You find duplicate or overlapping products by comparing what each product does, not what it is called. Trade names, grade codes and document formats differ across sources, so overlap only becomes visible when specifications and function are compared directly. Kimia, a chemical intelligence platform, identifies products in a portfolio that perform the same or similar function, which is particularly common after acquisitions.
Duplicate products hide behind different names and codes
Two products that do the same job rarely share a name. One was developed in-house, the other arrived through an acquisition, and each carries its own trade name, grade code and TDS format. A deduplication run in a PIM or master data project matches on text: identical names, near-identical codes, shared identifiers. Chemical overlap is functional, not textual. Two grades can overlap almost completely and share no text at all. String matching finds data-entry errors, and it stops there.
In practice: an adhesives supplier acquires a competitor and inherits a hot-melt grade for bonding polypropylene film at high line speeds. Its existing range already covers that application under a different trade name, a different grade code and a differently structured TDS. No identifier matches, and no deduplication rule fires.
Overlap is measured on specification and function
The test for overlap is whether two products satisfy the same application requirements. That means comparing technical attributes: viscosity, open time, temperature range, regulatory status, application area. Kimia identifies products in a portfolio that perform the same or similar function, comparing grades on the specifications and formulation characteristics recorded against each product rather than on how the records are worded. The output gives product teams a clear view of duplication they can rationalise.
In practice: two dispersions sit in a coatings portfolio under separate trade names. One lists viscosity at 3,000 mPa·s, the other at 3,100 mPa·s, with matching pH and the same application window. Compared as text they are unrelated products. Compared as specifications they are one product twice.
Product data has to be structured before overlap can be measured
Specifications rarely sit in one comparable place. They live in TDS PDFs, PIM records, ERP exports, spreadsheets and email threads, and an attribute that exists in three formats cannot be compared in any of them. Product Knowledge Hub brings fragmented product information together into a single source of truth, structured as a product passport for every item in the portfolio. Kimia also identifies which products are missing key attributes or specifications, because a grade with no recorded specification cannot be ruled in or out of an overlap.
In practice: a newly acquired range arrives as several hundred TDS PDFs and a spreadsheet export from the seller's ERP. Structured into product passports, each grade becomes comparable against the existing portfolio, and products missing key attributes are listed for the product team to complete first.
Rationalisation is a commercial decision the data supports
Portfolio complexity costs margin, and acquisitions are where it accumulates: ranges overlap without consolidation, and every duplicate grade carries its own documentation, inventory and regulatory upkeep. Kimia shows product teams where the duplication is. The consolidation call stays with the team, made on evidence: which grade holds the stronger regulatory position, which formulation is cheaper to produce, which carries the larger customer base.
That is a judgement no deduplication rule can make.
In practice: a post-acquisition coatings portfolio holds two overlapping grades. One is REACH-registered for the EU market, the other is not. The product team consolidates on the registered grade and retires the other, with documentation for the surviving grade updated from its product record.
Overlap findings have to reach the sales conversation
Rationalisation takes months, and selling continues throughout. Reps covering hundreds of products default to the grades they know, and where duplicates exist that often means quoting a legacy equivalent that should have been retired. Kimia ensures reps recommend the right SKU rather than a retired one. Through Technical Sales Assistant, a rep asking about an unavailable or retired product gets alternatives from the supplier's own portfolio that match the relevant technical criteria.
In practice: a customer asks for a grade the supplier retired after consolidation. The rep queries Kimia and gets the surviving equivalent with matching specification, in the conversation itself, instead of quoting the retired product from memory or conceding the sale.
In production at chemical suppliers and distributors
Kimia is already live with several enterprise customers, including Bostik, Univar Solutions, and Stahl. Univar Solutions deploys Kimia to accelerate technical sales. Aldric Tourres, Global Director of Digital at Bostik, says: "Kimia has become our partner of choice within Bostik for scaling technical expertise globally."
What changes for the portfolio
One view of duplication: product teams see which grades perform the same or a similar function across the portfolio.
Evidence-based rationalisation: consolidation decisions rest on specification and regulatory position, not trade names.
The right SKU quoted: reps recommend current grades, not legacy equivalents due for retirement.
Faster acquisition integration: an acquired range is comparable against the existing portfolio from the first week.
Duplicate grades stay invisible for as long as the comparison happens on names. Compare the portfolio on specification and function, and the overlap an acquisition left behind becomes a decision rather than a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
Can Kimia find duplicate products after an acquisition?
Yes. Kimia identifies products in a portfolio that perform the same or similar function, which is particularly common after acquisitions where ranges overlap without consolidation. The acquired range is structured into the same product records as the existing portfolio, so overlapping grades surface even when names, codes and document formats share nothing.
Do duplicate products need matching names or codes to be detected?
No. Kimia compares products on function and technical attributes rather than on text, so two grades with unrelated trade names and different TDS formats are still identified as overlapping when their specifications describe the same job. Matching on names and codes finds data-entry errors, not functional duplication.
What data does Kimia need to detect overlap in a portfolio?
Kimia works from the product information a supplier already holds: technical data sheets, specification documents, PIM and ERP exports, and internal application notes. Product Knowledge Hub structures that material into a product passport for every item in the portfolio. Kimia also lists products missing key attributes, since incomplete records cannot be compared reliably.
Is finding duplicate products a job for a traditional PIM?
No, a traditional PIM on its own does not find functional overlap. A PIM stores and organises attributes, and deduplication in a PIM or master data project matches records on names, codes and identifiers. Overlap between two differently named grades is a question of specification and application, which is the comparison Kimia is built to make.
Does Kimia decide which overlapping product to retire?
No. Kimia gives product teams a clear view of duplication they can rationalise, and the consolidation decision stays with the team. Which grade survives depends on commercial judgement: regulatory position, production cost, and which customers sit on each grade. Kimia supplies the evidence for that decision and keeps reps recommending the surviving grade afterwards.
