Will Jones
Credit: Knowde
Procurement teams seeking chemicals, polymers, and ingredients may have heard of Knowde, a digital marketplace and technology platform designed to simplify supplier research. Its job is to connect suppliers and buyers worldwide.
Buyers can research materials using specific filters to see all available options. They can also get samples, request quotes, and purchase materials when the right fit is found.
Knowde seeks to digitally transform specialized B2B e-commerce platforms for both buyers and suppliers, helping to streamline workflows and create a data-driven experience that can help cut time and costs.
The company makes some big claims about transforming marketplaces, but can it really simplify workflows for procurement and logistics teams?
Key Features of Knowde
Before we dive into the pros and cons of using Knowde, let’s take a look at what it offers. Here are some of the key features that illustrate how the platform works.
Structured Product Listings
Knowde stands out particularly for its standardized data architecture. Every listing features detailed technical specs, both physical and chemical properties, how the application suits, and compliance information. Thanks to this clean structure, it’s very simple for buyers to filter and compare products. All the information is readily available and easily accessible.
Supplier Visibility and Branding
A unique aspect of Knowde that sets it apart from other platforms that connect suppliers and buyers is the ability for suppliers to build a branded storefront. Rather than simply listing their products alongside hundreds of others just like it, manufacturers can showcase their brand and all their materials under one umbrella. Smaller manufacturers lacking a strong digital presence can benefit from this path to greater online visibility.
Search and Discovery Tools
Searchability is straightforward and intuitive. Buyers can search for materials by ingredient type, performance criteria, compliance requirements, and more. It makes it easy to find only what you need without filtering through hundreds of irrelevant search results.
Research and development teams also find the search features useful. When you’re still in the research phase, the ability to quickly find information and make decisions is critical, and the structured filtering helps with that.
Data Standardization
There’s an organized taxonomy of data that makes product comparisons simpler. The data standardization is clean and concise, with clear information laid out, especially when compared with more traditional sourcing environments.
Pros of Knowde
Those interested in using Knowde can see some clear benefits to the digital platform. Here are some key standouts.
Simplified Product Discovery
Users of Knowde have praised its clear, concise product layouts. It’s easier to find what you’re looking for compared to many distributor catalogs with scattered, less uniform product listings.
Professional Digital Presence for Certain Suppliers
For suppliers without a strong online presence, Knowde is an easy way to build an online storefront. There’s no need to build custom infrastructure or hire a web designer to handle branding and product listings when small to mid-size manufacturers can use Knowde’s AI platform to do it for them.
Decent Data Organization
PDFs and email conversations were once the way to keep track of supplier product data, but Knowde’s structured listings put those processes out to pasture. It can’t replace all antiquated data organization processes in procurement, but it at least cleans up listing data in a centralized, easy-to-use format.
Good for Early-Stage Research
R&D teams can use the easy search features and the ability to get free or affordable samples to quickly further their research. It helps keep the processes moving forward.
Cons of Knowde
While many manufacturers enjoy the benefits of Knowde, it’s not without its limitations. Most apparent is that it can’t replace the end-to-end workflows of procurement and logistics offices. It only addresses one of many problems that modern back offices face. Here are a few more limitations to consider.
Marketplace Dependency
Because suppliers list their products right next to competitors in the same layout, this can create issues with pricing and commoditization over time. There’s little differentiation in listing structures other than the actual specs placed on the listing, so it’s harder for specific suppliers to stand out.
Passive Discovery Model
Knowde is a reactive system; it requires buyers to actively search and input filters to get the results they want. It can’t proactively match buyers and suppliers the way that other systems featuring AI agents can. This puts limitations on how well buyers and suppliers match up.
Limited Intelligence and Automation
With predictive intelligence ruling the day in modern back offices, Knowde’s inability to automate many functions is somewhat disappointing. There’s little optimization of procurement workflows and very few strategic sourcing insights.
Data Maintenance Burden
The increased digital presence and structured listings are useful, but someone must be on hand to maintain and update them. There’s no automation for improving or changing listings, which only adds to the administrative burden.
Not Built for Strategic Procurement Optimization
The interface of Knowde’s digital catalog is impressive, but cataloguing your listings is basically all it can do. It lacks the strategic procurement optimization of other advanced AI tools. It makes it easier for manufacturers to access, but it doesn’t help much with decision-making, improving listings, or other basic workflow aspects.
A Smarter Alternative: Tenkara AI
Since Knowde can’t handle more than the cataloguing aspects for suppliers, many manufacturers are probably looking for a bit more. That’s where Tenkara comes in. It features a team of AI agents that proactively handle end-to-end workflow, from finding vendors to onboarding them, to managing compliance documentation.
Let’s take a look at just a few of the many reasons that Tenkara AI is the best tool for the procurement and logistics team.
AI-Powered Matching vs. Passive Listings
AI-driven search helps you find the best listings possible without manually filtering or combing through listings. It considers factors such as intent, manufacturer needs, and supplier capabilities to find the best possible matches for you. Say goodbye to passive discovery processes.
Workflow Automation
The average procurement employee spends 10-20 hours per week handling repetitive, manual back-office tasks that keep the workflow moving. Constant research, slow email communication, delayed quoting, comparison tasks, and other commonplace tasks slow down workflow and may cause employee burnout.
Tenkara’s AI agents handle the bulk of these back-office tasks with minimal prompting. They work to streamline workflows by reducing manual tasks, accelerating sourcing cycles, and improving vendor communication.
Real-Time Visibility
Reactive processes are among the most common issues for mid-market manufacturers. You can track live price changes for raw materials and packaging components, enabling you to make adjustments as needed. Be alerted when something changes so you can make more informed and timely decisions.
Always know where your shipments are with Tenkara’s real-time freight tracking. You’ll know when there are delays, so you can take proactive action to stop a line shutdown rather than being reactive.
Knowde Vs. Tenkara AI: A Clear Winner for Modern Manufacturing Back Offices
Both Knowde and Tenkara aim to modernize sourcing, but they approach the problem differently. One is simply a product catalog to help centralize supplier listings. The other is built for optimization, automating supplier matching and handling supplier onboarding end-to-end.
Tenkara is the clear winner here for overworked back offices. It’s a solution designed to turn reactive cycles into proactive workflows. To see if Tenkara is what your back office is missing, schedule a free discovery call today.