Staying the Course

In the following interview, David Oldfather, President & CEO of Arlington, VA-based IDEA, discusses the importance of IDEA’s HDM and other beneficial data services it offers to the electrical products industry and how ETIM North America’s recent decision to remove IDEA from its board of directors (while allowing IDEA to remain a member of ETIM NA) won’t in any way change the course of IDEA’s initiatives or the value IDEA brings to industry members.

TEDMag:  Please explain what ETIM, ETIM International, and ETIM North America are as well as their relationship to IDEA.

Oldfather:  ETIM, or the Electro-Technical Information Model, is a classification standard for trade products to structure product information.  ETIM International is the non-profit association through which the various national ETIM organizations are united in promoting the ETIM classification model to structure the flow of technical information.  As a regional member of ETIM International, ETIM North America is responsible for supporting the implementation and adoption of the ETIM Technical Information Model in the North American wholesale electrical industry and associated verticals.  Relative to IDEA, ETIM is one of the two classification models currently supported by IDEA Connector – specifically, IDEA Connector currently supports UNSPSC, primarily used in North America (and for which IDEA is the authorized representative for the electrical segments) and ETIM/BMEcat, primarily used in Europe.

TEDMag:  What is the Harmonized Data Model (HDM)?

Oldfather:  The Harmonized Data Model (HDM) initiative within IDEA Connector will enable manufacturers to more easily syndicate product content via multiple formats (including ETIM) and empowers distributors’ eCommerce systems with more consistent, normalized product data.  The HDM-based IDEA Connector’s functionality will enable manufacturers to more efficiently upload their data to support multiple formats while eliminating the need for distributors to make downstream modifications, which will ensure consistency and provide a better eCommerce experience for their end users.

TEDMag:  What decision was recently made by ETIM North America relative to IDEA?

Oldfather:  IDEA was recently removed from ETIM NA’s Board of Directors.  However, while unfortunate, this move won’t in any way impair or curtail IDEA’s ongoing initiative to enable manufacturers to syndicate data in multiple formats that include ETIM.  While it’s ETIM International’s mission to promote ETIM on the basis of its merits, they don’t require their licensed country representatives to prescribe ETIM – e.g., the choice of which classification model to use is typically left to each country’s manufacturers and distributors.  With respect to IDEA’s Harmonized Data Model, the current President of ETIM International understands that IDEA’s HDM initiative (to evolve the IDEA Connector data model into a next-generation data platform that’s capable of efficiently supporting multiple syndication formats) supports both the ETIM classification model and a distributor or manufacturer’s right to choose.

TEDMag:  What does this development mean for industry members and their product data going forward?

Oldfather:  Nothing changes and IDEA will keep adhering to its mission, fully supported by our parent organizations (NAED and NEMA), which is “to assume a leadership position in facilitating the exchange of complete, high-quality, commercial-grade transactional and eCommerce content, which includes serving as the electrical industry’s standards body by setting, facilitating, and monitoring data standards.”  Since IDEA Connector already supports ETIM, the HDM initiative will almost certainly increase its adoption as we help our international customers syndicate data in the formats and standards they need in order to conduct business on a global level more easily.  This transition really has no effect on how IDEA operates and conducts business with all business partners in North America or internationally.  We understand the importance of ETIM to our customers and have no intention of diverting their attention from it; rather, we’d like to help our customers more easily syndicate via ETIM.

TEDMag:  Please discuss the various other data services you offer and how they benefit industry users.

Oldfather:  Among other initiatives IDEA has undertaken to enhance the value of IDEA Connector data, we recently established a soon-to-be-announced IDEA Tech Council, which will identify future needs and opportunities to help IDEA deliver even more digital innovation and services to the electrical industry.  In partnership with Enable, IDEA now delivers rebate management support to manufacturers and distributors.  We’ve also launched IDEA Volumetrics, in partnership with Avalon, which will enable the collection of more weight and dimensional product data to help improve real-time freight calculations, warehouse automations, and more.  Following IDEA’s recent acquisition of DATAgility, IDEA is now managing NAED’s X-Check Program.  We’re also actively looking into further enhancements, such as data auditing and usage, a webstore/website platform maintained by IDEA, building information modeling (BIM) capabilities, and sustainability and corporate responsibility (ESG) monitoring and tracking.

TEDMag:  What final message would you like to share with industry members regarding IDEA Connector, the HDM, and ETIM?

Oldfather:  By enhancing the quality, consistency, and usability of the data flowing through IDEA Connector, the HDM will make it easier and more cost-effective for manufacturers to upload into the IDEA Connector and syndicate their data to their trading partners.  Since IDEA’s Connector platform can support both ETIM and UNSPSC (PAS/CAS), IDEA encourages industry members to utilize the classification model that’s most convenient, cost-effective, and which best fits their long-term needs.

For more information on the HDM, visit idea4industry.com/hdm.  For questions or to help support its development, contact Dena Barrett at dbarrett@idea4industry.com.

Bloom is a 25-year veteran of the lighting and electrical products industry. Reach her at susan.bloom.chester@gmail.com.