Digitalisation and digital transformation
Digitalisation and digital transformation are often used interchangeably, but they cover different levels of change. Digitalisation is fundamentally about supporting existing processes with digital tools. Digital transformation, on the other hand, is about rethinking processes, roles, and decision-making based on data and technology. For mid-sized and large B2B companies with complex products, the distinction matters, because technology rarely creates value on its own if it is not grounded in the way the business actually works.
In many B2B organisations, the challenge is not a lack of systems, but a lack of coherence. Product data is spread across ERP, PDM, spreadsheets, local databases, and specialist systems. Processes have evolved over time and often depend on manual workflows and key individuals. Digital transformation in this context is therefore largely about creating shared structures, clear ownership, and a data foundation that can be used across the organisation.
Technical challenges in large companies
B2B companies in manufacturing, industry, trade, agriculture, and food typically face a range of technical challenges that differ from simpler digital environments. Products have many variants, configurations, and dependencies, and information must be reusable across many contexts: sales, quotations, documentation, compliance, marketing, and service.
The system landscape is often complex, consisting of both legacy core systems and newer cloud-based platforms. Integration between systems is critical, but also fragile if data models and concepts are not aligned. Poor governance quickly leads to inconsistency, conflicting truths, and low trust in data. This makes digital transformation difficult, because new solutions are built on an unstable foundation.
Maturity as a starting point for transformation
Experience from both research and practice indicates that successful digital transformation requires a clear understanding of the organisation's maturity. Consultancies working with digital transformation typically use maturity models in which technology, data, processes, and organisation are assessed together. The purpose is not to place the company on a scale for its own sake, but to create a realistic picture of what the next step should be.
At Pico, maturity is a central reference point. The work begins by understanding how product data is currently created, maintained, and used, and which business processes depend on it. Some organisations need fundamental structuring and centralisation of data before more advanced initiatives make sense. Others are ready to work with automation, AI-supported processes, or more advanced use of data across channels and markets.
Pico's approach to digital transformation
Pico works with digital transformation as a stepwise and coherent process. The starting point is always the business and the requirements set by products, markets, and regulation. Technology is seen as a means to support clear goals, not as a goal in itself.
The work typically includes analysis of current processes, data models, and systems, followed by a shared definition of principles for data, governance, and architecture. PIM and related data disciplines often play a central role, because product data acts as a link between many areas of the business. Once the basic structure is in place, automation, integration, and AI can be applied in a targeted way to reduce manual tasks, improve data quality, and create better decision-making foundations.
This approach is in line with recognised practices in digital transformation, where long-term impact is achieved through the combination of organisational anchoring, process understanding, and technical robustness. Transformation is not seen as a project with a clear end date, but as an ongoing development in which solutions must be able to adapt to new requirements over time.
The role of the consultancy in transformation
Consultancies play an important role in digital transformation when they are able to translate between business and technology. This requires both professional depth and the ability to work closely with the client's organisation. Rather than delivering ready-made answers, the consultant contributes structure, method, and experience that enable the company to make better decisions on an informed basis.
In a Pico context, this means that the collaboration focuses on building internal capabilities, a shared language, and clear areas of responsibility. The transformation must be sustainable within the organisation itself, even after specific initiatives have been implemented. The goal is robust digital foundations where data can be reused, processes can be scaled, and new technologies can be added without creating new complexity.
Connection to other disciplines at Pico
Digitalisation and digital transformation are closely connected to Pico's other areas of expertise. PIM, data modelling, integration, commerce, documentation, sustainability data, and AI are not isolated disciplines, but mutually dependent. A mature approach to digital transformation takes these connections into account and prioritises effort where it creates the most long-term value for the business.