How an Auto Parts Manufacturer Laid the Foundation for Data-Driven Automotive Commerce
The Organization At A Glance
Leading U.S. supplier of truck and classic car aftermarket parts
Serving distributors, retailers, and DTC channels
Thousands of SKUs across Truck and Classic segments
Multi-channel presence including Shopify, Miva Commerce, Amazon, and more
Tech Stack
Platforms
Akeneo PIM
Microsoft Dynamics NAV ERP
Miva Commerce
Integrations
NAV → Akeneo PIM
Akeneo → Miva Commece
1. The Problem
The organization operated a distributed product ecosystem across ERP, legacy PIM tools, storefront platforms, and manual workflows.
Product data was split between NAV for ERP management, Perfion for catalog generation, multiple storefront platforms, manual Shopify and Amazon updates, and locally managed assets. Fitment and translation files were handled separately.
As channel complexity increased, the architecture became operationally heavy:
- Duplicate product maintenance across systems
- Manual enrichment and marketplace updates
- Inconsistent fitment management
- Limited governance visibility
- Commerce tightly coupled to ERP workflows
The business needed more than incremental improvements. It needed a centralized, scalable product data architecture.
2. What Was Holding Them Back
- Fragmented system ownership of product data
- Dual PIM maintenance across Perfion and commerce platforms
- Unstructured YMM fitment handling
- Scattered digital asset governance
- Limited automation and monitoring
The catalog worked — but it was not engineered for scale, automation, or long-term agility.
3. What They Needed
The organization required:
- A governed single source of truth for enrichment
- Centralized asset and fitment management
- Automated brand-based categorization
- Structured YMM standardization
- Commerce decoupled from ERP dependencies
- API-driven multi-channel syndication
- Scalable infrastructure to support growth
This initiative was positioned as a phased modernization of their entire product ecosystem.
4. How We Solved It
StrikeTru architected a two-phase transformation centered on Akeneo as the operational backbone.
Centralized the Product Foundation
Key elements of the solution included:
- Migrated data from NAV and Perfion into Akeneo
- Structured families, variants, attributes, and categories
- Centralized digital assets into governed asset families
- Brought fitment management directly into PIM
- Established Akeneo as the enrichment and distribution layer
This eliminated duplication and introduced governance without disrupting operations.
Modernized Commerce Architecture
- Retired legacy Sana storefront infrastructure
- Implemented Miva as the primary commerce engine
- Positioned Akeneo as the authoritative commerce data source
- Preserved Perfion exclusively for catalog generation
Final architecture: NAV → Akeneo → Miva
Commerce became decoupled, API-driven, and scalable.
Engineered Intelligent Automation
To increase enrichment velocity and reduce manual effort, we implemented automation frameworks:
Brand Categorization Automation
- Programmatic brand category assignments
- Reconciliation of incorrect mappings
- Preservation of taxonomy structures
Search & Attribute Optimization
- Automated concatenation of identifiers and part numbers
- Generation of SEO-ready keyword attributes
- Delta-based updates for efficiency
Structured Fitment Management
- Standardized YMM compatibility mapping
- Reduced manual compatibility errors
- Improved storefront presentation consistency
Automation strengthened governance while accelerating enrichment.
Strengthened Governance & Business Rules
- Configured 300+ catalog behavior rules
- Automated variant pricing and shipping logic
- Controlled purchasability and search visibility flags
- Standardized inventory tracking logic
- Enabled predictable, repeatable catalog operations
Catalog management shifted from reactive correction to structured control.
5. The Impact
Before StrikeTru
- Fragmented product data ownership
- Dual PIM maintenance
- Scattered asset governance
- ERP-dependent commerce architecture
- Limited automation visibility
After StrikeTru
- Governed single source of truth in Akeneo
- Centralized enrichment across all channels
- Commerce decoupled from ERP
- Automated brand and fitment logic
- API-driven multi-channel syndication
- Scalable digital asset governance
- Reduced duplication and operational friction
The organization now operates on a modern product data architecture engineered for scale, automation, and long-term commerce agility.
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