MiniTec:
More Precise, More Flexible and Much Faster With Centralized Product Data

MiniTec GmbH & Co. KG is an internationally active full-service manufacturer of aluminum profiles, workstation systems, conveyor systems, and custom machinery. Since its founding in 1986, the company has evolved from a specialist in miniature guides to a global innovation leader in the fields of profile systems, linear technology, and customized workstation solutions. Its headquarters are located in Schönenberg-Kübelberg in the Palatinate, from where MiniTec manages its operations in Europe, the U.S., and China. Worldwide, the company employs approximately 420 people and collaborates with over 60 sales and service partners. A broad product portfolio and the ability to implement customized customer solutions make MiniTec a strong partner for companies across a wide range of industries.

As an innovative technology company that aligns its focus with the international market, MiniTec offers an impressive portfolio: Over 17,000 items—including aluminum profiles, conveyor systems, protective systems, and countless custom-made components—support customers worldwide in their individual projects. But as the company grew, so did the challenges: inconsistent pricing information, technical specifications, and master data had to be kept in sync with the ERP system. At the same time, translations into six languages and the integration of product photos, documents, and videos were becoming increasingly time-consuming. Without a centralized solution, manual processes threatened to slow down time-to-market, and inconsistencies in catalogs or online catalogs risked compromising data quality.

At this point, MiniTec chose crossbase as its central product information management system. The implementation went smoothly, and now all items, prices, and master data are automatically imported daily from the ERP system via an XML interface.

A key benefit lies in the integrated media asset database: product photos, application images, icons, and graphics are managed centrally and output in various formats as needed. Cross-product media such as videos and documents are also organized within a dedicated structure, which significantly simplifies the management of MiniTec’s diverse applications.

Text maintenance has been greatly optimized through the use of reusable text modules. Automatically generated bullet-point lists and the outsourcing of promotional body copy to external translation service providers via the TMS interface ensure that content is available efficiently, accurately, and in six languages—without endless rounds of revisions. Technical terms and modules are also translated locally in the respective countries to ensure the highest linguistic quality.

The greatest advantage, however, lies in the market-specific delivery of product data: crossbase makes it possible to provide items specifically tailored for print catalogs, electronic formats, or online catalogs—always including all marketing-relevant information. This enables both the automated production of print media and the flexible provision of data for the website or trade partners. For example, product data for the website is made available quickly and easily and delivered directly to the managing agency as image files via a REST API interface, while trade partners receive structured data in BMEcat format with ECLASS classification—all without any additional manual effort.

The results for MiniTec speak for themselves: a significantly shorter time-to-market, consistent product presentations across all channels, and strengthened customer loyalty.