Constructing Excellence’s latest Digital session explored how the Manufacturers’ Information Hub (MIH) could transform the way construction product information is shared, trusted and used across Europe. Alex Small introduced the MIH as a manufacturer-led, not-for-profit gateway designed to connect product manufacturers with contractors, designers, technology providers, asset managers and other information users through a single, interoperable route.
Today, product data is often fragmented across spreadsheets, platforms and bespoke interfaces. Every new connection can require costly mapping, while users may struggle to confirm whether information is current, accurate or controlled by the manufacturer. The MIH aims to replace this many-to-many complexity with a common exchange layer. Manufacturers would continue to govern information in their own systems, while the hub would translate it into standardised structures that authorised users and software platforms could access through secure connections.
Drawing inspiration from the travel sector’s global distribution systems, the MIH is intended as infrastructure rather than a product search tool or central database. This distinction keeps responsibility for data with manufacturers, while enabling others to build services around reliable information. Potential applications include digital product passports, automated compliance checks, building safety gateway submissions, carbon reporting, product traceability, asset management, digital building logbooks and circular-economy platforms.
The discussion highlighted the importance of trust, verification and inclusion. The MIH is working with major manufacturers, trade associations, contractors, software businesses, data pools and standards specialists, while recognising that Europe’s many small manufacturers need practical and affordable routes to digital adoption. It is also exploring how existing assurance initiatives, including the Code for Construction Product Information, can complement the hub’s role as a transfer platform.
Following an initial proof of concept and minimum viable product, the next phase will focus on pilot projects involving priority products such as cement, structural steel, windows and insulation. These pilots will test real use cases with manufacturers, contractors and technology providers, ahead of controlled regional “sandbox” deployments and a wider launch targeted from 2029.
Questions from participants reinforced that technology alone will not deliver change. Industry adoption will depend on clear benefits for every part of the supply chain, robust cyber security, behavioural and cultural change, and meaningful engagement with the people who will use the data. The MIH is therefore developing user journeys and inviting information users to help shape future functionality.
The session demonstrated growing momentum behind a collaborative, standards-based approach to product information. By making trusted data easier to connect, the MIH could reduce duplication, support compliance and create the foundations for safer, more productive and more sustainable construction.