How Perfion PIM Helps Solve 2025's Biggest Manufacturing Challenges

I recently came across the latest Deloitte 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook, and it got me thinking. The report outlines significant pressures facing manufacturers—from rising costs and persistent supply chain disruptions to talent shortages and the challenge of building smart, data-driven operations.

What stood out most to me is this: while nearly 90% of manufacturers say smart factory investments are essential, less than half have a formal strategy for managing the data that powers these technologies.

This is where Perfion PIM plays a crucial role.

In today’s manufacturing landscape, product data is no longer just a back-office function—it’s a strategic asset. When managed properly, it becomes the foundation for AI readiness, operational efficiency, faster time-to-market, and regulatory compliance. And Perfion makes it easy to achieve all of that—without needing an army of data engineers. Let me walk you through the key challenges outlined in Deloitte’s outlook—and how Perfion can help address them.

📊 Deloitte’s Key Manufacturing Challenges (2025 Outlook)

Lack of Structured Data for AI & Analytics – Manufacturers recognize the need for robust AI/data strategies, yet only ~52% have formal plans.

Supply Chain Resilience & Cost Pressures – Shipping delays, elevated logistics costs, and geopolitical disruptions remain major issues.

Talent Shortages & Digital Skills Gap – As many as 1.9 million manufacturing jobs in the U.S. may go unfilled by 2033 due to skills shortages.

Complex Smart Manufacturing Transformations – Adoption of smart factory tech (IoT, cloud, analytics) brings integration, operational, and cybersecurity challenges.

Quality, Traceability & Sustainability Expectations – Growing sourcing transparency, compliance, and clean-tech demands intensify product data complexity.

💡 Perfion PIM: How It Helps

If data is the new oil, then Perfion PIM is the refinery. It transforms scattered, inconsistent product data into a clean, centralized asset that powers nearly every critical manufacturing function—from logistics to e-commerce to compliance.

But Perfion isn’t just about data management. It’s about empowering teams, accelerating time-to-market, and creating a rock-solid foundation for smart manufacturing. Let’s take a closer look at how it addresses each of the significant challenges identified in Deloitte’s 2025 outlook.

1. Structured Data for AI & Analytics

Perfion centralizes every type of product data—attributes, specs, images, variants—into a single, consistent repository, ensuring it's clean, standardized, and ready for analysis or AI. Manufacturers can enrich and normalize variant data (e.g., dimensions, material specs) in Perfion, then easily for a diversity of downstream processes.

Example: Louis Poulsen uses Perfion to manage 5,000 SKUs across 14 languages, structuring data so cleanly that 50% of manual resource time was eliminated—laying the groundwork for future AI initiatives.

2. Supply Chain Transparency & Cost Efficiency

Accurate variant-heavy product master data ensures ordering, procurement, logistics, and packaging decisions are based on reliable, centralized info. With precise packaging specs and multi-channel variant management, manufacturers avoid over-ordering or mislabeling shipments, reducing waste and logistics cost.

Example: Watson‑Marlow cut data sheet update time across 5,300+ parts in 21 languages from 2–3 hours to just 5 minutes—dramatically reducing human error and inefficiency.

3. Empowering a Leaner, Smarter Workforce

Perfion’s interface allows non-technical personnel (e.g., product managers) to create fields, variants, and workflows—without extensive developer help. A product manager can swiftly add new attribute fields for sustainability metrics or variant types, accelerating campaign readiness without IT intervention.

Example: Louis Poulsen appreciates Perfion's flexibility: “With Perfion, I am free to model product data as I please… Everything is possible!”

4. Integration for Smart Manufacturing Ecosystems

Perfion offers out‑of‑the‑box connectors and APIs for ERP (SAP Business, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O, etc.), e‑commerce systems, CMS, and DAM, enabling seamless data flow across smart factories. When a product spec updates in ERP, Perfion synchronizes it instantly to web stores, print catalogs, and downstream systems—keeping everything aligned and automated.

Example: Damstahl implemented Perfion alongside a new ERP, eliminating redundant data entry through seamless integration.

5. Compliance, Traceability & Sustainability

Perfion supports multilingual data, version control, attribute history, and lifecycle statuses—perfect for compliance, digital product passports, and ESG reporting. When sustainability regulations require packaging recyclability data, Perfion enables consistent tracking and publishing across catalogs, systems, and markets.

See Perfion’s use case library for insights into how it supports traceability, regulation, and sustainability goals across industries. Read more:

✅ Summary

Manufacturers today face increasing pressure to produce smarter, faster, more responsibly—with fewer people and slimmer margins. The bedrock of this transformation is clean, centralized product data—and that’s exactly what Perfion PIM delivers.

By:

• Enabling structured data for AI & analytics

• Reducing supply chain waste and cost

• Empowering non-technical staff

• Integrating seamlessly with ERPs and ecosystems

• Ensuring compliance and traceability

Perfion equips manufacturers with the tools to not just survive—but thrive in the evolving industrial landscape.

What do you think about Perfion PIM and the core manufacturing challenges? When will you tackle them with a PIM solution that seamlessly integrates with your ERP?