Bata Industrials transformed scattered spreadsheets into a streamlined source of truth using KatanaPIM. In this blog—based on the Kega podcast with Kenneth Freichmann—discover how they saved 120 hours a month, improved customer experience, and turned product data into a strategic advantage.
This blog post is inspired by the Kega podcast “Dealen met Digital,” hosted by Dirk van Eunen, featuring Kenneth Freichmann, Digital Experience & E-commerce Lead at Bata Industrials. In this episode, Kenneth shares how Bata approaches product content and how their PIM (KatanaPIM) became the foundation for consistent, scalable product communication.
When Kenneth Freichmann joined Bata Industrials, he immediately saw the product data chaos: Excel sheets everywhere, inconsistent terminology, and no unified source for digital or printed content.
The same feature would have five different names depending on where it was used. That doesn’t reflect authority—and it’s confusing for the reader.
This inconsistency impacted everything from e-commerce product pages to PDF spec sheets. The solution? A central product information system.
We wanted one source of truth for our product information, so whatever you’re creating—be it a website or a printed spec sheet—it speaks the same language everywhere.
Even with company-wide support for a better system, Kenneth still needed to justify the investment.
I created a service map to show where product data flows and how much time is spent managing it. Then I calculated the hours we’d save. That made it financially concrete.
The result: an estimated 120 man-hours saved per month, and a smoother go-to-market process. It wasn’t just about centralizing data. It was about unlocking time and reducing complexity.
Bata Industrials needed a system that was user-friendly and scalable across different departments. Kenneth involved 6 to 8 internal stakeholders in vendor demos and used a simple scorecard to guide the decision.
We don’t have a high average digital literacy in the company, so the system had to be user-friendly.
We scored the vendors on usability, service level, and how well the solution fits our way of working. The vendor with the highest score made it.
Once selected, the real work began—starting with a strong data model that works for internal teams and external buyers alike.
Internally it needs to be easy to enrich data. Externally, the product info needs to be self-explanatory—so customers don’t have to think twice.
Instead of using vague or technical codes, terms are written in plain language.
For example, instead of using technical codes like “FO,” which stands for “fuel and oil resistant outsole,” they now write out the full term. This ensures the meaning is immediately clear, even to people who aren’t safety footwear experts.
You don’t want to make people think. Even experts benefit from seeing the full term instead of trying to remember what a code stands for.
With the PIM in place, product data is now consistent, complete, and even includes links to product images.
Some customers told me they saved 10 to 20 hours per product data upload—just because everything they need is already there, including links to product photos.
It’s not just about efficiency. It's also about providing service and becoming a preferred supplier.
That’s one of the pillars of our strategy—being the kind of supplier that’s easy to work with.
Kenneth sees PIM as a strategic enabler, not just an operational tool.
I call it Product Information Excellence—PIE. The strategy is to raise our service level, especially for B2B clients.
By delivering complete, clear, and reliable product information, Bata positions itself as an authority in safety footwear.
The better our product information is, the less our distributors need to think or adjust. That’s the goal.
Even with the PIM live, the work continues. Product norms evolve. Market needs change. And technology keeps moving.
A PIM is never done. You’ll always be tweaking. But if you do that based on market insight and customer feedback, it’s never wasted effort.
Kenneth is already exploring AI for analytics and content assistance:
I’d love to ask a conversational interface: ‘What are the least common specs among top-selling shoes?’ That would make product development even smarter.
Listen to episode #16 of Dealen met Digital by Kega, hosted by Dirk van Eunen.
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