Rayher and crossbase:
Creative in the twinkling of an eye
"Working with granular layout modules that can be flexibly edited in the page context and saved back to the database is the best way to combine creative work with Adobe InDesign with the advantages of a cross-media database."
Gerhard Pitterle
Application Consultant, Rayher Hobby GmbH
What began as a two-man company in 1961 has developed over more than five decades into one of the leading full-range suppliers in the hobby and craft industry. More than 6,000 creative retailers across Europe are supplied with over 22,000 Rayher Hobby products from the Laupheim site. From standard materials, paints, paper and scrapbooking to jewelry and books.
Rayher Hobby GmbH
Dietmar Hermann
project managers
Phone: +49 7392 7005-302
d.hermann@rayher-hobby.de
Based on the crossbase standard software, a PIM, MAM and cross-media solution tailored to the individual requirements was implemented for Rayher Hobby. The starting point is the interface to SQL Business. This connection is used to forward all sales items, including the product features, to the PIM system and regularly update them. The data is enriched in the PIM system with extensive images, documents and texts and mapped in the various market and media-specific product views. These include, in particular, the printed, multilingual main catalogs, each with around 1,000 pages, as well as new product catalogs published twice a year, each with around 100 pages.
A special feature of data maintenance is the extensive generation of advertising texts in different variants and languages. The results are over two million texts, which are updated daily using an automated process. The catalog is created using a process that allows both automation and creative freedom. The new range is compared with the existing catalog and the "minus list" is displayed visually. This means that items that are omitted from the new range are highlighted in color for checking purposes and for subsequent page planning in the existing catalog. The catalog is then automatically cleaned up, whereby the minus items are removed from the catalog pages and the corresponding pages are marked as changed using the traffic light system. The plus list is then calculated and the new products are placed on the corresponding pages. The creation of the design-demanding pages takes place directly in InDesign. The index is automatically generated and the new product marker is placed before print preparation.