Ohmite recognized the need to embrace automation in its data exchange processes to further its digital capabilities. Given the high ratio of their business serviced through distribution, aligning product data across distributor Websites became a mission-critical objective. The partnership with Orbweaver allowed Ohmite to leverage Orbweaver’s technology, creating a new paradigm in their data distribution processes.
The Need for Change
With a high ratio of Ohmite’s business going through distribution, product data needed to be aligned on all of Ohmite’s distributor systems and Websites. With approximately 75 possible data fields, this generated about 1,460,500 pieces of data. Joe Fox, Global Channel Business Manager, brought a unique perspective to Ohmite, having worked for over a decade at Mouser Electronics—a global distributor of semiconductors and electronic components that specializes in the rapid introduction of the newest products and technologies—understood firsthand the need for alignment in product offering information between manufacturers and distributors. He realized that even the smallest discrepancies could have a significant negative impact on a manufacturer like Ohmite.
“One of the challenges working with distributors is that as a smaller company, we need to have constant alignment of our product offering information with our distributors for the latest specs, information, and data sheets,” Fox explains, noting the negative impact of discrepancies.
Fox became aware that many of the industry’s largest distributors partnered with Orbweaver and had confidence that the company would provide the ideal solution to address its common data distribution challenges. “Orbweaver is highly respected in the industry, so they were my first thought to propose to my boss for enabling levels of automation,” Fox says.
“We understand the importance of aligning our most up-to-date product information with our distributors on their business systems and Websites—the latest pricing information, in particular,” Fox adds. “It’s a full-time job in itself, constantly speaking with each and every one of them.”
A robust data management strategy was essential due to the specificity required by industry buyers when making component selection decisions. Dhriti Chakraborty, Marketing Engineer at Ohmite, emphasized that their products’ technical parameters were critical and needed to be accurately mirrored on their distributors’ Websites. The product data specificity required by industry buyers cannot be overstated, adds Dhriti Chakraborty, Marketing Engineer at Ohmite.
“Our products are so specific—and all of the technical parameters are so important—they must be matched to our distributors, our major business. The parameters have to be precise,” she notes. “Perfect, in fact.”
When discrepancies exist among product attributes, there are repeated inquiries about the accuracy of the information, leading to additional work and time required to communicate and share the updated and correct product data, therefore increasing the need for manpower—for everyone involved. Managing constant changes in inventory and pricing is often difficult for manufacturers like Ohmite, Fox explains, noting that automation is the optimal way to stay on top of distribution channel management.
“[When getting buy-in from company management], it was vital to explain the process from the design and component selection engineer’s perspective—they’re no longer searching out printed catalogs but they now spend time primarily on Websites,” Fox says. “So it’s important to position ourselves in the best way possible to get the most customer visibility and mind share for our company.”
Orbweaver’s DataHub delivers an efficient data management solution
Ohmite required a solution to share product information with various distributors so they could update their business systems. Company decision-makers sought to first understand and then prioritize its distributors’ wants and needs regarding the data for their business systems and Website and how to present the products with the latest information. Fox, who had reformatted a price book and master data file, focused on file exports to support all of Ohmite’s distributor Websites.
“This was information that wasn’t supported by automation, so we agreed to take this approach,” Fox explains. Ohmite needed a solution that could seamlessly share product information across various distributors’ systems. They required a tool that could act as a translator between different data structures, types, and systems, sharing near real-time data in a language that their distributors’ systems could understand. This is where Orbweaver’s DataHub, with its ability to support digital integration through API, EDI, XML, and file imports/exports, proved to be an asset.
“The flexibility that Orbweaver provides allowed us to submit our data by just email and clean it up for each of our distributors, enabling a great deal of value and time savings,” Fox says. “We’ll continue to improve on that through upgrades and modernization.”
By adopting Orbweaver’s DataHub solution, Ohmite has significantly reduced pricing discrepancies and information inaccuracies, minimizing the need for back-and-forth communication and intensive data management. The reduction in inquiries due to incorrect or out-of-date information for approximately 12,000 distributed parts has streamlined Ohmite’s customer service process, saving time and improving efficiency.
Industry trends: the future of data distribution in the electronics industry
Automation that secures accurate, real-time product information across distributor Websites has become vital to electronic component procurement. The speed and complexity of buyer demands will continue to escalate, and even small- to medium-sized players will shift to intelligent automation across various functions to remain competitive.
As Ohmite anticipates turning 100, the company is reflecting back on its print catalogs and promotional materials from years past. While these were once a foundation of the industry, the company continues to modernize, utilizing advanced digital solutions including APIs and AI.
“When I started at Mouser years ago, we were phasing out paper catalogs—all of the companies were,” Fox recalls. “Today, Web tools provide those solutions, but it’s not only about the raw data. It’s making sure it is presented well and efficiently searchable. That’s a priority to succeed in this industry. You position your products on the Website so they’re searchable and have the correct images and information. That’s what the engineers are looking for, and they’re looking for it ‘yesterday,’” he continues. “If it’s not on there correctly, they’re going to look elsewhere to find the components they require for their design and for their bill of materials.”
Transparency in the form of accurate, up-to-date product information is key to remain competitive in the market, says Fox, adding that it’s difficult to put a price on an automation solution like the one provided by Orbweaver.
“It really sells the story and sells the product when the information is presented in the right way. More customers will find it and click on it. There’s just so much value there,” he says. “Plus, what is your time worth to constantly be updating purchase orders or answering a hundred emails about whether a spec was 50 volts or 30?”
Summarizing the value of data distribution process automation from that perspective, Fox says, “it’s a no brainer.”
If you want to learn more about how Orbweaver can improve your data distribution process, reach out today.
