Product Information Management
Manufacturers create detailed technical product data. Retailers need that same data in an entirely different format: enriched, localised, and ready for customers. Getting product information from one end of the supply chain to the other without losing accuracy or time is one of the hardest operational challenges in B2B manufacturing.
This article shows how product data moves from manufacturer to retailer in practice, using two Bluestone PIM customers in the Norwegian building industry: Bergene Holm (a timber manufacturer) and Jernia (a national omnichannel retailer). Both use Bluestone PIM at opposite ends of the same product data supply chain, connected through the NOBB industry database.
What Role Does NOBB Play in the Nordic Construction Supply Chain?
The NOBB (Norsk Byggevarebase) database acts as the central product data infrastructure for the Norwegian construction sector.
Manufacturers publish structured product data to NOBB so that distributors, retailers, and contractors can access reliable product information.
Typical product data stored in NOBB includes:
- Technical specifications
- Certifications and regulatory documentation
- Product images and media
- Installation guides and manuals
- Sustainability information and environmental data
For manufacturers, the challenge is maintaining data quality and governance.
For retailers, the challenge is efficiently onboarding supplier data and preparing it for sales channels.
Bluestone PIM supports both sides of this workflow by acting as the system where product data is structured, enriched, validated, and exchanged.
How Does a Timber Manufacturer Manage Product Data at Scale?
Bergene Holm is one of Norway’s largest timber companies, producing structural lumber, cladding, and interior panels.
The company manages more than 6,000 wood product SKUs and operates eight production facilities.
Their products require highly detailed technical documentation.
A single wood product may include:
- Material grades
- Moisture level specifications
- Fire-retardant treatments
- Environmental certifications such as PEFC
- Sustainability metrics including carbon footprint
Managing this level of detail requires structured product data provided by a PIM for manufacturers.
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Case Study: Bergene Holm
Bergene Holm turned to Bluestone PIM to simplify product data management and boost digital performance. Now, their team works smarter — with automated updates, better collaboration, and centralised sustainability data.
How Does Bergene Holm Use PIM to Govern Product Data?
For Bergene Holm, Bluestone PIM acts as a product data governance hub.
Product data flows into the platform from internal ERP systems, where engineering and operational information is maintained.
Inside Bluestone PIM, the company structures and enriches product information before publishing it externally.
The workflow includes several key processes.
Centralising Product and Sustainability Attributes
Technical specifications, environmental certifications, and CO₂ footprint information are stored and managed in a single system. This makes sustainability data easier to maintain and distribute to partners.
Data Quality Governance
Before product information can be exported, it must reach a defined completeness level. Validation rules inside Bluestone PIM ensure that required attributes, documentation, and certifications are present.
Industry Data Syndication
Once validated, product data is exported directly from Bluestone PIM to the NOBB database.
This structured workflow has allowed Bergene Holm to maintain extremely high product data quality. The company received an industry award for maintaining close to 90% data completeness in NOBB.
How Does the NOBB Feedback Loop Improve Product Data Quality?
The data exchange between Bluestone PIM and NOBB is not one-way.
When product data is exported, the NOBB system validates it according to industry rules.
If errors or missing attributes are detected, NOBB sends structured feedback messages back to Bluestone PIM in JSON format.
This creates a continuous improvement loop:
Bluestone PIM → NOBB → Bluestone PIM
Manufacturers receive immediate feedback and can correct product records quickly. The result is more reliable product data across the entire construction supply chain.
How Does a Retailer Onboard Supplier Product Data Efficiently?
Jernia is a Norwegian omnichannel retailer specialising in home, kitchen, and garden products.
The company operates:
- More than 130 physical stores
- A large national e-commerce platform
Unlike Bergene Holm, Jernia does not manufacture products. Instead, it sells items from hundreds of suppliers.
The main operational challenge is supplier data onboarding.
If every supplier sends product information in a different spreadsheet format, retail teams spend enormous time cleaning and standardising product data.
How Does Jernia Use PIM to Enrich Supplier Data for E-Commerce?
For Jernia, Bluestone PIM acts as a consolidation and enrichment hub.
Using the NOBB connector, Jernia automatically imports supplier product data into its PIM system.
