Supporting the construction industry

BSI Identity is a game-changing product traceability system that allows supply chain operators quick, easy access to a range of product information. The remote product traceability procedure is enabled by a Universal Persistent ID Number (UPIN), a digital link supplied to product manufacturers by BSI Identify. It means vital information, such as an asset’s related certifications, data sheets and user guides are available to specifiers and installers via a mobile phone or app.

A product’s ID can vary as it journeys through the supply chain and around the country, as merchants will sometimes provide a different marking depending on the region that is stocking it. Therefore, the creation of a UPIN can be likened to the minting process – it provides end-to-end product traceability via an ‘umbrella ID’ that specifiers and on-site contractors can be assured provides the most up-to-date information on a particular product, regardless of its history.

Even if a product is no longer being manufactured, the BSI Identify product traceability system’s Digital Object Identifier (DOI) capability ensures the product’s information will endure. This digital product traceability procedure has huge implications in terms of improving building safety by ensuring products are suitably selected, used and traced.

With the BSI Identify product traceability system, BSI provides and stores the technology while the manufacturer manages the product information. Therefore, via the UPIN, manufacturers can update their product’s information when necessary, ensuring supply chain users can make decisions based on the latest available information. The product traceability procedure provides greater assurance for manufacturers that their products are being used and maintained correctly.

Additionally, the end-to-end product traceability BSI Identify offers increases the likelihood of a manufacturer’s product being made specification-safe. This is due to the identification process helping alleviate the practice of specified products being swapped out for cheaper alternatives.

Embracing smarter practices inspired by digital product traceability is essential to the creation of better-built properties that conform to current building standards, resulting in a safer, more sustainable built environment.