A manufacturer or distributor of construction materials quickly manages hundreds to thousands of items, each with technical values, standards, documents and variants, often in multiple languages. This page explains what a PIM is, why construction benefits in particular, and what it delivers.
What is a PIM?
A PIM, or Product Information Management, is a central system where you manage all information about your products: technical specifications, standards, commercial texts, prices, photos and documents. From that single source you publish the right information automatically to every channel.
The idea is simple but powerful: you enter each data point once correctly, and the system ensures it’s right everywhere.
Why construction materials call for a PIM
Construction product data is exceptionally dense. A single item often carries:
- Dozens of technical properties (dimensions, performance, fire class, thermal conductivity)
- References to harmonised EN standards
- A CE marking and its documentation
- Countless variants
- Documentation in multiple languages
The new regulation makes correct data critical
The Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 replaced the 2011 version and applies to most construction products from 8 January 2026. Concretely:
- The declaration of performance becomes a combined declaration of performance and conformity
- From 8 January 2026, for priority groups, it must include environmental data, starting with climate impact (GWP)
- Environmental requirements expand to a full life cycle assessment by 2032
- A digital product passport, with unique identification and a link to BIM
The message: product data can no longer live in scattered documents.
What a PIM does concretely for a construction company
PimLayer is built to bring this within reach of the mid-market:
- A structured product hierarchy with inheritance: what you change at a higher level flows automatically to all variants below.
- A configurable taxonomy with a built-in search engine.
- Specifications with automatic saving and logging, giving you the audit trail compliance demands.
- Multilingual management with all languages side by side.
- Linked assets: images, PDFs, AutoCAD drawings.
- GS1 and ETIM publishing via our partner Qmica.
Automatic technical sheets: the biggest time saver
PimLayer generates commercial and technical sheets as print-ready PDFs, on the fly, in multiple languages and even with a different logo per market. What took days becomes a few clicks.
PIM, ERP and Excel: what does what?
Excel breaks as soon as variants, languages and channels pile up. An ERP manages stock and orders, but isn’t made for rich product information. A PIM fills exactly that gap and connects to your ERP.
Why PimLayer for construction
Construction manufacturers and distributors already work with PimLayer. Three strengths make the difference:
- Onboarding included. We configure alongside you, usually live within a month.
- Belgian and local. Service and support in Dutch and French, EU-hosted.
- Excellent at automatic sheets. Multilingual, print-ready sheets from a single source.
Sources: Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 (EUR-Lex); CPR 2024-2032 guide (Ecochain); GS1 and ETIM publishing via partner Qmica (pimlayer.be/gs1).