INTRODUCTION TO THE eCl@ss STANDARD

eCl@ss HANDLES THE LANGUAGE OF THINGS

eCl@ss has established itself internationally as the only ISO/IEC-compliant industry standard, and is thus the worldwide reference-data standard for the classification and unambiguous description of products and services.

More than 3,500 companies are already taking advantage of these benefits. Increasingly, they’re also specifying eCl@ss as a mandatory standard for their business partners. Why is this happening? A standardized master-data system is the key to enterprise-wide improvements, producing benefits along the entire value chain. It’s also an essential requirement if users are to establish a uniform semantic standard, which will in turn help the Internet of Things become reality and make possible the information-driven production processes known as Industry 4.0. The open architecture additionally allows the classification system to be adapted to an enterprise’s own internal classification scheme.

Search within the eCl@ss standard to get an overview.

BENEFITS FOR THE ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN

With eCl@ss, product master data can be exchanged digitally across all borders – across sectors, countries, languages and organizations. There are no more barriers in the nature of things. That’s why the standard has long since established itself in industry, commerce, trades and the service sector.

Using standardized reference data makes master-data management possible which, in turn, ensures that key organizational decisions can be made with confidence. Think of eCl@ss as a tool that helps eliminate inefficiencies across the entire company.

Specifically, this means that procurement volumes are bundled, tenders accelerated, inventory levels optimized, incorrect purchases avoided, transparency created, potentials unlocked for production and management improvements, data refined and harmonized, media discontinuities and conversions avoided, search capabilities extended, terminologies clarified, compliance and data-protection functions supported, and communication with customers and partners improved.

Why eCl@ss? 5 reasons in brief.

Information about introductory on-site consulting services

CLEAR CATEGORIES – INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFIERS

A majority of the goods and services traded worldwide are represented in eCl@ss. The 44 segments include (for example) construction, logistics, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, optics, automotive supplies, laboratory technology and office products. By drawing on these indentifiers, eCl@ss develops numerous sectoral standards into a unified, cross-sectoral standard.

Currently, there are about 41,000 product classes and 17,000 uniquely described properties, which can be collectively categorized with only four levels of classification. This enables every product and service to be described with an eight-digit code. Photos can be integrated into the search. For specific properties such as supplier names, type designations or brands, additional identifiers are appended with unique, machine-readable codes in order to avoid mix-ups and duplications.

Search within the eCl@ss standard to get an overview.

ON THE THRESHHOLD OF INDUSTRY 4.0

This kind of one-to-one information eliminates errors and enables quantum leaps in the production and distribution of goods. Products move independently through production operations, and unrestricted, accurate information flows enable processes to organize and structure themselves.

Individually tailored production can be realized economically with hardly any economies of scale needed. In an extreme case, even a production run of one is conceivable. Because when packaging and distribution take place automatically, inefficiencies are dramatically decreased.

In addition to traditional applications in procurement, controlling, production and distribution, eCl@ss demonstrates its particular strengths when used for cross-enterprise process-data management and in engineering functions. eCl@ss enables standardized digital data transfer. This allows classifications and product-description properties to be exchanged across the value chain. In addition, eCl@ss works closely with BMEcat so that all new catalog additions can be depicted. Internal codes and categories too have a place here, because the open system enables internal product and service descriptions to be added.

Want to know more? Visit the eCl@ss wiki.

eCl@ss White Paper: Industry 4.0