Norgren goes for global e-commerce and product management system

The company started implementing its new solution with system integrator Javelin Group in January, and says it’s not only getting an efficient e-commerce solution driven by an optimised, single-source data management suite, but automated print catalogue generation. Customers will see a complete transactional and information site that’s always up to date on new product data and pricing, and geared to making it easy for them to search, select and buy configured products at agreed prices. Norgen says that, after go-live, it intends to roll out the solution globally. What’s different about this implementation is Hybris’ underpinning product information management (PIM) software – highly acclaimed by analysts – which will enable Norgren to consolidate data from a large number of disparate systems and databases into a single active repository. Prior to this, Norgren says it had to access and maintain data from different databases and repositories to support its e-commerce system, developed by Reqio, which itself comprised various websites and web-based applications that had become difficult to manage. Which is where Norgen gains again – the new system will also be integrating the existing websites onto the Hybris e-commerce platform, supported by its own web content management module, which features a flexible, open Java-based object-orientated taxonomy. Says Keith Hopkinson, global IT director at Norgren: “Our existing e-commerce platform had served us very well for eight years, but was beginning to show its age. We established the need to have a single data source, ensuring our product information was maintained, complete and accurate, which would support a fully integrated web solution.” Norgren’s initial focus was on identifying a best of breed PIM solution, he says, because the company recognised that effective management of product data was going to be critical. “Hybris came out very strongly in this area and by combining the e-commerce and print production modules we had found our complete solution,” says Hopkinson. Says Andrew Piscina, UK country manager for Hybris: “What most organisations have is a lot of departments running different applications and database in different places that cover aspects of the product description, price, imagery and so on. Our PIM solution consolidates all that, providing users with role-based access. “Norgren represents a global company that needs to ensure it can provide its customers with a fully functioning and up to date e-business platform. As the Internet increasingly becomes a major part of global sales for businesses, this requirement is becoming a universal ‘must have’. “Hybris’ e-commerce and PIM solutions help to ensure that this business critical requirement can be met and that customers will have an efficient and productive experience when purchasing goods and services online.” Asked about development tools, timing and pricing, he adds: “We have good tools to import, cleanse and consolidate data. UK pricing: starts at £30k for the software, and 60 man-days on top of that would be realistic for a base system, depending on the complexity.” However, enterprise licences are listed at around £200,000, with unlimited CPU usage, and Piscina agrees that with the scale of a Norgren-like implementation, up to 1,000 man days on top would not be unrealistic.