Manufacturers launch information hub with Government support

The Manufacturers Information Hub (The MIH) was formally launched in the UK at Digital Construction Week, at a panel discussion with Fergus Harradence, Deputy Director, Construction, Logistics, Airports and Water, Department for Business and Trade joined by Cristina Sánchez Jiménez of Bovis, Gareth Parkes of Sir Robert McAlpine and Brian Glancy and Alex Small of the MIH.

Founders of the Europe-wide initiative to develop a single gateway for construction product information urged manufacturers to join the initiative to help shape the Hub’s development.

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 will make the process of sharing accurate product information easier for manufacturers but also for the whole supply chain who spend countless hours seeking out and validating product information.

During the panel session Fergus Harradence pointed out 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 further emphasized the benefits to the sector. Alongside the ability to meet client requirements for sustainability information, Gareth Parkes highlighted the many opportunities that contractors would have of using reliable product data, including configuring site operations more reliably. Cristina Sánchez Jiménez saw the initiative as an opportunity to unify the industry from the ground up and streamline the process of information management once and for all.

As part of the UK launch the Hub has launched a website and encouraged manufacturers to express interest in participating in the development of the Hub. “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 at themih.org