Airgas was looking for a single solution that could ensure a quick return on investment. SAP NetWeaver MDM offered the broad functionality, robust architecture, and ability to manage rich product content that Airgas required. Airgas now uses SAP NetWeaver MDM as the central hub to collect content from disparate sources, enhance it, and then distribute it internally, to customers' procurement systems, and to its Web site.

With the introduction of the online product catalog enabled by SAP NetWeaver MDM, online sales of accessories and related products are up 40%. Airgas attributes this increase to improved customer access to information and better up-selling and cross-selling opportunities.

Airgas is also better able to achieve account penetration for online customers of certain types of products as compared to similar purchases at branch locations. The Web site more effectively educates consumers and promotes features and benefits. Margins for e-commerce customers improved as well. The content-enriched Web site has driven incremental sales opportunities as well.