The Manufacturers’ Information Hub (MIH), now backed by the likes of Bovis, Kier and Sir Robert McAlpine, is preparing a proof of concept of its system for sharing structured construction product information across the built environment.
The MIH is a not-for-profit initiative established by manufacturers to simplify access to construction product information through a standardised, interoperable approach. It is a single gateway that enables information to flow more efficiently between manufacturers, designers, contractors, distributors, digital platforms and asset owners.
The approach is intended to reduce duplication, improve data consistency and support emerging regulatory and market requirements around traceability (the golden thread), digital product information (digital product passports) and compliance.
This first phase of building the MIH – the proof of concept – was announced yesterday (4 June) at Digital Construction Week (DCW). It is being supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of its Industrialising and Digitalising Construction Research and Innovation Challenge. The MIH team has three months to deliver the proof of concept to UKRI.
If the proof of concept is successful, further pilots and use case tests will be carried out. The current timeline sets a full launch in 2028.
Direct access to information
Melissa Zanocco OBE, challenge director: growth mission at UKRI, said: “To deliver the digital transformation of the construction sector, it is essential we have reliable, direct access to manufacturers’ product information. A joined-up, collaborative approach by construction product manufacturers and information users is needed to create a solution that works for everyone.
“The MIH is a valuable solution to this problem. It will improve productivity and drive growth and efficiency for both manufacturers and the users of their information, right through to asset management and beyond.”
Fergus Harradence, deputy director, infrastructure and construction at the Department for Business & Trade, echoed Zanocco’s points, noting that the MIH will be able to supply the “much more granular detail about products” required by the golden thread.
He told the DCW audience that the MIH will also support efforts to improve environmental sustainability, particularly in reducing construction’s carbon footprint. “If there’s an easily accessible source of data about the carbon and environmental performance and ease of recyclability of a particular product, that helps us to comply with the Climate Change Act 2019 and the sustainability strategies of most organisations in government.”
Industry support
Through participating in the MIH, manufacturers retain full ownership and control of their data and automatically become co-owners of the hub. Current UK supporters include Knauf, Sika, Etex, Siderise, Heidelberg Materials, Wienerberger, Kingspan, Saint-Gobain and Tata Steel UK, alongside the likes of Construction Products Europe and GS1.
The main contractor’s perspective
James Franklin, digital twin project director at Kier, said: “For a main contractor to have access to standardised product information through this sort of gateway is a game changer. The MIH provides access to product information that can be linked to a range of our existing digital tools and platforms, streamlining adoption. It will also enable the tagging and tracking of construction products, support product data integration in to digital twins and helps us with safety, compliance and environmental improvements.”
Alex Small, founder of the MIH and digital platforms and innovation lead at Tata Steel UK, said: “The construction industry is digitalising rapidly, but manufacturers still face major challenges in sharing product information efficiently and consistently across multiple platforms and systems. In particular, SME manufacturers need our help.
“The MIH proof of concept is the first step in demonstrating a practical, manufacturer-led approach to solving that problem. Our aim is to create a trusted information exchange that allows manufacturers to share structured product data once, in a standardised way, while maintaining control of their information.
“We believe this is essential infrastructure for the future of digital construction, particularly as the industry responds to new requirements around product safety, sustainability and digital product passports.”
Digital product passports and the European angle
The drive for digital product passports comes from the EU. Alex Small reminded the audience at DCW that the vast majority of the leading construction product manufacturers to the UK are headquartered in the EU. The MIH is seeking funding from the bloc.
Construction Products Europe director general Christoph Sykes noted: “The MIH plays a key role in transferring the right data to the right people in a controllable manner, while respecting data ownership.”
DBT’s Fergus Harradence added: “There is really broad agreement across government and industry that we will materially improve the situation for the UK construction product sector if we have a clear set of rules around digital product passports and what information about products is required. [This will] help support a much better market for construction products, where clients can select the appropriate product for the job that they want to do.”
