Fernco has taken another step in supporting its merchant partners by enrolling onto Data Yard, an online portal where product data can be uploaded, stored and shared selectively and securely. The platform has been created by the BMF and NMBS, with the sole purpose of improving the quality, consistency and accessibility of product data between suppliers and builders merchants.
Over 70 suppliers and manufacturers across the building materials sector have now signed up to the initiative, with several major buying groups including NBG and Fortis backing the project. Leading merchants and retailers such as Travis Perkins and Selco are also key investors, demonstrating the clear need for the platform across the industry.
Data Yard enables suppliers to share structured, enriched product data with merchants using a standardised format, eliminating the use of inconsistent templates. This helps streamline internal processes, for both merchants and suppliers, and ensures accurate product information is readily available across supply chains. Whether merchants require product descriptions for their e-commerce websites or dimensions for their internal ERP systems, Data Yard houses this information and makes it easily accessible.
While product data might not always be at the forefront of every process, it plays an increasingly important role in the modern merchant environment as the industry adopts a digitalised-first approach.
On the forefront, it also supports sales activity at the trade counter. At branch level, access to clear and accurate product information can make a real difference, helping staff quickly answer technical queries and ensuring contractors purchase the correct products first time, saving time and money.
“For Fernco, enrolling onto Data Yard was an obvious choice.” Explains Declan Taylor, Marketing at the lead for PIM at Fernco. “I’ve spent years going back and forth with customers handling difficult templates and out of date data. This isn’t built just for the data input teams, but it’s designed to make everyone’s lives easier from the branch manager to the customer buying our products on the other side of the desk.”
Declan has worked closely with Gareth Thomas at Data Yard during the onboarding process to ensure they meet Data Yard’s standard requirements. Gareth Thomas commented: “Data Yard has been created to bring greater consistency and efficiency to the way product data is shared across the industry. It’s encouraging to see suppliers like Fernco actively engaging with the initiative and recognising the value that structured, high-quality product information can bring to the entire supply chain. It’s backed by the industry, for all the industry”
Fernco’s participation reflects the company’s wider commitment to supporting builders merchants by not only bringing new solutions to the market and providing their extensive support, but also through facilitating operational improvements, collaborating across industry-wide projects, like Data Yard that simplify processes across the industry.
For more information on Data Yard, visit www.datayard.co.uk, or for more information from Fernco visit www.fernco.co.uk
