Leaving SA2 Worldsync …

I am leaving SA2 Worldsync. I have worked now for over 6 years in the area of master data management and global data synchronization with SA2 Worldsync and its predecessors.

And I think it was a great time and esp. a great team to work with. And I think we achieved a lot. SA2 Worldsync has become one of the globally dominant data pool players and also one of the leading PIM vendors at least in the retail market.

Thinking back I started all this master data management stuff right back in 1997 when founding Cataloom AG. There we developed successfully one of the first PIM (Product Information Management) / MDM (Master Data Management) Systems. 

And I still remember very vividly myself coding the first database schemas and graphical user interfaces (still very awkwardly looking) for cataloom 0.1.

We were very quickly successfully fulfilling the requirements of our customers like AXA, BASF, Deutsche Bahn, Emaro (the famous eprocurement marketplace joint venture of SAP and Deutsche Bank), Siemens Medical and many others. It was a real fun time, working with a small but enthusiastic team, having all this great ideas and concepts which are still in the product and which are still the base for its success.

In 2005 PIRONET NDH has taken over Cataloom. My personal journey into the world of GS1 and data synchronization started when PIRONET NDH also took over a majority stake in SINFOS the predecessor of SA2 Worldsync. 

Replacing the proprietary SINFOS technology with my previous Cataloom technology and building this great Webforms with online validations was one of my first responsibilities during that time.

Merging with the Agentrics data pool business unit was the next milestone. And this merger was mainly driven by our superior technology. Esp. I think the usability of our Webforms is still leading edge technology and the team keeps developing and improving it.

After that merger I became responsible for looking into our retail customers understanding their master data management processes and to help them to get those processes organized to be able to also leverage the SA2 Worldsync services better.

I think in the last two to three years I worked with most of the leading retailers globally (from Europe over Japan to the US) to understand their challenges in master data management and to work with them on improving those processes, their organization and sometimes also their IT infrastructure.

Right now SA2 Worldsync is not only supporting world’s largest retailers and brand manufacturers but also some of the most advanced GS1 and GDSN communities like GS1 UK and GS1 Australia by providing our technology to them. And not to forget to mention that the SA2 Worldsync WS|PIM product today is run by some of the largest retailers – and right now there are more to come.

I think SA2 Worldsync has been settled right now and achieved a really leading position in the master data management and global data synchronization business.

That is the time to leave for me.

Why?

I am the more entrepreneurial kind of guy. I have to start up something new. Change the world :-) 

I think Cataloom and SA2 Worldsync had some impact. At least the world changed a little bit. Product Information and data synchronization processes became a little bit more electronically. But I think there is still a long way to go to have all business transactions electronically.

That is where I still see a huge potential! So be prepared to see something new coming up which hopefully will really have some impact!

And in the meantime – if you have some requirements regarding master data management consulting, just let me know. I am helping companies globally to put in organisation and processes and IT infrastructure to manage their master data more efficiently.

PS: Stay tuned - this blog will be continued and now I might even have more time to share my thoughts on MDM and GDSN!