SALT LAKE CITY – ETIM North America (NA) is pleased to announce that the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) has joined ETIM NA to help support the digitization, standardization and overall exchange of technical product data within the North American electrical channel.
For more than 50 years, NEMRA has been promoting and enhancing the value of the independent representative to the U.S. electrical industry. Fulfilling a crucial role within the distribution channel, independent sales reps and agencies help present and support manufacturers’ products and solutions in the marketplace, which involves circulating vast amounts of product information to distributors, architects, engineers and installers.
An international model for the standardization and classification of technical product data, ETIM originated in Europe almost 20 years ago and is used worldwide by manufacturers, distributors and end-users doing business in dozens of countries. ETIM has been gaining adoption in North America in recent years, especially in the electrical sector. ETIM facilitates the efficient exchange of product information throughout the entire ecosystem of the industry—from manufacturers who produce the content, down through their distribution channels, to specifiers and end-users of products.
According to Mary Shaw, Executive Director of ETIM NA, “NEMRA is the perfect example of a group ‘downstream’ of manufacturers that relies heavily on product content to assist electrical professionals in selecting the right products for the job. As such, their perspective is invaluable in helping ensure the quality and consistency of information for use in various languages as well as business platforms.”
Jim Johnson, president of NEMRA, echoes that “Manufacturer representatives are a critical link in the supply chain and need to be involved in industry initiatives. We appreciate that ETIM NA desired our participation. Reps need to be aware of what ETIM is to support their distributors and manufacturers, and the ETIM model will need to be integrated into manufacturer representative sales, operating and warehouse management systems to ensure data integrity, facilitate commerce and improve reporting. Our members will also be able to contribute to the Product Expert committees with insights on how end-users describe products.”
From supporting e-commerce to architectural and engineering tools like CAD, BIM and 3D modeling, manufacturers’ product data is the “fuel” needed for all applications within the electrical industry and related construction and industrial trades. As a language-independent classification model, ETIM is uniquely suited for sharing product information consistently regardless of geography or technology.
Members of NEMRA will have the opportunity to participate on various ETIM NA committees and share subject-matter expertise to support the standards development.
More information, including ETIM NA membership details, can be found at www.etim-na.org/about-us/members/.
