Product Data Standard Gains Early Adoption

Last week, the American Supply Association (ASA) announced the launch of the industry’s first Product Data Standard (PDS) Project, a transformative initiative designed to unify how product data is shared across the PHCP and PVF supply chain.
 

To date, more than 35 leading manufacturers and distributors have contributed to the development of the standard and have started adopting it within their product sharing systems.
 

“We are thrilled at the early adoption of what will become one of the industry’s most impactful efforts in decades,” ASA CEO Mike Adelizzi said. “Simply offering a sound and valuable standard won’t solve the challenges in data sharing. The critical effort is to gain adoption among all distributors and manufacturers for the standard to deliver true benefits.”
 

With growing digital demands and increasing operational complexity, ASA took a bold step to establish an industry-backed, collaborative standard that will enhance accuracy, efficiency, and innovation for all stakeholders — from manufacturers and distributors to reps.
 

The PDS Project creates a shared framework for product data management, enabling consistent, high-quality information exchange. This includes standardizing how critical product attributes such as dimensions, materials, finishes, descriptions, UPCs, and performance data are formatted, maintained, and integrated into business systems.
 

“After visiting member operations, it became clear that simplifying how data is shared can save both distributor and manufacturer members time and money,” Adelizzi added. “We now ask all distributor members to adopt the standard and require their manufacturers to provide compliant data, and for all manufacturer members to provide standardized data to their distributor customers. If ASA members lead the way, the standard will become a reality — something the industry has tried to accomplish for decades.”
 

To access the standard or add your company to the growing list of adopters, visit https://www.asa.net/Industry-Standards/Product-Data-Standard.
 

The standard is supported by ASA’s Embracing the Future Strategic Action Council. For more information, contact PDS@ASA.net.