3 Localization Challenges Manufacturers Need To Be Ready For

The best way to solve a problem is to prevent it. But that's a lot easier said than done, especially when you're dealing with a complicated undertaking like localizing a growing manufacturing organization.

The good news is that you don’t need a crystal ball to be fully prepared. We’ll take you through three of the most common problems that manufacturers run into when scaling and how to prevent them. Let’s get started!

What makes manufacturing localization special?

Any growing organization needs to focus on localization as it expands. So what makes manufacturing so special? What unique needs do you have that other industries don't?

In some cases: nothing. There are universal challenges that every industry will face with localization. Getting accurate translations is one example. Finding the right technical infrastructure to allow for quick and economic scaling is another.

Nevertheless, there are a few specific manufacturing attributes that require special attention during localization:

• Documentation. Manufacturing companies need to provide their customers with extensive technical documentation. In addition to unique vocabulary, these often contain critical information like safety guidelines or compliance measures.
• Sophisticated distribution network. This industry also comes with complex distribution networks spanning multiple tiers of participants. These can include service partners, retail contacts, customers, and more. Localized content needs to take each party and their unique needs into account on top of the language and region concerns.
• Content volume. Manufacturers often carry a vast range of products, each of which comes with a lot of unique information – usage instructions, material information, compatibility data, safety warnings, and the like. The result is a huge volume of complex product data that needs to be carefully organized and accounted for during expansion.

3 Localization challenges manufacturers need to be ready for

With these unique requirements, manufacturers face a range of unique challenges. Let’s go through three of the most common ones and cover how you can prepare for them.

1. Inconsistent, Low-Quality Translation

Thanks to the particular content requirements in manufacturing, flawless translations are crucial. This includes popular high-traffic areas such as the home page, but also the more text-heavy areas: user manuals, technical documentation, product descriptions, regulatory guidance, and so on.

It’s important to do so right off the bat, too. Poor translations can lead to brand damage and a poor first impression in the region. More seriously, it can also cause customer misunderstandings. If there are translation errors in your products or manuals, these can lead to refunds and complaints, directly impacting your bottom line.

The best solution is to invest in reliable professional translators for the regions you’re localizing in. If you have a highly technical focus, seek out those with experience in your niche to ensure all terms translate correctly. Then, conduct regular random quality checks after you’ve established your brand. Current events or language evolution can change the connotation of certain terms and your messaging along with it.

Investing in a CMS with innate translation features can be a huge help here. All content types – rich text, URLs, SEO metadata, responsive images – should be localizable. Other features such as translatable slugs can be crucial to SEO success.

With a wide range of languages between team members, you should also choose programs that support multiple languages and efficient workflow management. That way, everyone can collaborate within one universal platform rather than having unnecessary back-and-forth spread across several.

2. Non-dynamic content localization

Good content isn't static. Your localization shouldn't be, either. User-generated elements like submissions, comments, and reviews all provide relevant information to your visitors. Keeping these current, translated, and locally applicable is essential to keeping your brand fresh.

Dynamic content localization ensures a complete user experience. Without it, the content won't make as big of an impact. You also won’t be unlocking the full potential of assets you’ve already invested in and produced. A good way around this is with a CMS that enables easily customized content for different locales through universal components.

Universal components have a single source of truth. When you change that source, the change will be reflected in every instance of the component. Combined with a strong translation strategy, this helps ensure that every element of your site is up to date even if you're not micromanaging it. Moreover, flexible templates can ensure this applies to your design choices.

Universal changes will be a huge benefit for scaling, too. The amount of resources you need to invest to update a universal component is the same whether it’s impacting a single instance or a thousand. Thus, even as your reach grows, your workload will not.

3. Poor tech integration

You're probably already balancing a lot of different integrations. These might include software for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Information Management (PIM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and so on.

But no matter how advanced your setup is, technology never stands still – especially when you’re localizing. As you expand to different markets, you may find yourself needing different things from your tech stack. The ability to integrate new programs can be crucial to success that’s on pace with your growth.

One important example of this is eCommerce platforms. The one that worked seamlessly in your home region might not be the best one for where you're expanding. Even if customers in that region are familiar with it, they might not feel as comfortable with it, which could get in the way of conversions.

Regulatory compliance is also an issue to consider here. New markets may have different regulations and standards that not only apply to content, but to software as well. You may be localizing into regions with higher security or privacy laws. Sometimes that will require upgrades, or even to change programs entirely.

Finally, there’s always the unexpected. As your business grows in new markets, you may find your original tech stack isn’t as scalable and flexible as you need to support that success. You might decide to swap out existing programs or integrate entirely new ones to support the new data loads and user traffic. Ensuring that your core tech stack is future-proof will help you make these changes quickly and avoid any downtime that could harm your ROI.

3 Manufacturing localization best practices

Aside from those specific challenges, countless others could face your company as you grow. Here are a few general best practices to keep in mind.

1. Maintain your brand voice

Different regions will expect you to communicate with them in contextually appropriate ways. However, that doesn't mean you should totally abandon your brand voice. Commit to a strategy that can both respect the differences in cultures and ensure consistent messaging. This is another reason to invest in local translators – you’ll get experts not only in the language but of the society it exists within.

2. Remember local SEO

The importance of SEO is well recognized. However, not every company remembers to take the local data into account. These results can vary from their global counterparts and thus greatly influence your content choices. Make sure you choose a tool with advanced SEO capabilities to support this strategy when you're localizing content for a specific region.

3. Unique companies, unique challenges

No matter the region or industry, your company is one of a kind. While you’re likely to face these common obstacles, you could also face less common ones. For a personalized prediction of potential challenges, conduct a full audit of your site and tech stack. Review any potential weak spots and talk to multiple team members to figure out the best way to address them before you grow.

Key takeaways

Localization is a complex undertaking. This complexity is only further compounded by the distinct requirements of the manufacturing industry. However, by predicting a few common roadblocks and preparing a tech stack that can overcome them, you can significantly reduce friction in your localization journey.