Why choose PIMALION?

The Group opted for PIMALION in its search for a single platform capable of integrating a common reference system for the different brands of the DESENFANS Group while adding the specific features of each entity. In addition, it was important to support the internal teams in the production of all communication media, particularly the annual catalogues.

The DESENFANS Group is a family group created in 1887 by François-Bernardin Desenfans.
Today, it has become the leader in the North of France in professional distribution in heating, sanitary, plumbing, electricity, roofing, insulation, carpentry, hardware, personal protection equipment, ironmongery, tools, and much more!

The DESENFANS Group is first and foremost 23 agencies to manage different brands: Desenfans, CatryBayart, Riche & Sébastien, and also a representative for Campingaz barbecues.

The DESENFANS Group recently acquired the SOROFI group and its 3 brands, SOROFI et de ses 3 enseignes PROADIS – EYCHENNE – EUROPE2000.

The DESENFANS Group is a member of the following Groups CMEM, ALGOREL and SOCODA.

The DESENFANS demand was met by PIMALION on the 2 main pillars of the platform: Sourcing and Publishing. And this met the needs of all entities in the Group!

1/ Sourcing, via the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools, PIMALION helps the Group to format product data coming from different sources:

- Suppliers in Excel or in FAB-DIS
- Central purchasing and referencing centres: ALGOREL, CMEM and SOCODA, via Web services
- The different ERPs of the Group's brands
- From external partners

The PIMALION platform thus enables the Group to:

- Format all data models (at sub-family level)
- Standardise the attributes of the product data sheets
- Validate the classification with the market managers
- Associate images to products via the indexing engine

2/ Publishing, to ensure the distribution of product data on all channels of multi-channel communication

- Publications of the pricelist type (several thousand pages)
- The promotional 'trades' publications (between 8 and 36 pages)
- Supplying the Group's e-commerce websites
- Newsletters and mailings
- Local digital on-screen communication at the POS and POS displays

The database is made up of more than 70,000 itemswith a common basis of 7 brands of more or less 60%.

A mixed solution to meet specific publication needs

The mixed 'Sourcing' and 'Publishing' solution offered by PIMALION was the perfect match for our expectations and enabled us to get around the difficulties encountered previously and to integrate quality information that could be configured according to the specific needs of our publications, catalogues or promotions. In addition, PIMALION allows the integration of different entities (called 'labels'), which for our Group was imperative to be able to bring together our four sales structures on a common PIM and DAM platform. They all share the same data while allowing each to manage their own more local specificities in terms of their sales plans, catalogues and Web and Print publications.