ETIM International Welcomes Another Global Industry Member With Rexel
May 20, 2022
In 2020, ETIM International introduced the Global Industry Membership (GIM) to reinforce the engagement and commitment of large international companies in the further development of the global ETIM classification standard. As such, it opened the Standardisation Committee and expert groups to these valued parties. Over the past two years, this opportunity has already attracted a decent number of companies, to which the organisation is proud to now have added Rexel, worldwide expert in multichannel professional distribution of products and services for the energy world.
Marc Habets, Technical Director at ETIM International is thrilled to have Rexel joining, as “all members will benefit from the contributions of our Global Industry Members: they boost our collective power to move the development of the standard forward and seize the moment.”
Supporting its professional customers with sustainable and innovative solutions, Rexel develops energy management solutions while promoting responsible practices in the value chain and continually improving the social and environmental performance of its operations. The Group supports its residential, commercial and industrial customers by providing a tailored and scalable range of products and services in energy management for construction, renovation, production, and maintenance. Rexel operates through a network of over 1,900 branches in 24 countries, with more than 26,000 employees. The Group’s sales were €14.7 billion in 2021.
Rexel has been an active local member in multiple European countries for many years. We asked Alexia Labezin, Product Knowledge and Solutions Development Director at Rexel, for the company’s reasons behind joining the ETIM family as a Global Industry Member. She explains: “We are firm believers in the strategic power of product data standardisation. For years now, ETIM has contributed to our mission and productivity, and we decided that the ETIM Global Industry Membership represented an excellent strategic opportunity. We consider it an investment that will take our customers, our company and the industry further. For instance, by improving its accessibility to ensure that not just technical experts are able to find what they are looking for with ETIM. The extensive number of identifiable product parameters, for example, represents an opportunity to support web shop searches based on a product’s function or use as well as mere technical information. The availability of rich, reliable and sustainable data enables the promotion of value-added products and solutions, but alignment and collaboration are key to truly make it happen. As a Global Industry Member, we have even more ways to put our expertise to use and make the ETIM model even more accessible and relevant for our customers, in addition to being beneficial to the industry as a whole.”
When asked what types of developments are in store for Rexel as a Global Industry Member of ETIM, Alexia adds: “Topics concerning the new exchange format (evolution of BMECat) are of course at the top of our list as a distributor, but we are also very interested in discussions concerning new product data usages such as for BIM or carbon footprint calculations. Our membership not only offers us the opportunity to anticipate developments, but our presence at the source of all information will also equip us even better to contribute with suitable ideas. Moreover, as a GIM member, we will also be able to promote ETIM – among our peers as well as in a broader sense – more effectively to reach our collective goals. For the moment, however, we look forward to collaborating on the current initiatives and work in progress to see how we can bring added value.”
