A Guide to PIM Investment Strategies in the European Manufacturing Industry

Competitive advantage in the manufacturing industry demands customer value creation, and this is driving a refocus on enhancing sales, marketing, and after-market business processes. This study demonstrates that there are opportunities for PIM solution adoption, and the two case studies presented show that customer, market, and internal requests drive manufacturing companies to adopt product information management solutions.

"The current state of the manufacturing market suggests that companies require accurate, complete, and accessible product information management capabilities and are therefore increasingly considering the implementation of a PIM solution to manage commercially oriented product data," said Jennifer Thomson, program manager, IDC European Vertical Markets. "Vendors should work on messaging that pushes the concept of PIM as the 'strategically binding layer' within an organization's value chain. Focusing on demonstrating the advantages of a formulized product, part, and pricing process."