ECLASS

Background information about ECLASS

ECLASS is an association that focuses on the development and dissemination of standards for the classification and description of products and services. The association has over 200 members from a variety of sectors. The primary function of ECLASS is to provide consistent data classification to facilitate data exchange between organisations and drive digital transformation.

Improve your efficiency with ECLASS

ECLASS is a consistent, industry-wide standard that brings together different existing standards from various sectors. The majority of goods and services traded around the world are already represented in ECLASS. Currenly, the standard offers approx. 45,000 product classes and over 19,000 uniqueattributes that require only four classification levels for categorisation. The products and services are clearly defined with an 8-digit code.

Another key aspect of the work of ECLASS is the promotion of interoperability between different systems and platforms. To achieve this, ECLASS has defined data exchange standards to ensure that information is consistent and reliable between various systems. These standards are particularly important for the exchange of product or service information between different companies. The exchange format for the standardised IoT data exchange is the administration shell of Platform Industry 4.0.

The digital representation of a real product is defined via the administration shell and contains detailed information about properties, features, statuses and functions. It offers a standardised interface through which various systems and platforms can access and exchange product information. This guarantees interoperability between various systems and a seamless flow of information along the entire value chain.

In addition to developing and improving standards for the classification of products and services, ECLASS aims to promote the use of standardisation and classification as a means of improving business processes and increasing efficiency in organisations. Consistent standards enable companies to make data exchange more efficient and to optimise their product data management. This leads to higher productivity, better quality and a reduction in errors and costs.