Launch of ETIM North America to Support Electrical Industry Needs

The web, and more importantly digitalization, is changing the way business is being done.  Aside from eCommerce, digital initiatives are becoming embedded into business processes and communication methods.  And it is going to go “deeper” with endeavors broadening into machine learning / AI.  Essentially every initiative will somehow be touched by a digital process. Hence the launch of ETIM North America.

Consider:

• 80-90% of product searches are reported to start with a web search
• Most communications are now via email
• Distributors are actively seeking to convert email ordering to EDI initiatives to streamline processes (consider Rexel’s Q4 / annual report and their initiatives)
• Read this article on AI in distribution
• Consider the number of distributors investing in enhancing their websites and their race to add product content to their sites

Or look at these acquisitions:

• Schneider Electric acquired RIB Software.  While you may not know RIB, “RIB serves 100,000 customers worldwide from the areas of construction, engineering & architecture (AEC), public administration, real estate, supply and disposal, transport, industrial and plant engineering.”  According to Schneider Electric, “Schneider Electric believes that the buildings of the future will be All-Digital and All-Electric. These Smart Buildings will deliver efficiency and sustainability by leveraging real-time digital analytics for optimum performance across the building lifecycle. With around 40% of worldwide carbon emissions being contributed by buildings, there is an urgent need for this transition globally.” And, beyond the construction market, “For Smart Manufacturing, Within its Industrial Automation business, AVEVA is Schneider Electric’s unique and leading offer across the digital lifecycle for process and hybrid industries.”
• Rockwell’s two acquisitions to support their connected manufacturing initiative.

And further many distributors and manufacturers are aware that engineers and leading contractors are using advanced tools such as BIM and other engineering / design tools as the building process becomes more advanced.

So, why is this important?

These advancements within the industry are dependent upon product content. Not just the classification of products but broader descriptors as well as communication protocols. And while this may or may not become important to small and medium-sized contractors (and for that matter smaller distributors who are focused domestically), for those who work with / sell to engineers or companies that interact globally, involvement with global product data standards that are uniform around the world becomes imperative.

Companies such as Rexel, Sonepar, WESCO, Graybar, City Electric, CED, McNaughton-McKay and others need to seamlessly share data globally.  Manufacturers with global operations needs to use common product descriptors within their systems. Large contractors working for Fortune 500 companies will need to communicate with engineers globally.

And if you do business, or call on, an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction firm), knowing what ETIM is and utilizing ETIM will be essential in the future.

Global Standard

There has been a global product standard for a number of years. It’s called ETIM. ETIM is a global standard that has been embraced in over 20 countries. While it has been in the US, for various reasons it has been barely visible within the industry.

This is changing with this week’s announcement that ETIM International now has a dedicated chapter (association) responsible for North America (US, Canada and Mexico).  The association, ETIM NA, is open to all manufacturers and distributors, will initially focus on completing its efforts in the electrical industry and then will expand to encompass other industries.  The organization was founded, at the request of ETIM International, by Distributor Data Solutions (DDS), which has quickly become the leading provider of electrical eCommerce content in the electrical industry with over 5,000,000 electrical SKUs available to distributors and is working with distributors in the US, Canada and Europe.

According to the press release,

“ETIM is the international data model for the standardization and classification of technical product data and is used by global manufacturers, distributors, and end-users doing business in dozens of countries. Developed in Europe, ETIM was established to meet growing demands for a clear, discerning information structure for available technical products. Initially developed for the electro-technical sector, ETIM has steadily expanded its activities to different industries and countries worldwide, currently offering the ETIM classification model in 17 languages.

DDS has been instrumental in establishing the new ETIM North America association with the goal of spearheading an active community empowered by a diverse manufacturer, distributor, manufacturer representation, and technology provider membership. Membership is open to all companies and associations in ETIM’s focused industries.

“As the founding member of the new ETIM North America, DDS will pursue more aggressive promotion of and adherence to the ETIM model and standards at a time when they are becoming essential in the global market,” says DDS president Matt Christensen, also the new president of ETIM North America. “We have some catching up to do, but this initiative is absolutely relevant and beneficial to the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Within North America the initial focus has been the electrical industry and we’re working to finalize those standards and then moving into complementary industries.”

“We are very pleased to see the new ETIM North America association in position to steer the further development and implementation of our worldwide product classification standard with new energy and dedication,” says Jan Janse, president of ETIM International, the Brussels-based head of the ETIM community. “We value and support the DDS initiative and commitment, especially considering how important the North American market is for ETIM.”

With a large number of their manufacturing and distribution customers serving international clients, and their affiliation with various international trade groups, DDS is active and growing on a global scale. Considering the collaborative environment of ETIM, and with DDS now the leading provider of e-commerce product content to the U.S. electrical and related construction and industrial verticals—similar to ETIM’s core focus—there is a strong alignment of goals.

“We’re working closely with many major global manufacturers and distributors to help streamline the exchange and management of product data,” adds Christensen. “Our relationships and our role in the industry, along with our focus on technology-driven solutions, give us a solid strategy for pushing adoption and demonstrating value to both suppliers and wholesalers.”

When asked why companies should join ETIM North America, Christensen says the “short answer” is that this collaboration “can reduce costs in the supply chain and bring more value and functionality to users of this information—which includes all of us. The ETIM model is already proving a stable, yet flexible standard that is future-oriented.”

ETIM North America’s Executive Director is an industry standards veteran – Mary Shaw – who shared she is excited about revitalizing the ETIM initiative in North America to support the manufacturers and distributors she she’s collaborated with for many years.

Manufacturers, to get a sense of ETIM’s usability, consider how ETIM UK is involved in the BIM content platform in the UK.

ETIM is the next generation of product data standards … and one that is already in wide use. When thinking about digitalization and how it continues to impact the electrical industry, ETIM standards will be the protocol to support product data communications (and the platform is already integrated into the IDEA infrastructure and can be integrated into ERP systems).

To learn more about ETIM and to become a direct member with voting rights where you can influence the standards, go to www.etim-na.org.

Full Disclosure – I am supporting ETIM as an advisor and Board Member. When IDEA was in development, back when I was with IMARK, I was involved in helping recruit distributors to become charter members and was on the first marketing committee.