IBM has introduced new master data management software designed to provide clients increased flexibility and control over product information, enabling them to accelerate time-to-market and generate new business and revenue opportunities.

The newest version of IBM WebSphere Product Center provides unmatched master data management capabilities for managing product information in the retail, consumer packaged goods, consumer electronics and manufacturing industries. It offers enhanced performance and scalability and new SOA enablement features to help organizations leverage information as a service by seamlessly collecting, authoring, rationalizing and publishing product information across multiple internal systems as well as externally with trading partners.

With this announcement, IBM seems to be extending its market leadership as retailers worldwide such as Boulanger, businessMart, CARQUEST Auto Parts and Circuit City have selected IBM WebSphere Product Center to deliver product information in multiple languages, across multiple countries and among thousands of locations.

Boulanger, a major retailer of multimedia equipment and appliances in France and Spain, is using WebSphere Product Center in its SOA environment to manage and maintain information about all the products and services they offer. The software allows Boulanger to quickly publish new and updated information to multiple internal systems via their SOA, and to respond to competitors in near real-time.

"Working with IBM, our product information management system provides Boulanger comprehensive, accurate information on some 20,000 products," said Olivier Berrod, Internet/Intranet manager, Boulanger. "The system provides us new flexibility to update the product information across all business applications. For example, when we translate a product's technical features into customer benefits, it enables us to immediately publish the updated information to all our business applications, including our in-store on-the-shelf signage, which is printed daily with the latest information."