The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) today announced another milestone in the move to digitalisation in the building and construction industry through the completion of action to implement the ETIM product classification model for electrical products.
The national employer association Ai Group manages the Australian and New Zealand chapter of ETIM International which has developed an international classification standard for technical products commencing with products in the electrical sector.
Commenting on the announcement, Ai Group’s chief executive, Innes Willox, said: “The building and construction industry recognises that classification is a clear-cut way to logically structure product data. Electrical manufacturers are leading the way in this area by supporting the ETIM classification model.
“The building and construction industry and regulators are moving down the path of requiring product assurance and product traceability on projects. The ETIM classification model enables manufacturers of products to provide technical information relating to their products in a common format,” Mr Willox said.
The ETIM classification model provides many benefits including:
- Makes it easier for building designers to access up to date information on the technical attributes of products to be included in designs.
- Allows builders and subcontractors to decide which products are best suited to meet building designs and operational requirements.
- Facilitates B2B transactions between contractors and distributors.
- Assists building certifiers and regulators to understand the technical attributes which assists in compliance assessments.
“The major local and international manufacturers and distributors of electrical products have joined the ETIM chapter with Ai Group and are now at the stage where the manufacturers are converting their existing product technical information into the new classification model,” Mr Willox said.
“Our next steps will be to make the ETIM model available for our plumbing and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling manufacturers (HVAC) and then to the wider building product industry,” he said.
