How a Global Industrial Supplier Transformed 100K+ SKUs with AI-Powered Catalog Cleansing

Leveraging AI to cleanse, standardize, and automate a massive product catalog—unlocking procurement precision and operational excellence.

Background:

A global leader in industrial product supply, which offers machinery, tools, and equipment across various sectors, recognized a significant need to modernize its catalog. As the business shifted toward digital commerce, it encountered considerable inefficiencies due to a disorganized taxonomy spanning over 100,000 product records.

The Challenge:

The fragmented catalog created significant roadblocks:

• Inconsistent Categorization: Similar products scattered across different categories (e.g., “Footwear” vs. “Athletic Shoes”).

• Missing or Incomplete Attributes: Including incorrect or missing Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs) and manufacturer names.

• Unstructured Descriptions: Lack of formatting and detail reduced product discoverability.

• Poor Search Performance: Resulting in lost sales and customer frustration.

• Limited Cross-Selling/Up-Selling Opportunities: Due to fragmented taxonomy and missing metadata.

• Manual Processes: Making procurement slow, error-prone, and expensive.

Solution: AI-Driven Catalog Clean-Up and Taxonomy Transformation

To solve this, the supplier turned to Routine.ai to drive a structured, multi-phase catalog cleansing initiative:

🧠 Catalog Assessment

• Audited the existing product taxonomy and inventory data.

• Designed a custom taxonomy aligned with the client’s product categories and supply chain needs.

• Conducted deep research per line item to build a unified taxonomy structure.

🔍 Attribute Refinement & Data Enrichment

• Identified and corrected data sources (vendor databases, manufacturers, industry references).

• Added missing specifications, improved part descriptions, and filled attribute gaps.

🧹 Catalog Clean-Up Execution

• Cleaned manufacturer names and MPNs.

• Standardized naming conventions and formatting rules.

• Finalized a master record system with robust attribute policies.

🔁 Automation & Monitoring

• Deployed ongoing, rule-based automation for catalog updates.

• Configured alerts and reporting for continued oversight.

• Delivered final reports to the executive and IT teams.

Results:

📦 Taxonomy Transformation – Streamlined and standardized over 100,000 items into a multi-level taxonomy in just 10–12 weeks.

💡 Smarter Procurement – Enhanced taxonomy enabled better sourcing and reduced procurement inefficiencies by 11%.

🚚 Supply Chain Accuracy – Mispicks dropped to just 2%, while lead times improved by 8%.

⚙️ Faster Operations – Decision-making processes became 30% quicker due to improved data accessibility.

💰 Economic Impact – Achieved a 9% reduction in inventory-related and broader operational costs.

🔄 Supply Chain Automation – Enhanced accuracy and efficiency by fully integrating taxonomy into supply chain systems.

Conclusion:

A clean, structured catalog is a cornerstone of digital transformation. With intelligent data governance tools, this global supplier was able to enhance product discoverability, optimize procurement, and drive down operational costs. From taxonomy transformation to real-time automation, Routine enabled lasting improvements across the value chain.

Ready to Clean Your Catalog? Schedule a Demo with Discover Alpha and take the first step towards procurement excellence.