Many product-driven companies already have a well-established Product Data Management system (PDM). It’s the backbone of product development, an invaluable tool for engineers, designers, and production teams. But when the product is ready for the market, a new need arises: managing all the commercial product information. That’s where PDM is no longer enough. You need a Product Information Management system (PIM).
PDM manages how the product is built
A PDM is designed to keep track of the technical truth: CAD drawings, component lists, versions, revisions, and product structures. Its purpose is to ensure that everyone involved in developing and manufacturing the product works with the correct version and that all data is technically accurate.
For the product development team, PDM is a must. But for the marketing department, it’s more of a maze. They need product information that is easy to understand, present, and adapt for customers - not technical file names or design drawings.
PIM manages how the product is sold
This is where PIM comes in. A PIM system collects, enriches, and distributes the commercial product information, everything needed to describe the product in a way that attracts customers and drives sales.
This includes:
- Product names and descriptions
- Images, videos, and manuals
- Specifications and attributes
- Price, SKU, languages, and markets
- Channel adaptation for webshops, catalogs, and resellers
A PIM makes it possible to create consistent, updated, and inspiring product information across all channels, something increasingly important in a world of multichannel sales, rapid product launches, and global expansion.
Why PDM alone isn’t enough
Believing that PDM can replace PIM is like trying to sell products directly from your CAD system.
The two systems have completely different purposes and users:
| Function | PDM | PIM |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Technical data | Commercial information |
| Users | Engineers, production | Marketing, e-commerce, sales |
| Goal | Control product development | Maximize sales and customer experience |
| Data format | CAD, BOM, technical specifications | Text, images, media, translations |
| Output | Production documentation | Catalogs, webshops, marketplaces |
A PDM system simply isn’t built to drive sales. It knows everything about how the product is made — but nothing about how it’s experienced.
The benefits of combining PDM and PIM
When PDM and PIM work together, they create a seamless flow of information from engineering to the customer:
- Automated data connection – Technical specifications are automatically transferred from PDM to PIM.
- Faster time-to-market – The product can be published in e-commerce and marketplaces as soon as it’s approved in PDM.
- Fewer errors and inconsistencies – The same product data is used throughout the chain, but with different purposes.
- Stronger customer experience – The marketing team can focus on content, visuals, and storytelling.
- Global scalability – Easier to manage languages, regions, and channel formats.
A modern PIM thus becomes the hub between product development and marketing.
How ERP fits into the picture
The ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning) functions as the company’s business backbone, managing inventory, pricing, order flows, and purchasing. It interacts with both PDM and PIM:
- From PDM to ERP, technical product data flows for manufacturing and logistics.
- From ERP to PIM, core product information, prices, and stock levels are retrieved.
- From PIM to the market, enriched product information is distributed to webshops, resellers, and catalogs.
Together, these systems create an end-to-end flow from product idea to customer experience, where each system does what it’s best at.
Summary: PDM tells what the product is. PIM tells why it’s worth buying.
Investing in a PIM isn’t about duplicating what you already have, it’s about complementing your PDM and extending the value of your technical data. A PIM transforms product data into marketing-ready information, making it useful for everyone who sells, communicates, and inspires.
Ultimately, it’s about increasing sales, strengthening the brand, and reducing time-to-market, goals that no PDM system is designed to achieve.
Conclusion
- A PDM is the brain behind your product.
- A PIM is the voice that tells the world about it.
- And ERP is the steady heartbeat that keeps everything running.
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