Manufacturers Information Hub Launches in UK

THE MANUFACTURERS Information Hub (the MIH), a Europe-wide initiative to develop a single gateway for construction product information, has been formally launched in the UK.

The MIH was introduced at Digital Construction Week during a panel discussion with Fergus Harradence, Deputy Director, Construction, Logistics, Airports and Water at the Department for Business and Trade; Cristina Sánchez Jiménez of Bovis; Gareth Parkes of Sir Robert McAlpine; and Brian Glancy and Alex Small of the MIH.

The Hub, according to Alex Small, is the first time manufacturers have come together to create software directly for the built environment and construction sector. Its many-to-one, one-to-many solution is designed to make the process of sharing accurate product information easier for manufacturers but also for the whole supply chain.

Manufacturers Information Hub

During the panel session Fergus Harradence outlined some key benefits of the Hub for government’s objectives to modernise the sector as set out in the recently published Construction Products Reform Green Paper:

• Construction relies on the coordination of many parts; this will only happen efficiently if the whole supply chain is digitised.
• Improving our digital information management processes can only help attract talent to the sector.
• Digitised construction product information will also deliver sustainability benefits and will be essential for the delivery of Digital Product Passports.

The design and construction representatives on the panel discussed the benefits to the sector. Alongside the ability to meet client requirements for sustainability information, Gareth Parkes highlighted the opportunities that contractors would have of using reliable product data, including configuring site operations more reliably.

Cristina Sánchez Jiménez said the initiative was “an opportunity to unify the industry from the ground up and streamline the process of information management once and for all”.

“We already have over 30 manufacturers on board, together with support from Construction Products Europe and five national construction products associations including the CPA in the UK,” said Alex Small.

“Many of our founding manufacturers are well-known brands. We hope to publish their names shortly, and urge manufacturers across Europe to contact us direct if they wish to join the first tranche of members.”

Find out more about the Hub and contact the team via the MIH website.

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