S.I. Spamel is one of the leading manufacturers of cam switches, switchgear, insulation sets, control stations, and isolating switches. The company is also a member of the Polish Chamber of Electrotechnics. Spamel operates internationally, with sales conducted across Europe. Its product range includes over 36,000 items.
Requirements and needs
The desire to expand internationally and enter new markets was the driving force behind the decision to implement a PIM system as the central source of information for all products. A natural continuation of this process was the launch of an advanced product website and sales publications fully integrated with the database. Our responsibilities also include ongoing management of the database’s content.
Applied solutions
Considering the goals set by the client, we recommended basing the implementation on the proven Amirada GmbH system, which allows for the creation of a database integrated with tools for automating publication across various media.
For DTP automation, we utilized Adobe InDesign, enhanced with the necessary Amirada plug-ins and the amirada.design module. This method is used to generate product catalogs and complex PDF product sheets.
We also implemented the amirada.webcon module to automate the conversion and synchronization of the product website with the database. This ensures that information entered into the PIM system is automatically available on the brand’s website.
A key element of the implementation was automating the export of translations to .xls files and their subsequent import. This significantly reduced the time required for managing this process and improved content management efficiency.
Product database
The ability to efficiently manage information defining and presenting products is crucial for the rapid growth of a business, especially when international sales are involved. The PIM system we developed features a tree-like structure, enabling the creation of a proper data hierarchy. Its object-oriented data model ensures accurate representation of relationships between objects and between objects and operations.
Key features of the database include:
- Full mapping of product descriptions
- Multilingual support
- Management of various data types
- Bulk data editing using Excel
- Content management through a Windows client
- Dynamic relationships between objects (e.g., product - accessories, product - components)
- Ability to generate product variants based on configurator value lists
- Support for ETIM and BMEcat standards
The built-in ETIM classification in the database is now a standard in the electrotechnical industry. Providing standardized product information is often a prerequisite for establishing business collaborations.
Product website
All information on the brand’s website is automatically synchronized with the content of the product database, ensuring it is always up-to-date and error-free. An additional benefit is the ability to verify content intended for publication before it goes live (staging server). All new or updated files, PDF documents, and images are automatically uploaded to the server, providing a highly convenient solution that eliminates the need to manually apply changes to the website. For tens of thousands of products, manual data updates would be both time-consuming and costly.
Given Spamel’s international operations, we implemented five language versions of the website: Polish, English, German, Russian, and Czech.
Product catalog
We created six language versions of the catalog, presenting the brand’s offerings comprehensively and accessibly to the audience. The specificity of the products required solutions that would simplify the message while showcasing all key features.
Each catalog contains over 350 pages and includes:
- Complex tables presenting various technical parameters
- Product images
- Textual data
- Technical drawings
- Configurators (“How to order”)
- Dynamically generated cross-references to other pages within the catalog
PDF data sheet
We prepared over 2,400 product data sheets with a highly complex layout, utilizing Adobe InDesign managed through specialized plug-ins from Amirada. Each sheet, like the product catalog, was created in five language versions: Polish, English, German, Russian, and Czech.
Each product data sheet includes key product information, such as:
- Technical data
- Photos
- Technical drawings
Mobile application
An additional aspect of the implementation for the Spamel brand was the development of a mobile version of the product website, addressing the growing number of users browsing websites on mobile devices. This initiative opened the door to a much wider audience, especially considering that in many European countries, the percentage of users favoring mobile solutions is even higher than in Poland.
Summary
The implementation carried out for the Spamel brand was one of the most comprehensive projects we have undertaken. It included designing the PIM system, launching the product website, and preparing multi-page product catalogs and product sheets. Completing the project, we developed a mobile application for Android systems. To this day, we remain responsible for managing the product database and updating its content. This ensures that the client can always rely on complete and accurate product information across all media and focus on business growth.
Spamel Reference