LEKI Transforms Product Content Management and Eliminates Spreadsheets With Centric PXM

We were flooded with spreadsheets, manually updating thousands of product variations and constantly risking data inconsistencies across our entire product line.”

A LEKI project manager describes the state of product development prior to implementing Contentserv, now Centric PXM™. Today, LEKI has revolutionized product content management, transforming from a complex, labor-intensive process into a streamlined, automated system that efficiently manages SKUs with unprecedented precision and speed. What was the journey to get to this point?

Three-Quarters-of-a-Century of History

Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Germany, LEKI has been a pioneering force in outdoor equipment manufacturing for over 75 years. Specializing in high-performance ski poles, trekking poles, gloves and sport accessories, the company has built a reputation for innovation and quality. With a global presence spanning multiple continents, LEKI serves outdoor enthusiasts through a diverse network of retailers, distributors and its own e-commerce platform.

The Mounting Challenges

The company began with alpine ski poles and a commitment to create exceptional outdoor equipment. Over the years, the product line expanded into poles, gloves and accessories for other outdoor sports, and with it, so did the complexity of product data. What started as a manageable process gradually became a mounting challenge, with each product variation requiring meticulous manual documentation resulting in a labyrinth of spreadsheets, multiple updates and fragmented information systems. Product managers spent countless hours maintaining worksheets, with each color variation having its own. The company ended up loading more than 1000 different product color variations into Centric PXM which previously demanded individual attention and updates whenever changes were made.

The Search for a Solution

There was a clear need for a centralized, automated product data management system. A careful evaluation of several solutions found most to be too rigid and lacking depth. LEKI ultimately chose Centric PXM. “What impressed us most was Centric’s ability to match our modular product approach,” says the project manager. “Centric PXM stood out for its unique ability around product configuration. The platform offers a hierarchical structure that aligns perfectly with our vision of creating a ‘single source of truth’ for product data.” Unlike traditional systems, Centric PXM enables LEKI to create a sophisticated product information management structure that goes beyond standard PIM capabilities.

Automation and Transformation with Centric PXM

LEKI realized many advantages with the implementation of Centric PXM. Product development workflows are now integrated and automated, drastically reducing manual intervention and improving collaboration with seamless connections among departments, from initial concept to commercialization. If a technical drawing needs to be reviewed, the system sends an immediate alert to the relevant team. Product managers, technical teams, design departments and other stakeholders are brought into the process at the right time, with clear responsibilities and trackable progress.

A hierarchical product structure is another benefit. The manager explains, “Instead of treating each product as a standalone entity, the system introduces configurable objects for core components. This allows for unprecedented flexibility and efficiency.” Along with that goes built-in data inheritance. When a core component is updated, all products using that component are also updated, eliminating the need for manual adjustments to all the product variations that use that part.

Data transfer between departments is also automated, making email chains and shared data files a thing of the past.

Integration with LEKI’s custom ERP system gives rise to automated SKUs generation. The recent adoption of Centric’s feed management system (FMS) simplifies data transfer to retailers, ensuring consistency across all consumer touchpoints.

Concrete Results

The implementation of Centric PXM delivered immediate and significant benefits. “To set up a collection of products online the old way, took about two weeks. Now, it takes one or two days. Our people are happy. They can focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks,” remarks the manager. “We’ve transformed our product data management from a time-consuming manual process to a streamlined, automated system, drastically reducing the time spent on data management.”

For the online site, 12+ languages are supported, but the major improvement is data accuracy. “The quality of the product data is almost 100% because every error that is found, is corrected in PIM [Centric PXM], which is then updated in the site; we have the right product information for the end consumer,” the manager says. “It saves so much time compared to before, inputting thousands of values manually in the online shop back-end.”

Summing Up

All product content is now stored in a single, accessible location. This includes technical specifications, design details, marketing information and historical data. Product managers and other stakeholders can access up-to-date, accurate information instantly.

The centralized, comprehensive approach to managing product information, media and business software integrations is a new way of working as well as a strategic step-change. “We didn’t just implement a system; we have a single point of truth that automatically updates product content across our entire collection, eliminating manual spreadsheets and dramatically reducing errors,” the manager summarizes. “Our digital transformation is about more than efficiency. It’s about creating a more agile, responsive and innovative organization that can quickly adapt to market changes.”