ETIM continues to gain traction with those manufacturers keen to ensure their products are found with ease by B2B purchasers, with the latest release reflecting enhancements created specifically for the UK electrotechnical market.
ETIM 8.0 includes new categories specifically in response to the needs of the UK market, covering steel trunking and fittings, fused connection units and electric showers, as well as updates for consumer units, UK fire performance standards for cable, and BS fuses.
Richard Appleton, General Manager at EDA Data Services explains what ETIM means for the UK why its development is so crucial “A complete and accurate description of a product’s technical performance, which is what ETIM captures, is an essential e-commerce ingredient without which contractors cannot successfully search, filter and buy the right product for the job. Data that’s not ETIM classified leaves wholesalers with the huge headache of how to get hold of accurate and complete technical performance data to put in front of their contractor customers.
“The ETIM working groups that we set up, made up of manufacturer products experts, take a deep dive into the standard from a UK perspective. This enables us to justify requests for new features, values and even classes where we think it is necessary. Work to review the ETIM standard for domestic fans and wiring accessories is already in progress, with cable management and circuit protection in the planning stages and many more to follow after that.
“Our aim, however, is as much to educate manufacturers on how to use the existing standard and apply it consistently. After each expert group has finished its work we compile a set of guidance notes with worked examples which will greatly simplify the task of ETIM classifying a manufacturer’s product range.”
ETIM UK Ltd, which brings together the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) and the Builders’ Merchants’ Federation (BMF) as leads in their respective areas, has delivered huge benefits for the digitalisation of the electrotechnical and construction sectors. Discussions with other supply chains are planned as more industry sectors could benefit from ETIM’s principles.