Many brands. Many countries. One catalog.
Your ERP keeps prices and stock. PIM4B keeps the product.
PIM4B stores your automotive parts data in one place, structures it in the TecDoc format, lets you view the same records as ACES and PIES, and feeds your web catalog directly through its API.
Why automotive parts catalogs break when you grow
Growth multiplies product data. Every new brand, supplier and market adds data that has to live somewhere - which is the point where a PIM for automotive parts stops being a nice idea and becomes the sensible way to run the catalog.
Every brand becomes its own island
Acquire a brand, add a private label, take on a supplier - and inherit another data structure nobody wants to merge.
Every market speaks its own standard
Europe works in TecDoc, North America in ACES and PIES. Keeping a separate catalog for each means maintaining the same product twice.
Data lives in too many places
Spreadsheets, supplier files, old catalogs and ERP fields - the same part described differently in each, and nobody sure which version is right.
Errors found only after the part is sold
A wrong dimension or vehicle link usually surfaces when the part comes back from the garage. When data sits in scattered files, nobody can say which value is correct - and returns become the most expensive line in the catalog budget.
What stands out is the combination of a strong understanding of our business needs, solid technical expertise and a responsive approach. This enables the team to translate requirements into practical solutions efficiently.
Years of building software together with one of Europe’s largest parts distributors.
From scattered files to one source of truth.
A PIM (product information management system) takes product data from wherever it lives today, keeps it in one structured record, checks it and sends it to every channel that needs it. PIM4B does this for automotive parts.
Collect
Import product data from spreadsheets and supplier files into one model. Every import is logged with its source file, status and time.
Structure
Attributes, vehicle applications, images and documents in one record per product - organised by brand and market, with shared base components and market variants.
Check
Completeness rules, remarks and side-by-side comparison of values show what is missing or inconsistent before the data leaves the system.
Publish
Data kept in the TecDoc format, converted to ACES/PIES for North America, and fed to your web catalog through the PIM4B API.
Built by a team that knows the aftermarket inside out
Parts catalog structure
Shared base components, with market-specific details kept in bills of materials - one product, several market variants.
TecDoc you can see
GenArt, vehicle data and attributes kept in TecDoc structure, in the same system as the rest of your catalog.
Identification & compliance
EAN and substance data stored as part of the record, not in a side spreadsheet.
Assets next to data (DAM)
Digital asset management built in: images and documents stored together with their products.
Quality checks
Completeness rules, remarks, side-by-side comparison of values and ACES/PIES output validated against the official schemas.
Import history
Every import logged with its status, source file and time.
One catalog, two standards
Showing a European catalog to US and Mexican partners normally means a second catalog per market. In PIM4B, a TecDoc record converts to ACES/PIES - so you maintain the product once.
TecDoc
Attributes, vehicle links, images and documents, maintained once in the TecDoc format.
ACES + PIES
The same record, shown in the North American standards.
From TecDoc to ACES/PIES
Keep your catalog in TecDoc and convert the same product to ACES/PIES for the North American market. You maintain it once.
Vehicle mapping
TecDoc K-types linked to ACES BaseVehicles per part. The record shows every link - including where many K-types fall under one BaseVehicle - so you see exactly how the fitment translates.
Working with TecDoc data requires your own TecDoc licence; the ACES/PIES view requires your own licence to the Auto Care Association databases (VCdb, PCdb, Qdb). We are happy to advise.
TecDoc format, supported
Most PIM platforms treat TecDoc as one more export plugin. i4B is a TecAlliance partner and has worked with TecDoc since 2005 - our developers and data analysts bring 20+ years of automotive aftermarket experience. PIM4B keeps TecDoc-structured data alongside your own catalog data.
No two ERPs are the same
Every parts business runs an ERP shaped around its own catalog. PIM4B does not replace it: prices, stock and master data stay in the ERP, while PIM4B holds the descriptive and technical product data.
