During his keynote at Autodesk University 2022, Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost made a “Lord of the Rings inspired” speech that went viral in the designer community. The key takeaway was the idea of platforms aim to connect the tools, data, processing and workflows. Let me take this opportunity to rephrase it and apply the same metaphor to what we call PIM systems.
Multiple Departments, Multiple Silos
A PIM (Product Information Management) system is a quite new concept in the Foodservice Equipment Manufacturer organizations, with still no wide adoption. It is a centralized software platform used to collect, manage, enrich, and distribute product data across multiple channels.
The problem starts at the beginning of the data journey, when teams or departments operate independently with little to no communication, collaboration, or awareness of other parts of the organization. This “silo mentality” leads to inefficiencies like duplicated efforts, lack of shared knowledge, and misaligned goals, ultimately hindering the company’s overall success. But why that happens? After all these years in the business I have an idea.. that Grace Hopper well explained in 1976 in her famous quote about the most dangerous phrase in the language: ‘We’ve always done it that way ‘…
I hate Excel.. Long live Excel!
If there is one software in the world that has my highest respect and admiration, this is Excel. Have you ever watched The Microsoft Excel World Championship? No? You should! Take a look at their website: https://excel-esports.com/.. it is a real eSport!
Nevertheless, product information is scattered across many places in every company, right? To make things even worse, some of the key information can be found only on the Product Manager’s computer disk, while some is available in multiple Excel spreadsheets. Excel spreadsheets. My worst nightmare. Worse than walking to Mordor chased by orcs, Ring-Wraiths, and so on and so forth.
Please, let’s just stop using Excel in 2025 to share information. How can we approach AI while we are still relying on a software that is almost older than me? (note: Excel 1.0 was published in 1985 for the Macintosh operating system.)
Good times.. for a change!
See, the luck I’ve had
Can make a good man turn bad
So, please, please, please let me, let me, let me
Let me get what I want this time
As Morrissey from The Smiths (by the way, what a band!) used to sing in 1984 in their celebrated “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” (and what a B-side!), I can tell you that this is the best time to switch from Excel to PIM, but pay attention! Not all PIMs are created equal. So when you choose one, choose wisely. And if you need any help, don’t hesitate to contact me… and the next one!
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Stay data-hungry. Stay data-foolish.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Digital Consultant