Tsveta Pandzherova
Customer success manager @Stylib
In today’s building materials industry, suppliers are handling more data than ever – product attributes, certifications, test results, digital assets, compliance documents, and more. Yet, simply processing data isn’t the same as managing it. For suppliers, understanding this difference can mean the gap between operational headaches and smooth collaboration with architects and contractors.
What is data processing?
Data processing is about handling raw inputs: collecting, cleaning, and formatting data so it can be used. For example:
Converting a product spec from PDF into a structured format
Standardising units of measurement across product lines
Uploading image files into a digital library
It’s essential work, but it’s transactional. Once done, the processed data often sits in silos – Excel files, shared drives, or individual team databases, waiting for the next request.
What is information management?
Information management goes further. It’s about organising, structuring, and centralising data so it can be shared, updated, and used effectively across teams and channels.
With strong information management practices, suppliers can:
Maintain a single source of truth for product data
Ensure every team member works with the same up-to-date information
Enable real-time collaboration with distributors, specifiers, and clients
Reduce errors from outdated specs or duplicate entries
While data processing is task-focused, information management is strategy-focused, ensuring product information drives efficiency and value at every stage.
Why this distinction matters for suppliers
Suppliers who rely only on data processing often face bottlenecks: repeated requests for the same files, mismatched product details across platforms, or missed opportunities because information isn’t readily accessible.
By contrast, suppliers who embrace information management practices benefit from:
Improved material data management – Clear, organised product data that can be trusted.
Faster response times – Teams don’t waste hours digging through scattered files.
Better client experience – Architects and specifiers get consistent, reliable product information.
Stronger collaboration – With a centralised hub, internal and external partners stay aligned.
Moving from processing to management
Suppliers don’t just need more data, they need smarter ways to manage and distribute it. That’s where modern supplier collaboration software comes in, helping teams centralise information, keep specs accurate, and deliver data seamlessly to stakeholders.
Stylib Hub was designed with this exact challenge in mind: giving suppliers a single platform to organise, manage, and distribute their product data, transforming raw information into an asset that drives efficiency and collaboration.
Stylib Hub gives every product a consistent, customizable data structure with attributes for technical specs, certifications, dimensions, finishes, and more. Instead of scattered fields or improvised formats, you get a clean, scalable system that supports filtering, validation, and export across any channel or platform.
Datasheets, images, test reports, and certificates all live in one place, connected to the correct product and version. Stylib Hub makes it easy to upload, organise, and update files so you always know what’s current, and you never have to dig through folders or chase the right PDF again.
Not every audience needs the same data. Stylib Hub lets you configure outputs for different destinations, whether it’s a spreadsheet for a distributor, a selection for a client, or a structured feed for your digital tools. One source of truth, multiple outputs, no copy-pasting.
