Now in its 7th year, the EDA’s Digitalisation Forum and Data Quality Awards 2026 held in London, Wednesday 25 February, brought together over 120 forward-thinking professionals from across the electrotechnical supply chain to explore the latest digitalisation opportunities, share practical insights, and celebrate excellence in product data quality.
Delegates heard from expert speakers and panel discussions on a range of topics surrounding the rules and tools that are shaping the way product sustainability data, notably embodied carbon data, is shared and used, and the role of artificial intelligence in making the supply chain more agile and responsive.
Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO at the EDA said, “The 2026 EDA Digitalisation Forum & Data Quality Awards was a fantastic opportunity to see the innovation and commitment driving our sector. From insightful discussions on sustainability and environmental product data, and AI through to celebrating outstanding achievements in product data quality, it was inspiring to witness so many of the EDA’s member businesses actively shaping the future of digital transformation. Congratulations to all our award winners – your dedication to the EDATA data pool sets the benchmark for excellence across our sector.”
Richard Appleton, Head of Digitalisation at the EDA, highlighted latest developments and plans for the EDATA data pool, where information on over 320,000 products is shared by leading manufacturers with their wholesaler customers. Richard also unveiled early insights from the latest EDA Digitalisation Survey, adding,
“This is an important piece of research, last undertaken in 2022/2023, because it provides a clear, accurate picture of the current state of digitalisation in the UK’s electrotechnical supply chain. Our approach is both qualitative and quantitative, giving both the wholesaler and manufacturer viewpoints on digitalisation challenges, opportunities, and predictions for the future. The results make fascinating reading for anyone with a keen interest in the digital strategies that are changing the way this sector does business.”
