YOUR CONSULTING PARTNERMASTER DATA CONSULTING
No matter how advanced your procurement strategy may be, it can only succeed if the materials being sourced are accurately and consistently defined. When Material Master Data is unclear, contradictory, or incomplete, sourcing becomes inefficient, supplier evaluation breaks down, and savings go unrealized. Material Master Data is the operational backbone of modern procurement.
DESKA helps you recognize the true value of material master data: not just by highlighting the risks of unclear or inconsistent information, but by guiding you through a structured, goal–oriented improvement process. From understanding your objectives to assessing your current data landscape and implementing targeted changes, we’re your partner on the path to master data excellence.
Strategic sourcing needs excellent Master Data
Without reliable, optimized material master data, the next steps in evolution of purchasing are impossible:
- Effective Supplier Tendering & Price Benchmarking, Vendor Base Consolidation
- Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
- Inventory Optimization & Stock Level Reduction
- Integration of E-Procurement Platforms
Material Master Data Management (MMDM) is the structured process of creating, maintaining, and governing the information used to describe every material across your supply chain.
The quality of material master is both the goal of your process in Material Master Data Governance and also the requirement for the implementation of advanced sourcing strategies.
DESKA supports clients in reaching the goal of high quality material master data through assessment, strategy development, and hands-on improvement of material master data. With our expertise in technical clarification and cross-industry experience, we help organizations unlock the full value of their material data and lay the foundation for advanced purchasing strategies.
It begins with clear, concise, and technically accurate descriptions that are free of contradictions: Each item must be uniquely and meaningfully described using standardized terminology aligned with both internal conventions and industry norms. Descriptions must remain consistent across departments, sites, and regions to enable harmonized processes and smooth system integration.
Equally essential is the complete and correct identification of manufacturer information, including full name and original part number (MPN). This allows for transparent supplier evaluation, accurate cross-referencing, and competitive price benchmarking. Without this data, it’s impossible to compare equivalent items or assess sourcing alternatives.
The next level of maturity is achieved through duplicate-free master data. This means identifying and eliminating redundant entries – first locally, then cross-site – while assigning globally unique item codes. These codes make it possible to manage materials across systems, align procurement across regions, and support strategic goals like inventory optimization and spend consolidation.
To help you reach this level, DESKA offers hands-on support across the full Master Data Maturity Cycle. We start by assessing your current data landscape, identifying the areas with the highest potential for improvement – both in terms of operational reliability and financial impact. From there, we guide and support you through the improvement process. The goal: to transform fragmented, inconsistent data into a strategic asset that unlocks savings, increases reliability, and enables next-level procurement strategies.
When material master data is unclear, incomplete, or inconsistent, the consequences ripple far beyond procurement. It slows sourcing through repeated clarifications, triggers claims due to incorrect or missing specifications, and causes inefficiencies across the entire supply chain.
Failure to identify duplicates or functional alternatives leads to bloated inventories, tied-up capital, avoidable stockouts, emergency orders, and even unplanned downtime and lost production output.
Without high-quality material master data, sourcing becomes reactive – driven by urgency, habits, or guesswork rather than structured analysis. Buyers are forced to rely on last-source confirmation because meaningful comparisons are impossible. Price benchmarking, supplier evaluation, vendor base consolidation, and competitive tenders become ineffective or unfeasible.
Even the most advanced tools- virtual warehouses, e-procurement systems, or AI-driven sourcing engines – are only as good as the data that fuels them. Fragmented, outdated, or inconsistent master data undermines cross-site synergies and derails digitalization efforts before they can deliver results. Material master data is more than a technical concern – it’s a strategic prerequisite. Accurate, harmonized, and meaningful data enables transparency, control, and scalability across your procurement and supply chain landscape.
Recognizing the strategic importance of high-quality material master data is only the first step. Discover how DESKA’s structured, results-oriented approach helps you build the solid data foundation required for scalable, reliable, and cost-effective procurement.
HOW WE GUIDE YOUR PROCESSYOUR MMDM CONSULTING PARTNER
At DESKA, we support you through every phase of your material master data journey – from planning and evaluation to implementation and continuous improvement. Our structured approach is built on proven methods, cross-industry experience, and the latest best practices in MMDM.
Step 1Needs Assessment
Every successful MMDM initiative starts with a clear understanding of your goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Together, we define what is your main focus:
Optimizing procurement savings
Reducing
stock levelsData consistency and supplier claim reduction
Review of Vendor Structure and allocation
Running effective supplier tenders
Harmonizing global SAP codes
While these goals define your strategic direction, we also ensure that all relevant framework conditions are considered – such as country-specific regulations, group-level data governance policies, and legal requirement.
Step 2Status-Quo Analysis
We begin by analyzing the current state of your material master data – either for a single site or across your entire organization. Based on this, we create a detailed report that includes:
Data Quality
Master Data Quality Assessment
Consolidation
Vendor Base Structure & Consolidation Potential Assessment
Conversion
Item Category specific Conversion & Brand harmonization Analysis
Deduplication
Duplicate Identification & Cross-Site Matching
Savings
Savings Potential Identification
Using our in-house tools and AI assisted analysis, we highlight the areas with the highest optimization potential. Our analysis includes benchmarks against industry standards and a detailed report outlining risks, inefficiencies, and improvement potential – serving as the foundation for developing targeted action plans and strategic improvement paths.
Step 3GAP Analysis & Roadmapping
Once your goals are defined and the status quo assessed, the next step is to bridge the gap between where you are and where you need to be. We compare your current data state against your defined objectives to identify mismatches, missing elements, and areas of risk or opportunity.
Based on this analysis, we develop a structured action plan – prioritized by impact, effort, and risk. You’ll receive a clear, step-by-step roadmap outlining which data areas are already close to best practice and where focused improvements are required to meet your strategic goals.
While we provide the roadmap, the path forward is yours to choose: You can implement changes internally with your own team, or rely on DESKA’s experts to guide and accompany you through the improvement process, or fully outsource the task to us as your MMDM service partner.
Step 4Tracking & Reporting
Whether you’re preparing for future tenders, audits, or cross-site rollouts, our tools give you a clear picture of where you stand – and what to address next.
Sustainable improvement in material master data goes far beyond a one-time clean-up – it requires structured follow-up and continuous validation. Once an action plan has been developed and initial improvements are underway, we support you in systematically tracking progress against defined milestones and goals.
Each step in the roadmap is measured, and only when clearly defined phases are complete do we recommend moving forward to the next. This approach ensures a transparent, traceable progression throughout the entire improvement journey. Our tailored reports give you visibility into completed tasks, remaining gaps, and savings.
What DESKA Can Deliver in a Master Data Consulting Project
DESKA offers end-to-end support across every stage of your master data journey. From defining your objectives and evaluating your current data landscape, to designing targeted improvement strategies and supporting implementation – we’re at your side. Our process combines technical expertise, real-world procurement insight, and powerful tools, including AI-assisted analysis and industry benchmarking.
Whether your team wants to implement changes internally with expert guidance, or you prefer to outsource parts of the work to a reliable partner, DESKA provides the structure, resources, and know-how to get you to the next level. And once improvements are in place, we help you stay on track with continuous monitoring, savings validation, and data quality assurance.
Dou you recognize the value of clean, consistent material data? Need a guide for your material master data journey and are ready to take the first step?
Get in touch today and let’s explore how DESKA can guide your path toward master data excellence!
