Manufacturing & Distribution

Get control of your data for more efficient operations and a business that can adapt more quickly to change

Meet Michael & ChaosTech Manufacturing

Michael Buildwidget

Chief Data Officer

ChaosTech Manufacturing

Industrial components manufacturing

$86 billion annual revenue (175,000 employees globally)

* Michael isn’t a real person but a composite of multiple clients we’ve worked with in the past.

  • Global leader in precision-engineered components for industrial, automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors
  • Operations span 250 facilities across 43 countries through seven distinct business units
  • Growth through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion over decades
  • Michael (CDO) manages central data team of 140 people
    Dotted-line influence over 600 additional data professionals across business units
  • Positioned between enterprise strategy and diverse divisional operational need
  • Implement a targeted MDM solution for product data that can deliver quick wins within six months, rebuilding trust and momentum.
  • Deliver business value through data: Shift the perception of data initiatives from technical exercises to business value drivers.
  • Build data foundation for digital transformation: Establish the reliable data foundation necessary for ChaosTech’s ambitious AI, IoT, and advanced analytics roadmap.
  • Reduce data-related risk exposure: Strengthen data controls to address regulatory compliance issues and minimize financial impacts from poor data quality.
  • Enable enterprise-wide visibility: Give executives reliable cross-divisional insights to improve strategic decision-making while preserving necessary operational independence.
  • Product and supplier data chaos: With a catalog exceeding 850,000 active products and components, inconsistent identification schemes across business units and inaccurate supplier data results in duplicate inventory, billing errors, and manufacturing inefficiencies costing approximately $120 million annually.
  • Divisional data silos: Each of ChaosTech’s divisions operates almost as an independent company with their own data standards, making enterprise-wide analytics virtually impossible.
  • Compliance risk exposure: Inconsistent management of product specifications, certifications, and material declarations results in shipment delays, compliance violations, and over $30 million in penalties in the last year.
  • Failed MDM implementation: A previous $9 million enterprise-wide MDM program failed to deliver expected results after three years, creating skepticism around new data initiatives.
  • Digital transformation barriers: ChaosTech’s ambitious AI and IoT initiatives are severely hampered by poor foundational data, preventing the company from pushing forward their CT-Next 4.0 agenda.
  • Untapped supply chain value: Despite its enormous size, ChaosTech couldn’t leverage its full purchasing power because supplier information is fragmented across divisions – one analysis reveals 27 different vendor accounts for the same global supplier.

Every day, Michael wakes up to a new data crisis. One day it’s a compliance issue in European operations, the next day production delays in Asia due to inventory discrepancies. The company’s digital transformation initiatives are stalling, and the board is beginning to question whether their significant technology investments will ever deliver returns.

At this critical juncture, Michael knows that they need help from data experts who understand the technical complexities of ChaosTech’s data challenges and who can drive business value quickly.

Do Michael's challenges sound familiar?

Bring the order of the production line to your data chaos

DataCatalyst works with large manufacturers and distributors to optimize business value through data management and data governance.

We help with strategy and implementation of leading-edge data technologies and practices, delivering projects with a 100% success rate.

Our unique Accelerate methodology provides manufacturers and distributors with a battle-tested framework tailored to your industry’s unique challenges. This holistic approach combines strategic planning with rapid implementation and emphasises business-driven requirements and practical solutions.

We help you turn complex data landscapes into a source of value that drives operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and competitive advantage.

When data is a liability rather than an asset​

In manufacturing and distribution, data management and data governance issues often show up as operational inefficiencies.
  • Inconsistent product and material data across systems leads to production inefficiencies and supply chain disruptions.
  • Inability to syndicate product data across multiple retail and wholesale channels, with bespoke attributes, leads to lost sales.
  • Disconnection between parts/material data and product data harms inventory management, supplier management, and after-sales service.
  • Fragmented product information across sales channels creates inconsistent customer experiences.
  • Complex and conflicting product identifiers cause errors, which then call for time-consuming manual validation processes.
  • Inefficient, manual processes for managing product information waste valuable resources.
  • Siloed supplier data prevents a comprehensive view of the supplier base and obstructs strategic sourcing.
  • Poor data quality characterized by missing certifications, incorrect specifications, and outdated information, leads to operational problems and customer dissatisfaction.
  • Reliance on spreadsheets and outdated systems for critical information management creates bottlenecks and increases the risk of error.
But the impact of these data challenges extends beyond operational headaches, eating into profitability, stifling innovation, and jeopardizing market competitiveness.
  • Operational costs increase due to assembly line stoppages, delays, and obsolete inventory management.
  • Financial losses resulting from expired goods, retailer chargebacks, and non-compliance penalties.
  • Margins reduced due to unchecked SKU proliferation and inefficient product line rationalization.
  • Regulatory penalties accrue from non-compliance with industry standards and failed audits.
  • Competitive advantage is lost because it takes longer to bring new products to market.
  • Damaged customer relationships from inaccurate product information and billing errors.
  • Decision-making is poor due to unreliable data and limited visibility across the organization.

Get control over your critical data

DataCatalyst specializes in data management and data governance solutions for large manufacturers and distributors.

Master Data Management (MDM)

We implement MDM solutions to establish a single, authoritative source of truth for your critical business data.
Product Data MDM/PIM/PXM
Centralize and manage all product information and digital assets to ensure consistency across channels and enable effective syndication.
Create a unified view of customer information, including legal entity hierarchy and address standardization, to improve sales, marketing, and service effectiveness.
Optimize supplier information to enhance procurement processes and identify cost-saving opportunities.
Consolidate part data – including digital assets, CAD files, SKUs, and compliance certifications – and connect to product data, to reduce errors and production delays.

