ETIM Definition
ETIM (Electro-Technical Information Model) is an open, international standard for classifying and describing technical products, so that manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers describe the same products in the same way. It started in the electrical sector, and the name comes from the German ElektroTechnisches InformationsModell. The standard is maintained by ETIM International together with national ETIM organizations, and it is free to use.
How is ETIM structured?
- Product groups bring related product types together, such as lamps or cables.
- Product classes define specific product types, and each one has a unique code. Every product is assigned to exactly one class.
- Features are the specifications that describe a class. For an LED lamp, these include power, color temperature, and base type.
- Values and units are standardized lists of permitted entries for each feature, so a voltage is always given in volts and a color is always chosen from the same list.
All classes and features are identified by codes rather than words, so the same data can be shown in many languages without retranslating it.
Which industries use ETIM?
ETIM is used mainly in electrical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, and construction supplies, as well as in a few other technical sectors such as shipbuilding. It is especially widespread in B2B wholesale in Europe. In these sectors, distributors often require suppliers to deliver product data in ETIM format.
Why does it matter?
Without a shared standard, every wholesaler asks manufacturers for product data in its own format, and each manufacturer describes similar products differently. ETIM lets a manufacturer describe a product once and send the same data to every trading partner. Buyers can also compare products from different brands side by side, because all of them use the same features and units. Online shops can then offer consistent filters, such as "voltage" or "protection rating," across their whole range.
How is ETIM data managed?
Companies typically store their product data in a Product Information Management (PIM) system. There, they assign each product to an ETIM class and map their own internal attributes to the matching ETIM features. The PIM then exports the classified data in the exchange formats trading partners expect, such as BMEcat (a widely used XML format for product catalogs) or ETIM's own exchange format, ETIM xChange.
