Clade Engineering Systems
Digitising product data to support growth, integration, and customer experience in an evolving industrial business.
The Challenge
Clade Engineering Systems, a 38-year-old manufacturer based in Leeds, specialises in natural refrigerant heat pumps. As the business pivoted from refrigeration to heating, its product range and partner network expanded rapidly. This growth introduced complexity into how product information was created, managed, and shared.
The team relied heavily on static documents – spreadsheets, PowerPoints, PDFs, and even paper – to manage and distribute product information. With over 1,500 components and frequent updates, their existing methods could no longer keep up. Product data was siloed, sales teams were disconnected from engineering updates, and partners lacked access to accurate, up-to-date information.
What We Delivered
We partnered with Clade to implement Sales Layer as the foundation for their new product data operations. This project was part of a broader digital transformation, alongside CRM and IoT initiatives.
The new system enabled:
- Centralised management of a complex, high-spec product catalog
- Real-time access to product data for internal teams and external partners
- Integration with key business systems like CRM, MRP, and financial platforms
This transformation laid the groundwork for Clade to scale efficiently and improve data governance across the organisation.
“Working with Start with Data to implement Sales Layer PIM completely changed how we manage product information, saving time, improving accuracy, and making it easier for our teams and partners to access and use the latest data across our business.”
Tim Rook, CMO, Clade
The Outcome
Customer Experience
Accurate and consistent product information improved customer confidence and reduced friction across buying journeys.
Time Savings
Digitisation eliminated manual processes, reducing internal time spent on product queries and data maintenance.
Integrated Operations
in trade customers using the site
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