What is ETIM and do I need it?

ETIM is the international classification standard for technical products, and a company needs it when its trading partners ask for it. ETIM International describes the model as product groups and classes, each with a defined set of features, values and units. Every element has a language-independent code, so the same data works in every country and language.

ETIM matters most for manufacturers and wholesalers in the electrical, mechanical, heating and installation industries. Features come in 4 types: alphanumeric, logical, numeric and range, and numeric and range features carry a unit.

For a PIM selection, ETIM affects three requirements:

• The data model stores ETIM classes and features next to your own attributes, with a mapping between them.
• The PIM handles new ETIM releases without breaking existing mappings.
• Exports produce the formats your partners use, such as BMEcat with ETIM classification.

In PIMvendors selections, standards such as ETIM are part of the data model work that happens before any demo. Ask vendors to show an ETIM class update on your own sample data, because demos with prepared data hide mapping effort.

Companies that sell mainly to consumers or retailers rarely need ETIM, and often work with GS1 standards.