The workflow looks like this:
Supplier Data Ingestion
Product data from different manufacturers is imported from the NOBB database.
System Integration
This external supplier data is combined with internal information from Jernia’s ERP system.
Content Enrichment
Jernia’s marketing and category teams add consumer-friendly content such as:
- Product descriptions
- Lifestyle images
- Installation videos
- SEO-optimised copy
The final product record becomes ready for publication on the Jernia e-commerce platform and in physical stores.
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How Does Product Data Move from Manufacturer to Retailer Through NOBB?
The Bergene Holm and Jernia examples show how product data flows across the construction supply chain through a shared industry infrastructure.
They do not exchange data directly. Instead, both operate within the same NOBB ecosystem, where manufacturers publish structured product data and retailers retrieve it for their own use.
Although they work independently, their workflows follow a consistent pattern based on a push-and-pull model.
- Manufacturers push validated product data to industry databases.
- Retailers pull supplier data into their systems and prepare it for customers.
This lifecycle typically unfolds in five steps.
Step 1 : Manufacturer Creates the Product
A manufacturer such as Bergene Holm defines a new product in Bluestone PIM. .
Technical specifications, material data, and sustainability attributes are structured and prepared for distribution.
Step 2 : Data Is Syndicated to the Industry Database
Once the product data is complete, it is exported to the NOBB database.
NOBB validates the data against industry requirements and makes it available to the wider market.
Step 3 : Retailer Access Supplier Data
Retailers such as Jernia retrieve structured product data from NOBB using a connector to Bluestone PIM.
This removes the need for manual supplier onboarding or spreadsheet-based data exchange.
Step 4 : Retailer Enriches the Product
Retail teams enrich the product information with customer-facing content.
This includes product descriptions, images, videos, and search-optimised copy tailored for their sales channels.
Step 5 : Product Becomes Available for Sale
The enriched product record is published to e-commerce platforms and physical stores.
The same structured product data now supports both technical accuracy and customer experience.
Manufacturer vs Retailer Roles in the Product Data Lifecycle
| Feature | Bergene Holm (Manufacturer) | Jernia (Retailer) |
| Business Role | Producer and supplier | Retail seller |
| Operational Goal | Technical data integrity and governance | Customer experience and fast time-to-market |
| Data Action | PUSH: Bluestone PIM → NOBB | PULL: NOBB → Bluestone PIM |
| System Role | Governance hub for technical product data | Enrichment hub for consumer product content |
The Product Lifecycle in B2B Manufacturing PIM
The Bergene Holm and Jernia example reflects a broader pattern seen in many manufacturing organisations.
Product information usually follows a technical-first lifecycle, where engineering data gradually evolves into customer-ready product content.
| Stage | Action | Systems | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical birth | Engineering designs product specifications | CAD, PDM | Technical source of truth |
| Operational layer | SKUs and identifiers created | ERP | Basic product record |
| PIM ingestion | Technical and operational data combined | Bluestone PIM | Unified product data |
| Technical enrichment | Industry attributes and compliance data added | Bluestone PIM | High data integrity |
| Industry syndication | Product data exported to industry databases | NOBB, FINFO, ETIM | Distributor visibility |
| Localisation and e-commerce enrichment | Market-specific marketing content created for different regions and sales channels | Bluestone PIM (with add-on tools such as AI Linguist and Contextify) | Product content ready for frontend channels |
| Multi-channel output | Product data feeds dealer portals and retailers | Magento, distributor systems | Seamless ordering |
How PIM Connects Manufacturers and Retailers Across the Supply Chain
The Bergene Holm and Jernia workflow shows that a modern PIM system is more than a data repository.
Bluestone PIM acts as a transactional gateway for product information across the entire industry ecosystem.
For manufacturers, the main value lies in:
- Maintaining technical accuracy
- Meeting regulatory and sustainability requirements
- Distributing trusted product data to partners
For retailers, the value lies in:
- Onboarding supplier data faster
- Enriching product content for customers
- Accelerating time-to-market across sales channels
Together, these capabilities allow manufacturers and retailers to collaborate around a shared product data infrastructure that supports both technical precision and commercial performance.
If you want to see how this works in practice for your own product data flows, you can talk to a Bluestone PIM expert and walk through your current setup, challenges, and opportunities.
