News

EDATA, the electrotechnical sector’s data pool, has secured formal commitment from 23 leading sector businesses – a mix of manufacturers and wholesalers of various sizes – through a new three-year sponsorship deal.

The sponsors’ pledge means that the EDATA data pool can enter the next phase of its development, making high quality product data available at no cost to EDA wholesalers and their branches, and continuing to develop the platform based on the input of the members.

Launched in 2020 by the EDA, the EDATA data pool is a cloud-based portal through which manufacturers can share their product data and images with many wholesalers simultaneously.

Over 60 leading manufacturer brands already subscribe to EDATA, with around 200,000 product details currently available to wholesalers to download as Live Product Data Sheets at the trade counter or as bulk data to drive business systems and e-shops.

1. BEMCO – British Electrical Manufacturing Company
2. BED (Corby) Ltd
3. CEF
4. Edmundson Electrical Ltd
5. Fegime UK
6. LEW Electrical Distributors
7. R & M Electrical Group Ltd
8. Rexel UK Ltd
9. Stearn Electric Co Ltd
10. The IBA Buying Group

1. ABB Ltd – Electrification
2. Aico Ltd
3. Ansell Lighting
4. Deta Electrical Co Ltd
5. Eaton
6. Electrium Sales (A Siemens Company)
7. Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation
8. Hager Ltd
9. LEDVANCE Ltd
10. Marshall-Tufflex Ltd
11. Prysmian Group
12. Schneider Electric Ltd
13. Vent-Axia

Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO at the EDA, said

“When EDATA launched in 2020 we secured support from 25 Founder businesses, a mix of wholesalers and manufacturers. This initial three-year ended in December 2022. We are grateful to the Founders for supporting us through our critical start-up years. Our new sponsorship scheme builds on that solid foundation to take EDATA to its next phase of development.

“Sponsorship is more than a financial commitment: each partner business is taking responsibility for playing their part in driving the future of this sector’s key data and digitalisation initiative.

“Digitalisation is about helping businesses benefit from the efficiencies in productivity which streamlined high quality data can deliver to every point in the supply chain. Absolutely, this is about driving sales from manufacturer to wholesaler, and wholesaler to contractor, but it is also about improving the accuracy and traceability of product information during a building’s lifetime.

“Each sponsor will have a place on the EDATA Steering Group: this Group has responsibility for the strategic direction and development of the data pool. They will also have an opportunity to stand for the EDA Data Service Board, when places become available.”