IDEA Backs Global E-Biz Standards

IDEA, Arlington, Va., entered into a collaborative partnership with the European Technical Information Model (ETIM), the European equivalent to the North American electrical industry’s UNSPSC Electrical Attribute Schema used to communicate product information. This partnership will help align the ecommerce standards used within the wholesale distribution channel with their counterparts in Europe to make global business more efficient for electrical manufacturers and distributors.

IDEA led the development of the UNSPSC Electrical Attribute Schema to give electrical manufacturers a guide to provide descriptive marketing content to their trading partners in the U.S. and Canada. IDEA will work with ETIM International to align the standards and develop a cross reference so that manufacturers can quickly send their marketing content to their U.S., Canadian and European distributors simultaneously.

Mary Shaw, IDEA’s director of standards, briefed the ETIM International board during the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW) General Convention in Amsterdam earlier this year. The presentation was followed by discussion of a partnership to align standards development.