FEST EMDG Press Release

Wednesday 2nd June, 2021 – BRUSSELS.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the drive to digitalisation across the construction industry has moved to the next level. Given its vision of a digital and sustainable business, the European trade federation FEST has recognised this advancing trend and the importance of the smooth handling of product data between manufacturer, wholesaler and – ultimately – the installer. These are all essential elements for profitable trading. What has been missing is one reliable, unambiguous product master data set. Hence, the launch of the FEST European Master Data Guideline (EMDG). Johan Stevens President of FEST remarks, “FEST sees the need to lead the way in how data is handled and how we transfer data in a structured way. I am proud to announce the launch the FEST EMDG. The European Master Data Guideline was developed together with a broad coalition of industry partners; manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, industry associations, and data pool associations. It’s future maintenance and development is now supported by ETIM International, the leading European organisation”

The FEST EMDG is the outcome of work undertaken by the FEST Technical Expert Group, led by Magnus Sirén of the Finnish Wholesaler trade association, Talteka. The primary goal of this expert group was to develop one standard for commercial master data exchange between industry supplier and wholesaler. Product master data can roughly be divided into two categories, (1) Technical Product Data and (2) Basic Data. In the case of the former, FEST recommends technical data should be arranged according to the ETIM product classification model. It is the most widely adopted product classification standard in the European market and has the benefit of being language neutral. The FEST Technical Expert Group concluded that there was no common European model for Basic Data, like ETIM, at present. As such, the expert group has put together a general set of master data attributes needed to define and uniquely identify a product. The initial work was started by a group consisting of manufacturer, supplier and wholesaler experts from different European countries, many of whom are also associated with the existing data-pool platforms, like the Arge and 2BA.

What is clear is that a guideline needs constant development. With this launch, the FEST EMDG 2.0 is now officially set as the European Sanitary and HVAC industry standard, with some major pan-European manufacturers having already adopted the EMDG as the basic structure for their products. The FEST Technical Expert Group will continue to be responsible for its future development and FEST has asked ETIM International to handle the hands-on maintenance work on the guideline. ETIM’s Technical Director Marc Habets stated, “Governance and ‘maintenance’ of any data-pool is crucial for a good working industry standard. I am proud FEST has recognised our long term experience in maintaining ETIM and therefore considered ETIM International as the execution organisation for its EMDG.”

ETIM’s technical team will work closely with FEST to align any operational issues in the further development of the FEST EMDG. This Technical Expert Group is open to interested parties. Please contact [email protected] for more information about membership.

 

The European Federation for the Sanitary and Heating Wholesale Trade (FEST):

FEST is a European Federation for the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing and Sanitary Wholesaler industry. FEST works closely with the various national associations to lobby the EU Commission and national MEPs on matters concerning industry regulation, sustainability, digitalisation, as well as providing market insights.

FEST comprises 17 European country associations, whose membership encompasses 800 individual member companies, accounting for approximately €40 billion turnover, with 125,000 employees in
9,000 depots across Europe. These include the national associations of: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In addition, FEST Associate Members include manufacturers: Bosch, Dornbracht, Geberit, Grohe, Grundfos, Hansgrohe, Ideal Standard, Kaldewei, Reflex, Rettig, Sanha, Uponor, Vasco, Walraven and Wilo.

FEST membership offers wholesalers from across Europe the opportunity to meet up with likeminded individuals to discuss best practices and encourage the flow of new trading methodologies that improve operational efficiency throughout the entire supply chain. As the environmental aspects and technical complexity of products in the plumbing and heating sector increases, FEST promotes the vital role of the professional wholesaler in educating installers and end-consumers in the correct choice of materials sourced from suppliers worldwide.

About ETIM International:

The association ETIM International is a partnership of national ETIM organisations and has its official seat in Brussels. ETIM International was founded to join forces in the development, maintenance, publishing and promotion of one ETIM model for the classification of technical product data. The power of ETIM is the collective; independent and sector-wide coordination is the only way to success. The focus of ETIM International for the present lies in the classification of installation, building and shipbuilding products, but the association is open for entry of other related industry sectors.

More information on FEST, please contact:
Sue Knight, Director FEST (E. [email protected])
Hassan Abou Jawhar, FEST Association Manager (E. [email protected]) and/or M. +32 486 35 76 58