Spectrum Brands Unifies Global Product Content with Centric PXM

“Many key features like tagging and the system-supported conversion of image formats needed to be programmed first, which was a time-consuming process.”

Dirk Huntemann, Senior Application Coordinator at Spectrum Brands, describes the situation before Centric PXM™. Basic functions like tagging and image format conversion required manual programming, which created bottlenecks and slowed operations.

Today, Spectrum Brands has automated key data management processes, enabling efficient oversight of nearly 400,000 media assets across 12 brands. With Centric PXM, the company has streamlined workflows, enhanced cross-functional collaboration and established a scalable foundation for global content operations.

Global consumer goods powerhouse scales product content

Spectrum Brands manages a diverse portfolio that ranges from home appliances to pet care. Operating across multiple markets and categories, the company oversees a complex network of products, brands and channels. Its three divisions—home & personal care, global pet care and home & garden—include market-leading brands like Tetra, FURminator, IAMS, Eukanuba, SmartBones, Good Boy, Remington, Russell Hobbs and George Foreman. Headquarters for home & personal care are located in Wisconsin, while pet care and home & garden HQs are based in Montana. Regional headquarters across Europe, Latin America, Canada and Asia-Pacific further support Spectrum Brands’ global footprint.

An outgrown and overburdened CMS slowed progress

Before Centric PXM, Spectrum Brands relied on a customized content management system (CMS) that quickly became a bottleneck. As the business grew, so did the complexity of managing product content across categories and markets. Essential capabilities like tagging and automatic image format conversion weren’t built in and had to be manually programmed, consuming valuable time and resources.

“The previous system just couldn’t keep up,” says Mr. Huntemann. “Every small function needed to be custom-built. It was time-consuming and held us back.”

With teams working across multiple brands and regions, the lack of automation and standardized workflows created inconsistencies and slowed down catalog production. Preparing print catalogs required extensive manual effort and offered little room for localization or efficiency. Errors during data entry and duplicated work were unavoidable.

It became clear that Spectrum Brands needed a scalable, out-of-the-box solution to streamline operations, reduce manual workload and enable faster time-to-shelf, especially for complex, multilingual content.

Building efficiency for growth

To support business growth and meet evolving market demands, Spectrum Brands knew it needed to modernize how product content was managed across its many brands, teams and regions. The company set out with a clear list of requirements:

• Standardized processes across all departments
• Error reduction through fixed workflows and role-based access
• Localization readiness to support multi-language content
• Seamless integration with an ERP system
• Flexible data models to accommodate the unique needs of each brand and category
• Practical tools like mass data processing, a WYSIWYG editor and channel-specific content formatting

One high-impact use case was automating the production of a complex, magazine-style print catalog published every two years. Previously, catalog creation had been labor-intensive and time-consuming, involving multiple departments and endless file exchanges. A centralized platform was essential for publishing efficiency while ensuring content accuracy and consistency across all channels.

A new era of product data control

To meet both market demands and internal standards, Spectrum Brands recognized the need for a robust, future-ready Product Information Management (PIM) solution. After extensive research and a detailed evaluation of three shortlisted providers, the company selected Centric PXM — an AI-powered product experience management platform that encompasses PIM, DAM, content syndication and digital shelf analytics (DSA).

Spectrum Brands rolled out the system over the course of a year. The team reviewed and optimized hundreds of attributes, configured custom workflows and tailored the system to support daily operations across brands and business units.

“From the start, the system has been completely web-based and can therefore be used worldwide without requiring local installation, which is one of the main advantages for Spectrum Brands,” Mr. Huntemann explains.

Today, Centric PXM serves as the centralized platform for product content across 12+ brands, ensuring accurate, accessible data worldwide. Automated catalog creation has reduced production time from one year to just a fraction of that time.

Translation management supports multiple languages, making global localization seamless. “The system’s high integration saves our team significant time. We can now prepare the catalog in German and easily translate it into up to 27 languages—something we simply couldn’t do before,” says Mr. Huntemann.

Custom workflows have cut product description costs to one-fifth of previous levels, driving efficiency at scale.

Reimagined digital operations

For Spectrum Brands, this transformation was more than just automation; it was about building a smarter, more resilient operation. Teams that once were tied up with manual catalog production now can focus on value-added work like improving content, accelerating product launches and supporting strategic brand initiatives.

• Centralized product content – One unified platform manages 25,000+ products and 370,000+ media assets across 12+ brands
• Massive time savings – Catalog creation time reduced from 12 months to just 1 week
• Localization at scale – Translation workflows enable publication in up to 27 languages
• Cost efficiency – Customized workflows cut product description costs by 80%
• Daily adoption – Up to 50 global users collaborate seamlessly with role-based workflows

What started as a need for structure has become a blueprint for digital excellence. After more than a decade using Centric PXM, Spectrum Brands has built a scalable, reliable foundation for managing complex product content. The platform continues to drive growth, efficiency and adaptability across brands and regions.