KNOBLOCH and crossbase - durable and safe

KNOBLOCH has been producing letterboxes since 1869 and today is a full-range supplier of everything from fence letterboxes and surface-mounted letterboxes to letterbox systems, parcel solutions and communication pillars. KNOBLOCH has two locations in Döbeln, in the triangle of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz in the middle of Saxony, and has experienced a varied history, including nationalization in 1978 and reprivatization in 1990. Today, KNOBLOCH manufactures products for the entrance area with 190 employees and scores with quality from Germany. The sales channels are versatile - direct, via store, portals or trading partners.

Based on the crossbase standard software, a PIM, MAM and cross-media solution was implemented for KNOBLOCH, the abas ERP system was connected and marketing data was initially transferred to the database. The articles are continuously imported with master data and prices via a standard interface to the abas ERP system.

A special feature is the typing of the articles (variant article, article variant, standard article) and the creation of the large number of article variants with referencing to the corresponding variant article. In crossbase, the newly imported articles are classified in the product structure. Technical features (product-specific features for letterboxes, functional boxes, parcel boxes), store data and product relationships are also maintained, e.g. preferred items, labeling options and spare parts. The inheritance concept in crossbase is very useful for the many article variants: for example, only the color is maintained for the article and the dimensions, application and assembly for the higher-level article group or product family.

The media elements, including product photos in various views, dimensional drawings, reference images, logos, operating instructions, roll-ups, stickers, templates and videos, are managed in the integrated MAM for specific products, publications or in a general media structure. A special feature is the maintenance of reference images: These are maintained with additional metadata such as the location, installed products or coordinates for photo tour maps so that they can be used for sales purposes. The image conversion function integrated in crossbase automatically prepares the images for use in print and on the Internet. The texts (product description, special features, material composition, accessories/scope of delivery, assembly type, image legend) are entered as continuous text or generated from text modules and features. The content is translated into several languages.

Marketing-specific product views and product ranges are maintained for the relevant sales channels ("channel output management") so that products can be used in the store, website, e-catalogs or print. The connection to the Magento store system is established using the API server and Magento-specific REST services in accordance with a defined mapping list. In addition, certain data from the PIM is also transferred back to abas for sales purposes, including image files, documents and article data. The e-catalogs are database-supported and automatically created in Excel format, e.g. to communicate prices to trading partners or to exchange product data. Five people at three locations from marketing, product management, media production and translation management are involved in the process according to their authorizations.