Data Governance

We help establish comprehensive governance frameworks to ensure data quality, compliance, and effective management.
Data governance charters and policies
Develop tailored policies and procedures that address the unique challenges of manufacturing and distribution operations, supporting consistent product data across engineering, procurement, and assembly.
Establish clear data management offices and councils with defined roles for data stewards and owners, ensuring accountability for critical domains like product specifications, BOMs, and supplier data.
Implement rules, tools, and monitoring processes to improve accuracy, completeness, and consistency of manufacturing data, reducing errors in production and supply chain operations.
Create comprehensive business glossaries and data dictionaries linked to physical data models, ensuring consistent understanding of terminology across departments from R&D to distribution.

Data Strategy

We’ll help you develop a comprehensive data strategy that aligns with your business objectives.

Business goals workshop
We first assess your organization’s strategic objectives and identify how data can support long-term business goals.
We evaluate your existing data landscape to identify gaps and opportunities.
We help your business stakeholders envision an ideal future state that is achievable and adaptable.
We create a practical roadmap that aligns with where you are today and that is flexible for where you want to go tomorrow. We design realistic, achievable phases designed to deliver value quickly.

Drive success in manufacturing and distribution with our unique Accelerate methodology

The Accelerate methodology is our battle-tested approach to guiding manufacturing and distribution clients through the entire data lifecycle. Developed through hundreds of successful implementations, Accelerate is a holistic methodology that views each business comprehensively, considering not only the immediate data needs but how data management, governance, and monetization impact all areas of your organization.

Holistic understanding of your business
We assess data opportunities across your entire organization – from engineering and procurement to sales and distribution channels. This comprehensive view helps us connect siloed data and create a unified platform that supports both manufacturing precision and distribution efficiency.

Unlike purely technical implementations, our Accelerate methodology ensures business needs drive requirements. Through collaborative workshops, we map your current and future state processes to ensure data management and governance efforts directly support business goals like reducing production delays, minimizing stockouts, and ensuring compliance.

Our “gray-haired SWAT teams” of seasoned experts bring both deep technical knowledge and industry experience to each project. These purpose-built teams focus on speed and efficiency, providing you with direct access to senior talent throughout the engagement – not junior consultants learning on your time.
We capitalize on cost-effective means to create value quickly. By prioritizing critical data elements like BOMs, SKUs, or vendor information for initial implementation, we reduce scope creep and accelerate return on investment. This approach is particularly valuable for manufacturers and distributors who need to see tangible improvements in operational efficiency.
Our methodology balances structured planning with flexibility, allowing you to implement new requirements on your timetable while realizing benefits progressively. This helps manufacturing and distribution enterprises manage the complexity of integrating product, asset, and vendor data across multiple systems without disrupting ongoing operations.
We recognize that successful data initiatives require more than just technology. Our approach focuses on promoting ownership and understanding of data across your organization, fostering a data-driven culture where production, procurement, and sales teams all work from a single source of truth.

Accelerate doesn’t just deliver a technical solution – it creates a sustainable framework for ongoing data management. We help establish the operating model and organizational structure to keep your data clean and consistent long after implementation, ensuring continued compliance, efficiency, and competitive advantage.

The result? A comprehensive data foundation that enables better decision-making and operational excellence across your enterprise, implemented by experts who will challenge your thinking, drive meaningful change, and ensure lasting success.

Attain data clarity and operational excellence

Enhanced operational performance

  • Reduce errors in Bills of Materials
  • Eliminate manual reconciliations
  • Accelerate product launches
  • Streamline compliance management

Supply chain optimization​

  • Improve supplier relationship management
  • Enhance negotiation power
  • Enable better inventory management
  • Enhance supply chain visibility

Revenue growth and customer satisfaction​

  • Support dynamic bundling and personalization
  • Enable better-targeted marketing
  • Increase upselling and cross-selling
  • Deliver consistent product information

Strategic advantages​

  • Access reliable business intelligence
  • Develop actionable strategies
  • Adapt quickly to changing market conditions
  • Build a foundation for potential data monetization

We don’t just ‘do’ – we drive

We are wholly committed to driving success, not simply implementing tools.

Our teams actively question and challenge clients throughout the engagement, pushing beyond conventional thinking to identify the best possible solutions. We don’t simply agree with stakeholders – we engage in productive disagreement when necessary to ensure the right decisions are made. This consultative approach ensures your data initiatives deliver maximum business value rather than just technical implementations.

Client Success Stories

Catalyzing discovery: How a global biotechnology leader unified data to accelerate innovation

Powering improvement: How a major oil & gas operator achieved $25M annual savings through asset data transformation

Prescribing data clarity: How a global pharma company accelerated time-to-market by improving product data

Healing healthcare data: How a Medicaid MCO created golden member records to reduce claims denials by 75%

High-yield data: How a global investment bank implemented MDM and recaptured $75M in annual revenue

Delivering efficiency: How unified data helped a food distributor save $30M annually

Say goodbye to manufacturing & distribution data chaos

DataCatalyst helps manufacturing and distribution companies transform fragmented product data into a strategic asset. Request a complimentary DataCatalyst Health Check to identify how you can drive more business value from your data operations.

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