bring us forward. By objectifying the issue, we were able to run very constructive workshops and produce results that were supported by all participants.
Can you give us some insight into how that was achieved?
Here I would like to emphasize an essential point: Every process rises and falls with the people involved.
As a specialist department, we have the core competence to present the Wilo Group's product and solution portfolio in the best possible way on the global market and to position Wilo as a preferred partner.
Or as I always like to put it pragmatically: No one buys a product that is not fully described and of high quality.
The goal was to create a foundation of value-added processes and clear roles and responsibilities that would ensure the smooth capture, processing, and publication of product information worldwide.
In this project, we were able to engage and inspire people from different departments. So: If we focus on the benefits for the participants or on a high quality end result, we lower the inhibition threshold and attract "joiners".
Does this mean that the results of the collaboration with Xtentio are sustainable and still having an effect today?
Yes, I think we can say it was a complete success.
To this day, I am amazed at how naturally my team trains new employees on the processes we have established and ensures that they are followed - and how well everyone then follows suit.
Now, with a critical look back, what were the lessons learned?
As I said at the beginning, the results are still being felt today. But we have also learned that even established processes need to be consciously communicated and modeled. Otherwise, even after a few years, there is always the risk of falling back into old, supposedly comfortable patterns. And even as a team, we sometimes had to pull our own ears and point out an oversight to the right person instead of "just doing it ourselves".
Ms. Kerstholt, thank you very much for this interesting interview.
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