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Why Product Data Sheets Are Costing Manufacturers More Than They Think

For many manufacturers and distributors, product data is both a lifeline and a constant frustration. It underpins everything from sales to compliance, yet too often it is trapped in outdated systems, scattered spreadsheets, and manual processes that slow teams down.

One of the clearest examples of this problem is the humble product data sheet. On the surface, it looks simple: one document with all the details a customer needs. But behind the scenes, creating and maintaining these sheets can drain time, money, and energy at a scale that most businesses underestimate.

The Hidden Cost of Product Data Sheets

In industries where technical accuracy matters, product sheets are not optional. Customers need reliable specifications before they buy or fit a component. Distributors need consistency so they can load product ranges into their systems. Regulators demand evidence that products comply with industry standards.

Yet for many businesses, producing these sheets has become a time-consuming and expensive burden.

  • Each sheet can take hours to compile as teams pull together details from multiple systems and departments.
  • Revisions are often needed because the data is incomplete or inconsistent.
  • Marketing, sales, and compliance teams duplicate each other’s work, creating endless back-and-forth.

The direct costs add up quickly. We often see manufacturers and distributors spending into six figures each year just on the creation and maintenance of product sheets. Those costs come not only from staff time but also from errors, rework, and missed opportunities.

The hidden costs can be even higher. Inaccurate or missing product data damages customer trust, creates confusion in distributor networks, and slows down product launches. In competitive markets, these inefficiencies are more than an inconvenience. They are a real barrier to growth.

The Root of the Problem

The deeper issue is rarely the product sheet itself. It is the fragmented and inconsistent data that feeds into it.

In many businesses, product information lives in several places at once: ERP systems, spreadsheets, supplier portals, and marketing files. Each department keeps its own version of the truth. Attributes may be named differently, measured in different units, or not captured at all.

When there is no single source of truth, teams are forced to rely on manual fixes. One product manager might know where to find the latest spec sheet. A compliance officer might have a personal folder of certificates. A marketing manager might keep their own copy of product descriptions.

This kind of tribal knowledge keeps the lights on, but it does not scale. As businesses grow, add new product variants, or expand into new channels, the cracks widen. Errors multiply. Products go to market late. Customers ask for information that takes weeks to supply.

The result is a cycle of inefficiency that holds back digital transformation.

How to Break the Cycle

The good news is that this cycle can be broken. Manufacturers and distributors that tackle the root causes of product sheet pain usually follow three key steps:

1. Standardise and Enrich

The first step is to bring order to the chaos. Data that is inconsistent, incomplete, or scattered across different formats is never going to scale. Standardising and enriching product information means creating clear rules, consistent units of measurement, and complete attributes for every SKU.

For example:

  • Using the same unit of measurement across every product in the catalogue.
  • Filling compliance and safety attributes for every product family.
  • Writing product descriptions that customers can understand and act on, rather than internal shorthand.

This step transforms raw product data into information that is accurate, consistent, and ready for use across every channel.

2. Centralise Product Data

Once product data is standardised and enriched, it can be centralised into a single source of truth. The most effective way to do this is by using a Product Information Management (PIM) system. A PIM brings all attributes, specifications, and assets together in one place and ensures every team works from the same dataset.

By centralising product data in a PIM, businesses can:

  • Remove duplication across spreadsheets, ERP exports and marketing files
  • Give every department access to consistent and up-to-date information
  • Control data governance by defining ownership, workflows and approval steps

Governance matters here too. Clear rules for data ownership mean that when updates are made, they are made once in the PIM and flow everywhere they are needed into ecommerce platforms, distributor portals, catalogues and product data sheets.

3. Automate Outputs

With standardised, enriched, and centralised product data, businesses can finally automate the outputs that used to require endless manual effort. Modern PIM systems make it possible to generate product sheets, ecommerce feeds, and channel-specific exports instantly.

Instead of starting from scratch each time, teams can:

  • Customise templates with branding and design tools.
  • Assign product families so attributes auto-populate into the correct layouts.
  • Share live PDFs that always reflect the latest product data.

There is no need for endless revisions because the sheet updates itself. If a product detail changes, the PDF changes too. The time saved is measured not in minutes but in days and weeks.

The Results

When businesses take this approach, the improvements are tangible.

  • Cost savings: Removing manual effort saves staff time that can be redirected to higher-value tasks. Some businesses have saved hundreds of thousands of pounds annually.
  • Faster time to market: With accurate, enriched data, new products and variants can be launched in days rather than weeks.
  • Improved customer experience: Customers and distributors receive accurate, professional, and up-to-date information every time.
  • Happier teams: Staff are no longer bogged down in repetitive admin and can focus on growth, innovation, and service.

One distributor we worked with used to spend four hours creating a single product sheet. Now, the process is fully automated. Another manufacturer reported saving more than £100,000 a year after switching to automated product data sheets.

The pattern is clear: when product data foundations are fixed, the knock-on benefits extend across the business.

Building for the Future

Product data is not just an operational detail. It is the foundation of digital transformation, ecommerce expansion, and customer trust. A business cannot grow its online presence, support omnichannel sales, or prepare for AI without getting product data right first.

By tackling the hidden costs of product sheets, manufacturers and distributors position themselves for long-term success. They free up capacity, strengthen relationships with distributors and customers, and build resilience for whatever comes next.

How We Help

At Start with Data, we help manufacturers and distributors build strong product data foundations. From cleaning and organising data to selecting and implementing the right PIM solution, we make sure product information supports growth instead of holding it back.

If your product sheets still have “FINAL” in the file name, it might be time to rethink your approach. With standardised, enriched, and automated product data, your product sheets can finally update themselves.

Want to see how automated product data sheets could work for your business, book in with one of our experts today.