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+ Growth
  • Expanded global reach through AI-powered multilingual content
  • Boosted product visibility in diverse international markets
  • Increased customer engagement with localized, tailored information
  • Enhanced brand value as a trusted resource in automation
+ Effiency
  • Centralized data management simplified content updates
  • Accelerated translation workflows reduced time-to-market
  • Reduced manual errors with automated data synchronization
  • Improved cross-departmental collaboration through unified data

"Since our new translation solution became available, we have been translating much more extensively than before — there are basically no more limits. Faster and, above all, consistently better translations with considerable cost efficiency have been achieved by combining Contentserv with the new Schmalz Translation Services — specifically with DeepL. In terms of marketing, we are making annual savings of €70,000 per year."

Mario Ade
Product and Content Marketing, J. Schmalz GmbH

About Schmalz

The Schmalz Group is one of the world's leading suppliers of vacuum technology for automation and ergonomic handling solutions. The global company has more than 1,800 employees. As a third-generation family-owned business, Schmalz prioritizes sustainability, balancing economic success with environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

Schmalz’s products are used across various sectors, including logistics, automotive, electronics, and furniture production. Its portfolio is broad, ranging from individual components such as suction cups or vacuum generators to complete gripping systems and clamping solutions for holding workpieces. With vacuum lifters and crane systems, Schmalz offers innovative handling solutions for industrial and commercial applications. With its new "energy storage" business segment, the Schmalz Group is establishing another pillar in the field of stationary energy storage.

case-study-schmalz-header
Pain

Connecting global customers with relevant information

As a global market leader, Schmalz faces the ongoing challenge of delivering relevant, clear information for its diverse product range across multiple countries. With customers spanning many languages, country-specific websites are essential. To streamline this complexity, Schmalz utilizes Contentserv’s robust Product Information Management (PIM) system at its headquarters in Glatten, Germany, ensuring efficient, centralized management that meets local needs while supporting global growth.

However, with a fast-moving ready-to-wear market, the colossal manual entry of different product data (6,000 color references per season, assortment tracking, product feature updates in different languages, etc.) became extremely challenging. Furthermore, primarily using spreadsheets for this purpose was very time-consuming and error-prone. These files quickly became archaic in the context of Lacoste’s digital transformation and they would often contain numerous data entry errors, which resulted in a slow time-to-market that was harmful to sales. Another major challenge involved variable data such as collections, which must be renewed every six months and had to take into account the difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Therefore Lacoste needed to adopt a tool that would streamline the creation and distribution of its product catalogs on both its merchant and marketplace sites. This made it clear that Product Information Management (PIM) was the right solution to quickly enrich databases, accurately aggregate content, and shorten time-to-market, all while increasing agility and flexibility.

Aim

Transforming translation for global reach and cost-efficiency

Schmalz aimed to streamline and improve its translation processes, which had previously been time-intensive and costly due to reliance on external agencies. With the new Schmalz Translation Service (STS), translations are faster, more affordable, and of higher quality. The process, developed by Schmalz’s DevOps specialist Sebastian Böhringer, leverages a REST interface for seamless communication between the PIM, CMS, and other data sources, with STS operating as a web service via Java Spring Boot and a Vue framework interface.

Now, STS users can choose how to handle each translation request, whether through DeepL, an agency, or in-house reviewers fluent in the target language. Glossary databases populated in DeepL ensure specialized terminology is accurately translated. Once DeepL completes the translation, local colleagues review and approve it within a week, ensuring every piece of content meets Schmalz’s standards before returning to the PIM system. This efficient setup reduces dependency on external providers and keeps translation costs down while increasing accuracy and speed.

In addition to these initial objectives, there were two other quantified objectives: the implementation of the PIM solution should make it possible to increase the average value of orders and reduce product returns.

Lacoste evaluated five PIM solutions, and at the end of 2016, they selected Contentserv. Contentserv allows data to be quickly onboarded and adjusted via user-friendly, intuitive interfaces, and for information to be distributed across all sales media. A pioneer in the PIM industry and a leader for 20 years with an international customer portfolio, Contentserv has extensive experience in product information management.

Gain

Empowering growth with AI-driven localization

The impact of Schmalz's AI-driven translation solution is transformative. By combining Contentserv with the Schmalz Translation Service (STS), Schmalz has achieved faster, higher-quality translations while significantly reducing costs. Key results include:

  • Quality improvement: With localized glossaries, DeepL consistently delivers more accurate product translations than previous methods.
  • Increased output: The new solution allows Schmalz to translate content more comprehensively, expanding reach without limits.
  • Time savings: Automation has reduced time spent on translation coordination by 99%.
  • Cost reduction: Schmalz saves approximately €70,000 annually, with API costs under €100 per month, compared to previous expenses of up to €170,000.

Looking forward, Schmalz sees further potential in combining AI and Contentserv to enrich industry-specific content. By tailoring product information for diverse sectors, like carpentry and logistics, Schmalz envisions scaling AI-driven text production to provide a customized experience that would be unachievable through manual methods.

The Contentserv PIM solution provides great flexibility in data generation, with users managing an impressive amount of data (2,400,000 attributes, 24,000 references, and 172,000 ean/UPC barcodes). Export procedures integrated into the solution speed up the automatic creation and editing of catalogs and web pages, allowing Lacoste to export up to 40,000 items daily. Users can then assemble images, technical attributes, and prices by simply dragging and dropping them onto dynamic models subject to pre-established rules.

Other significant advances include the ease of creating new attributes such as information that allows consumers to refine their choices and maximize their shopping experience. This process used to take several months and now takes only 2 or 3 weeks. Furthermore, as fashion is governed by seasons, it is necessary to reconfigure entire offerings every six months. The Contentserv PIM solution allows Lacoste to maintain the attributes (about 300 per product) of the models that remain on sale, and thus, avoids rebuilding the catalog from scratch.

Facts and Figures

CHF 3.7 bn (2020) Annual Sales


Food Industry


Worldwide


Dairy products and vegan alternatives

Facts and Figures

15,000+ SKUs


bdigital assets


Online Print


Wholesale Supermarkets

Facts and Figures

Industrial Food Service


Business Partner SDZeCom GmbH


Contentserv solution: PIM & DAM


Contentserv solution: SaaS

Why (How) Schmalz uses Contentserv

  • Product Information Management (PIM): Centralizes data for efficient, consistent updates across global sites.
  • AI-Driven translations: Integrates with DeepL for fast, localized content delivery, reducing costs and boosting accuracy.
  • Automated workflows: Streamlines translation requests and approval with Schmalz Translation Service (STS) via REST API.
  • Localized glossary management: Ensures reliable, industry-specific terminology, enhancing product relevance in diverse markets.

However, with a fast-moving ready-to-wear market, the colossal manual entry of different product data (6,000 color references per season, assortment tracking, product feature updates in different languages, etc.) became extremely challenging. Furthermore, primarily using spreadsheets for this purpose was very time-consuming and error-prone. These files quickly became archaic in the context of Lacoste’s digital transformation and they would often contain numerous data entry errors, which resulted in a slow time-to-market that was harmful to sales. Another major challenge involved variable data such as collections, which must be renewed every six months and had to take into account the difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Therefore Lacoste needed to adopt a tool that would streamline the creation and distribution of its product catalogs on both its merchant and marketplace sites. This made it clear that Product Information Management (PIM) was the right solution to quickly enrich databases, accurately aggregate content, and shorten time-to-market, all while increasing agility and flexibility.

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Get in touch with one of our Contentserv experts to discover the Product Experience Cloud.