FAQ on the Fab-Dis

Distributors require harmonized product content from their manufacturers. French manufacturers' and distributors' associations (IGNES and COEDIS) created in 2015 the Fab-Dis, which standardise product data exchange across building, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. It is an simple Excel file covering all product information, easy to read and to process by the distributors, via their Product Information Management systems.

Today the Fab-Dis is used in more than 15 sectors, 756 manufacturers and 153 distributors. It is particularly prevalent in the building equipment supply chain: electrical, lighting, HVAC, sanitary, tools, or construction equipment.

Fab-Dis official website

French distributors use the Fab-Dis to organise and present rich and complex product content. The distributors deal with many various manufacturers and the Fab-Dis can be an absolute requisite for partnership with a new one. Moreover, providing a good quality Fab-Dis, by fulling the mandatory blocks, enriching the optional ones, and taking into account the distributors´ feedbacks, is an absolute factor of good collaboration. Finally, it enables the manufacturer to present their product data in an optimised manner on the French market. Product Data Management is still a new topic and manufacturers tend to underestimate its strategical value, especially on exported markets. Producing an excellent Fab-Dis is the best way to be highly recognised by the local distributors and the customers, with product data clean, clear and easy to find.

The manufacturer needs to register an account to the Fab-Dis organisation. Several services are available. French Data Channel, as a full independent advisor and solution provider, strongly recommends the choice of a package integrating the Easy-Check verification tool.

A Fab-Dis edition appears as an Excel file displaying the product data of the manufacturer under a particular classified structure and organised around eleven specific blocks.

The first five are mandatory to fullfill. Without a full completion, the Fab-Dis cannot be validated and it cannot be used by the distributors. Therefore, it is essential to fill them properly.

B00: CARTOUCHE

This block covers the basic information of the current file. Among the content we can find the manufacturer´s name, the brand(s), the date of the file application and implementation, and the total number of references.

B01: COMMERCE

This section presents all the references (SKUs): name, description, base price, product line, status, customs code, minimum sales quantity.

Please take into consideration that individual price conditions shall be indicated on a separate and complentary file, the CNR: Conditions Négociées et Remisées.

B02: LOGISTIQUE

This area provides detailed information on the product's dimensions, weight, and packaging conditions.

B03: MEDIA

Here shall be shared all the multi-canal publications: pictures, videos, brochures, diagrams. It is particularly important to check the data format and to make sure that the content is easily accessible to the distributors.

B04: REGLEMENTAIRE

Regulatory information are provided on the concerned products. This area is specifically reserved for French standards, and it is influenced by the products presented: eco-contribution, repairability index, carbon footprint, Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), etc.

They are six other optional blocs. Although the Fab-Dis can be validated without these elements, it can considerably optimise the product content information required by the distributors. Moreover, the ETIM classification is considered as an fundamental standard required by the specialised distributors. Therefore it is primordial to develop that part as well, as much as possible.

C01: EXTENSION

This area enables us to give more product information related to the B01: COMMERCE and B02: LOGISTIQUE blocks: necessary parts, recodification, made in, product aspect, etc.

C02: CORRESPONDANCE

We can connect products: not only can we link the main and spare parts, but it is also the chance to highligh cross-selling opportunities.

C03: VARIANTE

Filter parameters can be here defined from the product attributes, to help in the product selection.

C04: ETIM

This section is dedicated to provide the ETIM classification code by product. Please note that only the ETIM versions 7.0 to 10.0 are accepted.

C05: ARRET

Discontinued references remain relevant. Technical product information, as well with spare parts availability, shall be here detailed.

C06: SUBSTITUTION

Finally, we can use this area to dig more deeply on replaced references.

To note: the discontinued articles must then be notified on the block C05: ARRET and the current articles are the ones appearing on the block B01: COMMERCE.

In addition, it is here crucial to harmonise as much as possible product onboarding activities with Fab-Dis publications. Indeed, new references should be launched around the same time as when we want to publish a new edition of the Fab-Dis. Otherwise, your distribution partners cannot incorporate the product data of your new references at that time.

Product Data Information can be extracted from various sources. The manufacturer can adapt and extract manually their product information from their product content systems. Today, it is also possible to integrate product data content directly into the Fab-Dis format from the BMEcat format or PIMs, through IT conversion solutions. However, the Fab-Dis is made specifically for the French market, and one has two factors to consider:

1. . The Fab-Dis has to be fully available in French, which require precise and technical french localisation.

2. The Fab-Dis focuses on French standards, which is often not covered in the manufacturer´s product data management resources.

Simple conversions or translation activities are not enough. Manufacturers need to invest time and resources into developing a proper Fab-Dis catalogue format, which will be validated and appreciated by the distribution partners.

French Data Channel is highly specialised in Fab-Dis onboarding and optimisation. If you need an personalised and quality support, please check on our services.

The Fab-Dis actually implies the use of several resources, all accessible with the Fab-Dis package ”(Offre Fab”). Here are the main ones.

• The standard-catalogue Format itself. The publication of the Fab-Dis among the distributors does not necessarily follow a certain timeline or frequency and it depends on the manufacturer´s requirements: product launch, price update, new semester, etc. Please take however into consideration that both the manufacturers and the distribution partners need time and stability to integrate the product data information. A publication only once or twice a year is optimal.

• The Easy-Check: it is an essential verification tool reviewing automatically your file before publication. There is a use of a color code and the differenciation between blocking and minor errors. The Easy-Check can be launched as many times as necessary. It is not uncommon to run it several times per edition, especially at the beginning. To note: the distributors have access to specific enrichment indicators and they value their own product data quality criteria. Constructive exchanges between the manufacturer and their distribution partners can lead to considerable improvement opportunities, way beyond the Easy-Check´s range.

• The Fab-Dis Connect: this is a new online integrated platform, enabling the manufacturers to share directly and inidvidually their Fab-Di format to their distributors. It makes the transmission of the Fab-Dis safe and organised.

The Fab-Dis format has much evolved over the years. The Version 3.0 created in 2023 is still being incorporated, while many manufacturers still use the Version 2.3. The Version 3.0 notably brings a clearer mapping, updated standards and three new blocks: C01: EXTENSION, C03: VARIANTE, and C05: ARRET. Distributors now expect the manufacturers to get up to date with the new version. French Data Channel can fully support you with the transition.