Portwest cuts catalogue production time by five months

Portwest has introduced Akeneo's product information management system across its business, cutting catalogue production time by five months.

The workwear and personal protective equipment manufacturer adopted the system as its growing product range and international footprint put greater strain on its existing product information processes.

Portwest sells in more than 130 countries and manages more than 46,000 stock keeping units. Product information had been spread across enterprise resource planning software, databases and separate asset libraries, making it harder to keep technical details and translations aligned across markets.

Before the change, catalogue production was largely manual and could take up to 11 months. Technical datasheets were also created through an older publishing process that offered limited scope to expand output.

Akeneo's software now acts as a central repository for Portwest's technical and marketing information, linked to the InBetween publishing system. This allows the company to manage certifications, compliance data and shared technical content across product families from one environment.

The change has reduced duplication and improved data accuracy by enabling batch updates across large parts of the range. Catalogue production has fallen from 11 months to six months, and the number of proofing cycles has also declined.

Publishing shift

The project has also changed how Portwest produces sales materials. Previously, its design team handled about 150 ad hoc flyer requests a year, with each item produced manually.

Since the new system went live in late January 2026, Portwest has produced 3,300 bespoke flyers in under six months for customers and sales teams. The materials are generated on demand and tailored for local markets.

Technical datasheets have also been automated. Compliant product information can now be produced and distributed globally in minutes across 28 languages.

For a manufacturer operating in markets where local product information is often tied to regulation as well as sales, these changes are significant. Distributors can now create localised branded materials directly from governed product data, reducing reliance on central teams.

Growth pressure

Portwest has expanded from a family-run Irish workwear business founded in 1904 into an international supplier of safety clothing and protective equipment. The company says it now offers more than 1,500 products and serves 165 countries through offices, 14 warehouses and six wholly owned manufacturing facilities.

That growth has increased the volume of product attributes, certification records and translated content that must be kept accurate across channels. In workwear and PPE, errors in technical descriptions or compliance information can have direct commercial and operational consequences.

The centralised system is intended to give Portwest a more consistent way to manage that information as it adds products and enters new markets. It also reduces the manual effort required from design and product teams when preparing catalogues, flyers and datasheets.

Justin Thomas, VP of Sales, EMEA North, Akeneo, said: "Portwest is a powerful example of what happens when product data is treated as a strategic asset rather than an operational burden. By establishing a single, governed source of truth and automating the flow of that data into catalogue production and downstream channels, they have not only accelerated time to market but also unlocked meaningful cost savings and global scalability."