Web catalog, fed directly
Your web catalog takes product data straight from PIM4B through its API - no export runs, no files to pass around. No web catalog yet? We build web catalogs, B2B shops and other software on top of your PIM4B data.
Not every project starts with a PIM
Our team also works directly on your data and your systems - with PIM4B or without it.
Data conversion
Your product data converted to TecDoc or to ACES/PIES as a project, run by our analysts and developers - for example delivered as TAF files, even if you keep your current PIM.
Getting into TecDoc
From licensing to going live: we take you through the process with TecAlliance from A to Z.
Data readiness check
We check your data against TecDoc mandatory criteria and the KPIs behind the Premier Data Supplier status, and show you the gaps.
Integrations and AI
Custom integrations with your ERP, WMS and sales channels, plus AI assistants and automations built into your own tools and workflows. We speak both auto parts and AI.
PIM4B fits different kinds of parts businesses
Parts distributors
Many brands and suppliers, one catalog for several countries.
Parts manufacturers
Product data kept in the TecDoc format and shown as ACES/PIES for the North American market.
Teams still working in Excel
A catalog spread across spreadsheets and supplier files, moved into one place - without replacing your ERP.
IT & digital leaders
Who inherited a catalog nobody wants to touch - and own its risk.
See PIM4B on your own catalog
30 minutes. We look at how your data flows today, show how PIM4B would handle it, and tell you honestly if you don't need us.
Frequently asked questions
What is a PIM system for the automotive aftermarket?
A PIM (product information management) system for the automotive aftermarket is one central place to store and manage parts data - technical attributes, vehicle applications, images and documents. Unlike a general-purpose PIM, an aftermarket PIM has to handle vehicle linkage and data standards such as TecDoc, where a single incorrect application means a returned part and a lost garage.
How is PIM4B different from Akeneo or Pimcore?
PIM4B is built specifically around automotive parts data: it supports the TecDoc format and gives every record an ACES/PIES view. It is implemented for your business and supported in production by the team that built it.
Can PIM4B handle multiple brands and countries in one catalog?
Yes. One catalog can hold several brands, each assigned to the markets it is sold in, and every user can be limited to the markets that concern them. Multi-brand and multi-country structures are part of the data model rather than a workaround.
Do we need a PIM if we already have an ERP?
In most cases, yes. An ERP manages transactions - stock, prices, orders. A PIM stores the descriptive and technical data that describes the product and matches it to the right vehicle. They solve different problems, which is why PIM4B sits alongside the ERP rather than replacing it.
Is PIM4B automotive PIM software you install, or a hosted platform?
Either. PIM4B can run hosted by i4B, or as a dedicated instance on your own servers - the choice is yours and it does not change the product. In both cases the team that implemented it supports it in production.
Can PIM4B work as a TecDoc PIM?
Yes. PIM4B supports the TecDoc format: product data, GenArt classification, vehicle linkage and technical attributes can be kept in TecDoc structure alongside your own catalog data.
What does a PIM for automotive parts need that a general-purpose PIM does not?
Vehicle linkage above all - auto parts only sell when they are correctly matched to the vehicles they fit. On top of that: K-type and ACES BaseVehicle handling, GenArt classification, bills of materials, and EAN and substance data. A general-purpose PIM can hold these only as custom fields, without the TecDoc structure.
How do you build the business case for an aftermarket PIM?
Start with the time your team spends looking for the right version of product data across spreadsheets and files, then add what wrong fitment costs you in returns, credit notes and garages that do not order again. We are happy to work through those numbers with you on the call.
Can our web catalog use PIM4B data?
Yes. A web catalog can read product data directly from PIM4B through its API, without exports or file transfers, so it always works from the current record.
We sell in North America in ACES/PIES. Can you help us get into TecDoc?
Yes, as a project. As a TecAlliance partner we take you through licensing and onboarding, and our analysts and developers prepare your data in the TecDoc format, for example as TAF files.
Do you work with companies in North America?
Yes. Our team is based in Poland (CET) and works remotely. We agree meeting times that work for both time zones.