How an Industrial Equipment Manufacturer Replatformed to Akeneo and Scaled B2B Commerce
The Organization At A Glance
U.S. based manufacturer industrial equipment
Founded in 1945
Multi-brand portfolio
Complex configurable lift and ladder products
Thousands of SKUs and high variant complexity
Tech Stack
Platforms
Akeneo PIM
BigCommerce
Amber Engine (legacy)
Integrations
Akeneo PIM → BigCommerce
1. The Problem
The manufacturer needed to urgently replace its legacy PIM before it was sunset, without disrupting ongoing eCommerce operations.
The business relied heavily on BigCommerce to serve its B2B customers. Any disruption to product data, assets, or storefront synchronization would directly impact online revenue and operations.
At the same time, the catalog architecture needed to evolve to support future scale. Product structures were complex, variant combinations were extensive, and the data foundation needed to support governance, automation, and long-term growth.
This was not just a migration. It was a critical transformation with zero margin for downtime.
2. What Was Holding Them Back
Phase 1: Urgency and Execution Risk
- A firm 6-week deadline before the legacy PIM sunset
- Deeply embedded product and asset structures in the existing system
- Complex integration requirements with BigCommerce
- Limited tolerance for operational disruption
Ballymore needed a partner who could confidently interpret the existing data model, execute the migration precisely, and ensure storefront continuity from day one.
Phase 2: Structural Scale Challenges
Once stabilized on Akeneo, deeper structural challenges surfaced:
- No formalized variant modeling for configurable lift products
- 10,000+ possible configuration combinations across certain product lines
- BigCommerce’s 600-variant cap limiting how complex products could be represented
3. What They Needed
The manufacturer required:
- A rapid, low-risk migration to Akeneo PIM
- Business continuity across BigCommerce during transition
- A structured product model using families and family variants
- Intelligent handling of complex variant combinations
- Accurate synchronization of products, variants, options, custom fields, and metafields
- A future-ready B2B product data architecture
4. How We Solved It
StrikeTru executed the transformation in two tightly aligned phases.
Phase 1: Rapid Replatforming with Continuity
- Performed a structured lift-and-shift migration from Amber Engine to Akeneo
- Migrated all product data and digital assets successfully
- Converted exported data into Akeneo-compatible formats
- Integrated Akeneo with BigCommerce to maintain uninterrupted product sync
- Delivered full operational continuity within six weeks
This phase established a stable foundation while protecting revenue and operations.
Phase 2: Catalog Engineering for Scale
With the platform stabilized, we restructured the catalog for scalability and governance.
Advanced Product Modeling
- Converted flat SKUs into structured product models and variants
- Designed families, family variants and variant axes aligned to real product logic
- Introduced structured attribute types to enable validation and automation
Variant Constraint Engineering
- Strategically split and grouped products to stay within BigCommerce’s 600-variant limit
- Modeled 10,000+ configuration combinations without degrading storefront experience
- Preserved logical product hierarchies while respecting platform constraints
Automation and Optimization
- Implemented calculated and concatenated attributes
- Reduced manual data entry through controlled automation
- Ensured consistent representation across channels
Connector-Driven Synchronization
- Synced enriched products, variants, custom options, images, and metafields via StrikeTru’s BigCommerce connector
- Ensured complete accuracy between Akeneo and BigCommerce
This approach transformed the catalog from operational to strategic.
5. The Impact
Before StrikeTru
- Legacy PIM approaching sunset
- High execution risk during migration
- Complex variant combinations constrained by platform limits
- Limited structural modeling for scalable growth
After StrikeTru
- Migrated to Akeneo PIM in 6 weeks
- Zero disruption to BigCommerce operations
- Structured product models and family variants implemented
- 10K+ variant combinations engineered within platform constraints
- Seamless synchronization across systems
- Scalable, governance-ready B2B catalog foundation
The manufacturer now operates on a modern PIM architecture designed for scale, flexibility, and long-term digital growth.
Modernizing a Complex B2B Catalog?
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