Digitalization in construction, launch of the Etim business network

The process for the adoption of the Etim international classification standard is underway and the first step is the establishment of Etim Italy, a business network for the digitalisation of products in the construction, electrical and plumbing sectors according to the new univocal standard used for the classification of technical products. The letter of intent was signed the day before yesterday in the Milanese headquarters of Confcommercio by Giorgio Casanova, general director of Metel Srl, Luca Berardo, president of Sercomated, Gabriele Nicoli, vice president of Sercomated, Corrado Oppizzi, general secretary of Angaisa and Mario Verduci, general secretary of Federcomated. Together they collaborate to have the new standard adopted in all construction-related supply chains. Among the advantages there will be a clear improvement in the exchange of B2B digital information, more precise and reliable, along interconnected supply chains with the related economies of scale thanks to the reduction of management costs, an improvement in the quality of the services offered and an increase in competitiveness on the domestic but above all international market. There are over 700 thousand companies involved in Italy, of which 600 thousand in construction, with two million employees as well as tens of thousands of professionals such as surveyors, architects and engineers involved, without forgetting the producers, wholesalers and distributors of the materials.

«Our network will be open to all companies that wish to join and share this important project with us. Etim Italy is a strategic initiative for the future of the sector – explains Giorgio Casanova, general director of Metel -. Together, we can make a difference and make Italian companies more competitive on global markets.” The task of the business network will be to bring to Italian companies the standard compliant with international models for the management of price lists and, therefore, of products in the construction, electrical and plumbing sectors.

«The establishment of Etim Italy is a concrete and virtuous example of the ability to create a system within a complex sector such as construction – underlines Corrado Oppizzi, general secretary of Angaisa and director of Servizi Angaisa Srl -. Faced with the new challenges of digitalisation, our organizations have decided to adopt a common and shared strategy, to make business processes within our supply chains increasingly efficient.” «Three associations from different sectors, relating to the broader construction market, are teaming up to develop a product codification project in Europe – adds Luca Berardo, president of Sercomated -. It is an operation that marks a turning point in the relationships between trade associations in the construction distribution sector.”

The Etim (Electronic technical information model) is an international standard for the clear and timely classification of technical products. It is a unique and standardized system that allows products to be identified and described clearly and precisely. The adoption of Etim by Italian supply chains will facilitate communication between the different parties involved, from producers to distributors, installers up to end customers for a more efficient and effective system. Among the multinationals that I join as a Global industry member of Etim international there are companies of the caliber of Siemens, Grundfos, Prysmian, Schneider Electric, Legrand, Sonepar, Signify and Rexel. Etim representatives from the main European markets including the United Kingdom, but also from Canada, the United States and Mexico, Australia and New Zealand sit on the board of Etim International.