The Manufacturer's Information Hub (MIH), supported by UKRI, is a not-for-profit initiative that aims to support environmental and safety compliance and pave the way for digital product passports.
The first phase was designed to demonstrate how the MIH would address industry needs and facilitate information sharing between manufacturers and information users, such as specifiers, contractors and asset owners.
That included outlining the process for connecting manufacturer databases via a standard API, the requirements for a standard data dictionary to validate and present information and how the system would reduce complexity and risk.
Melissa Zanocco OBE, Challenge Director: Growth Mission at UKRI, said: 鈥淩eliable, direct access to manufacturers鈥� product information is an essential step in creating a more digitally connected construction sector.
鈥淚t is positive to see manufacturers coming together to solve this issue. At a time of major change in the world of construction products, particularly when it comes to demonstrating the safety and sustainability criteria of products, this will help manufacturers meet the challenge in a simple, effective way.鈥�
As part of the first phase, the MIH team also needed to demonstrate the roadmap for future development. Subject to funding, the next step will be to develop a working prototype with early adopters by spring 2027.
This will be a small-scale working version, linking a handful of manufacturers and users via the API, to demonstrate the core functionality and benefits. Continued work on the rules around standardised product attributes will also be delivered during this phase.
Once complete, a full-scale prototype will be developed for in-depth testing throughout 2027, before launching some functionality of the platform in 2028.