Meira Nova

Meira Nova itself offers over 17,000 products, but their previous solution and process had limitations and dependencies on external parties, making the product search a daunting task. For example, they couldn’t update or enrich all product data themselves and were reliant on data enriched by others. Another challenge was that a large amount of products weren’t in the system, making it difficult to provide accurate and timely information to customers or to get an overview of the assortment. 

Meira Nova needed a flexible solution where they could define what products they needed at any given time and enrich the data with details that were missing. Since quotation management plays such a big role in their business, they use many custom attributes – like coffee roast levels and grind sizes – which aren’t defined anywhere else.

The project involved designing and configuring the PIM solution to suit Meira Nova’s needs. Meira Nova provided the business insight, and we supported them with our PIM know-how. We took care of data modeling and configuration together. 

As the implementation partner, we handled the overall project management, solution architecture design, data model design, integration specifications, and user training. We recommended using Akeneo as the basis for the PIM solution due to our extensive experience with Akeneo from other projects. Akeneo is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) PIM platform designed to help businesses efficiently manage and centralize product data. 

More comprehensive product and supplier information  

The number of products available has increased tenfold to well over 100,000 products. Previously, only products in Meira Nova’s own selection were included, but now it encompasses GS1 Synkka Finnish target market products, other product data sources, and more. GS1 Synkka is a service that allows users to send and receive product information and images to different companies and channels. Our expertise with the Synkka system was appreciated by Meira Nova.  

The number of suppliers has also increased tenfold with the connection to the Synkka database. Currently, Meira Nova has around 1,000 suppliers and their products to choose from, which opens new opportunities for the company. Additionally, implementing the new PIM solution and improved integrations enable Meira Nova to provide more comprehensive and higher-quality product information through their online store and clients’ systems.

Easier work for Meira Nova employees 

Thanks to the new PIM solution, life is now easier for Meira Nova employees, especially when participating in tenders. This is because finding suitable products and retrieving product data has become much simpler and significantly faster – resulting in higher-quality quotations and better business. Selected products can then be accessed through Meira Nova’s SAP ERP solution for purchasing and order fulfillment.

Another key benefit is the flexibility to develop and configure the solution themselves based on new business needs. For instance, when new regulations or new products come up, they are no longer reliant on external parties. Meira Nova can create and enrich the necessary attributes themselves. 

A useful tool for managers 

Meira Nova also adopted a shared catalog model based on Akeneo Shared Catalogs for customer managers and category sourcing managers. They can now browse the same data and access both Synkka and Meira Nova’s product lineup. In procurement competitions, they can review the competing suppliers, and customer managers can easily search for products with specific specs when a customer asks if Meira Nova has a particular food item or what alternatives they might have. Meira Nova now has a significantly higher number of products and suppliers under one system, making everyday work more efficient.