IDEA Rejoins ETIM North America Product Data Standards Initiative

Nowadays it’s difficult to open a publication or have a meeting where the terms digital, AI, or eCommerce are not mentioned. The reality is that all are increasing in importance to the efficiency, some say viability, of an electrical distributor. Some think it is driving consolidation trends, all agree that the industry wants to be operationally more efficient to provide better customer service and, ultimately, ensure (and ideally improve) profitability.

To highlight this dynamic, Wesco recently opened its Investor Day by describing that its goal is to be “the best tech-enabled supply chain solutions provider.”

Talk to any tech / IT consultant about eCommerce or AI and one of the first things they will comment on is the need for quality data, and ideally structured data.

Data can take many forms but for eCommerce and AI to support electrical manufacturer, distributor, and manufacture rep systems and future services, a key is product data.

ETIM is a global product data standard utilized in 20+ countries. It enables the features and attributes (descriptors) to be converted to an alphanumeric, language agnostic process. It can be the foundation to support product search and various databases.

International distributors are using ETIM information to aggregate product information across manufacturers into product categories to help them analyze their business; distributors are using the information to support eCommerce. In Europe companies are integrating ETIM-enabled content for BIM and CAD systems. And think of the potential to support AI tools and other analytics.

Manufacturers are the source, and the data is passed throughout the industry ecosystem (in fact, ETIM standards involved contractors in Europe.)

The North American chapter of ETIM, which is charged with refining the model to address products and terminology specific to the US and North American markets, was founded a little over four years ago. A number of manufacturers and distributors have joined and are participating in Product Expert Groups to jointly define standards.

ETIM North America recently announced that IDEA has rejoined the organization and will be utilizing the model to support its Harmonized Data Model (HDM)-based IDEA Connector^SM and helping accelerate the refinement of the model with the support of its subject matter experts. Companies that are members of ETIM will be able to vote for finalization of standards and can submit changes.

IDEA Rejoins ETIM North America, To Assist Refining Model

According to the press release:

“ETIM North America is pleased to announce that the Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA), jointly owned by NEMA and NAED, is once again a member of ETIM North America.

IDEA provides several solutions for their customers’ needs, most notably:

• IDEA Connector^SM, a data syndication platform for manufacturers to store and distribute their product information to their customers, and
• IDEA Exchange^SM, powered by the industry’s #1 VAN, a complete EDI solution for manufacturers and distributors.

An international model for the standardization and classification of technical product descriptors, ETIM enables the efficient exchange of product data throughout the electrical industry ecosystem—from manufacturers, who produce the product content, through their distribution channels, to contractors, end-users and specifiers of their products.

“We look forward to assisting the ETIM North America team in refining the ETIM standard for North America and integrating the classification model into our Harmonized Data Model (HDM)-based IDEA Connector^SM says David Oldfather, IDEA President and CEO.  “Our team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from across the electrical industry provide valuable product expertise to our HDM initiative and drawing on their insights, IDEA is pleased to support ETIM NA in its language and terminology translation efforts. As the technology arm for both NEMA and NAED, IDEA is committed to creating, supporting, and enabling the exchange of global data standards for the electrical industry, and we see ETIM as an important addition to our platform for the North American electrical market.”

While the ETIM model facilitates the transference of product information to support transactions and eCommerce information, it can also be a foundational element in enabling AI capabilities for companies. ETIM is applicable to many construction and industrial trades as a language-independent classification model to improve the quality and communication of product information and is especially valuable for web stores and other digital applications, including building design programs like CAD, BIM, and 3D modeling as well as AI applications.

“We are excited to welcome IDEA back as a Solution Provider member,” adds Mary Shaw, Executive Director of ETIM North America. “IDEA’s support will accelerate the adoption of the ETIM model across North America.”

She adds that, “The goal of ETIM is to simplify product classifications so that products can be translated across languages, technical barriers, and digital platforms without ambiguity. IDEA provides a valuable service to its customers with its HDM-based IDEA Connector^SM platform, and we look forward to their support of the ETIM model. Their collaborative support will help manufacturers and distributors use the ETIM descriptors to improve their online product discovery and advance their digital journey.”

To learn more about ETIM North America, its Product Expert Groups, and how manufacturers, distributors, reps, and service companies can participate, visit www.etim-na.org or contact Mary Shaw.

To learn more about how IDEA helps manufacturers and distributors, visit www.idea4industry.com or contact IDEA’s Customer Success team.”

Take Aways

Manufacturers and distributors interested / investing in eCommerce and AI, or who want to utilize analytics to improve their operations or better aggregate product information to support their business should join ETIM North America to have a vote on product data standards that will affect their product category … and commit to enabling product experts’ expertise for various Task Groups. The quicker the model is refined, the sooner all can benefit.

This year ETIM North America identified some third-party resources, and more are coming to market with services, to help manufacturers classify their products. While companies can do themselves, sometimes a company has so many products that it is more cost-effective to outsource the process.

IDEA rejoining ETIM North America, and NAED and NEMA lending their support, reinforces that ETIM North America is an industry initiative as NEMRA and IMARK were already members. Collectively, the industry can coalesce around product data standards to move the industry forward, embrace a global standard, and ensure that there is a foundation that can support every company’s digital journey.