How old is your PIM system (Product Information Management)? Most probably it's from before any discussions about Digital Product Passports (DPP).
Late 2027, the new DPP regulation takes effect, requiring products sold in the EU to be supplemented with specified information on circularity and environmental impact.
DPP standards are still being worked on with a deadline by end of 2025 but expect a complete infrastructure for handling DPP data; assembling of inputs, adding production data, maintaining, access control and distribution.
There's one thing we know for sure, though: The core DPP system will be agnostic – favour no-one, discriminate no-one. It will be up to anyone wanting to interact with the core DPP system to make their system compatible with the standards and protocols.
How big at the chances of your PIM system being fully compatible with the DPP infrastructure, do you think?
Assuming you aren't thrilled about maintaining two separate systems for product information, we suppose you want to try to modify your PIM system to work with the DPP infrastructure. But there are some challenges, primarily in the areas of compatibility.
4 Compatibility Challenges for Your PIM System
There are four major challenges to handle:
Availability of the data required
Structure of the database
Standards used for units and data formatting
Openness and Access
Availability of the Data Required
You won't have all the new data required. The DPP regulation will add an entire environmental dimension to product data, with information that few have cared about. What's the carbon footprint for each of your products, for example? For their total lifetime, that is. How is it supposed to be disposed of? Recycled? In one or in parts? Not only based on your internal data, but from your business partners up and down the supply chain.
The main challenge here is in finding the data, not in data management, but you will still need to "make space" for it in your database structure.
Structure of the Database
Talking about databases. Will your PIM software even allow export from the database? If it does, how does that convert into DPP format? And furthermore, is the DPP promised by your PIM solution provider just a batch extraction depending on yet another application? Doesn't really sounds compliant to us.
If possible to export from your PIM database, will the structure of your database work with that of DPP? Will fields names match? Will categories and structures work out?
Maybe the biggest challenge:
Is your database designed for information classification?
We guess that few PIM systems have been designed for other use than internally and therefore aren't set up to cater for classification of data. DPP, though, is intended for tiered use: Some data will be for public access, other only for business partners, yet other for control authorities and finally some only for you internally. (and maybe even more levels).
You will need to be able to handle that and put the effort in making the classification of both existing and new data.
Standards Used for Units, Data Formatting and Mapping
What are the chances of your PIM system using exactly the same metrics and units as in the coming DPP standards? We can be certain that the DPP will be metric, for a start. Not an issue for most companies selling finished products in the EU. But keep in mind that DPP data will be needed from all sub suppliers too, as "components to assemble the complete DPP".
While metric still, there are obvious options and differences in metrics and units.
What about database types, delimiters in exports of data, separations and mapping..? Are they telling you AI will fix it? Will it? Is it just an API? Remember, it's not a matter of a one-time export, but an ongoing integration.
Many questions indeed, but for anyone working with implementation projects, no matter what industry, it always comes down to what needs to be done manually and what can be done automatically. DPP we would say, is no exception.
Openness and Access
The previous three sections are dependent on having access to your PIM data in the first place, and the system being open to integration. Is that really certain? Is your PIM system at all open for integration? Is it even yours to integrate? Or are you at the mercy of a PIM system supplier? Will they charge you extra to get availability to your own data or to create integrations?
Remember that DPP's will need ongoing updating as production processes, suppliers and other partners or processes change and develop. A batch export won't cut it.
Don't Despair. We Got Your Back.
When we, at Blue Cromos, developed our DPP platform, isPassport, we have foreseen these challenges from the very beginning. We've designed for working with distributed data sources. Not entirely unlike how DNS works for websites.
isPassport consists of three major parts:
Resolver
Gateway
Applications and Integrations
Resolver
The Resolver has a role similar to a DNS server. It holds the links to all distributed repositories of DPP data; your own, your suppliers or their suppliers, downstream partners, certifications, and accreditation held by certification bodies. It holds the "recipe" for the DPP and, when prompted, fetches and assembles the DPP for presentation or integration.
Gateway
The Gateway generates the complete infrastructure of a DPP, including the structure, standards and web vocabulary to be presented. It then fetches the data via the Resolver. As we have never expected all databases to get aligned with the DPP "language", we have included an "interpreter" to be able to communicate with noncompliant repositories. With yours, maybe?
Applications and Integrations
While the Resolver can very well present the DPP as plain www, we can provide applications and integrations as well, for customised use and display of DPP's. We have already created several versions, in cooperation with GS1 and major retailers and distributors; A general mobile app, a mobile app designed for the construction industry, and a search www-application for use in procurement. Applications that verify GTIN's, certifications, and security information.
The Gateway Cavalry to Your Rescue
To ensure access to your PIM system and the availability of the required data, the isPassport Gateway is the key to solving points 2 and 3 in the list of challenges. It will "translate" your PIM data into DPP on the fly (after having been set up, of course) and integrate with the DPP delivery mechanism, the Resolver.
You can focus on ensuring access to your PIM data (if needed), obtaining the required data, and "making room" for it in your PIM system.
Just get in touch with us at https://www.bluecromos.com/contact. The cavalry awaits.
Image by MarkGabrenya on iStock
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