Lee Jones, Head of Manufacturing Solutions at NBS, a website looking to make construction product information digitally available to designers and specifiers, explains why drop-in, digital product information is the route to more sales for product suppliers.

Following a deep dive into fire safety in construction, Dame Judith Hackitt’s 2018 report, Building a Safer Future, said that if construction was to become truly transparent and building accuracy improved, radical changes are needed in the testing, describing and marketing of building products.

This led to the publication last year of The Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI), which sets out defined principles for supplying information that is clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous.

Developed by the Construction Products Association following industry-wide consultation and now managed by Construction Product Information Ltd, the code contains 11 clauses that cover aspects such as responsibility for product information, transparency of information regarding performance, proof of stated claims, and general information honesty and competency. Firms are assessed on their ability to comply with the 11 criteria and, if they are successful, are awarded a numbered, time-limited licenced mark indicating the product information provided by that company is compliant with the CCPI.

This is not free. Assessment fees range from £1,750 for companies with a turnover of up to £5million and go up to £5,500 for companies with a turnover of more than £100million.

Clearer, more accurate product information should benefit manufacturers and specifiers alike, but for some the Code for Construction Product Information provokes trepidation.

It shouldn’t. Implementation of it should only serve to raise safety standards and trust in products, improve regulatory compliance and boost sales. Early adopters of this approach have much to gain – and evidence taken from NBS and Glenigan, which last year started working together under the growing Byggfakta Group, a major European construction software and data provider, show how it can help ‘level up’ current marketing offerings.

Embracing change

Despite the CCPI suggesting that digital product information might be considered industry best practice, construction product marketers appear to be hesitant to invest in the digitisation of their product data.

In a survey, one in three considered managing product information a ‘barrier to effective marketing’, yet 63% of product manufacturers still supply product specifications as PDFs. Widely regarded as problematic, PDFs get filed away for future use even though they can quickly become out-of-date, presenting a risk of the wrong information being used as part of design specifications.

Six out of 10 of the survey respondents said they look favourably on the CCPI and changing building regulations.

What we’re seeing is a disconnect between seeing the changes as a force for good and actually taking direct action to make those changes.

Product libraries, databases and product information management (PIM) systems that can integrate into manufacturer websites for an auto-update listing function could help – and the number of them available is increasing.

For both manufacturers and specifiers, this can be a time-efficient way of working, while adding a layer of quality control and comfort that the right specs are being used in the right way.

Specifiers want digital data

Given its benefits in speed and accuracy, it's not surprising specifiers want product information in a digital format. In fact, in last year’s NBS Digital Construction Report, 81% of specifiers said they want manufacturers to provide information as BIM or digital objects. In medium-sized organisations, 92% want information this way.

It’s a sign of the times. Increasing pressure on time encourages specifiers to seek ready-made solutions from product specification platforms during the design stages of a project. With a complex decision process to manage, it pays to have the level of detail they require on any product, material or system available at the click of a mouse.

For suppliers, having products listed in this way with all the significant data specifiers need can significantly increase the chances of those products being specified.

Those companies that have their ducks in a row when it comes to product information management (PIM) will no doubt reap the rewards.

Time to get onboard

If the words of Peter Caplehorn, the Chief Executive of the Construction Products Association (CPA), being quoted in the online portal PBC Today* are anything to go by, manufacturers shouldn’t dawdle. He says: “Good product information must go hand-in-hand with competence in the handling of construction products and digitalisation of product information. Only when all these come together can we achieve lasting and tangible results.”

At the moment, the Code for Construction Product Information remains UK-specific on an opt-in basis. But if it proves successful it isn’t a stretch to imagine this leading to mandatory measures. The UK might be the initial testing ground that results in a roll out to the rest of Europe and beyond.

Of course, it’s unlikely that change will take place overnight and it’s only when projects begin to demand that the supply chain subscribes to the CCPI that we will see real transformation. If and when that happens, manufacturers will need to address how their product information is managed.

Manufacturers that choose to disregard this move could be doing themselves and construction in general a disservice. More resources given to PIM should improve the accuracy and quality of product marketing content, attracting more specifiers, leading to improved compliance and resulting in higher sales.

*PBC in PBC Today stands for Planning, BIM & Construction.