Material Master Globalization: Data Without Borders
From the Americas to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and everywhere in between, IMA’s data cleansing services have touched virtually every continent on the map. What may be surprising to some is that all data cleansing projects, regardless of their global origin, are implemented and performed from the comfort of IMA’s head office in Ontario, Canada.
You may be questioning how it is possible to implement a mass data cleansing initiative from the opposite side of the world, and rightfully so, data cleansing is a large investment. One of the many beauties of electronic master data is that it has no geographic borders or logistic limitations. While languages may vary from region to region, the fundamental elements that make up material master data remain consistent, and so too does the data cleansing process. Whether material master data originates in Chinese, English, French, Spanish or any other language, its primary purpose for existence is to accurately identify, issue, purchase, and receive spare parts in order to maintain operations and asset performance. No matter where in the world you look, duplication, inconsistency, inaccuracy and incomplete descriptions are all common data challenges that manufacturing and asset-intensive companies face. As such, the objective for data cleansing is to eliminate duplication and implement a consistent data standard so as to enable efficient part search ability, asset utilization, and procurement optimization. In addition, implementing a data cleansing initiative on a global scale facilitates integration and interdependence within an organization. What this means is that a facility in Shanghai, China can now have visibility of spare parts data used by a facility in Birmingham, Alabama, just as easily as two facilities located only 20 miles apart in Houston, Texas can. Yes, the data may exist in different languages across global regions, but the enterprise remains interconnected by a corporate item numbering system and consistent data standard. This is something we like to refer to as “material master globalization”.
To sum it up, data is data no matter where in the world you are. We all suffer from the same data quality challenges, some more so than others. The good news is that those data challenges can be resolved, not just on a regional scale, but also on a global scale. The key is to partner with a service provider that specializes in material master data cleansing, has a defined global implementation process, and of course, can support all languages. If there’s one thing we’ve learned throughout our 27 years of business, it’s that success lies within the people, planning, and process.
For more information on IMA Data Cleansing services and global capabilities, visit our Data Cleansing webpage or download the IMA Solutions Brochure. IMA is also proud to offer a No Cost, No Obligation Data Evaluation, which will assess the current condition of your material master data and demonstrate its data cleansing services with detailed before and after samples.
