PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND FACILITY MANAGEMENT

This paper presents a state-of-the-art analysis of current systems for product identification utilized within the Swedish sector of construction and facility management. The study also discusses the concept of object and class identification in information systems development. The purpose of the study is to identify and define concepts in a common information structure that provides a framework for handling construction product information that utilize the advantages of information technology. The conclusion implies that a common system for product identification with characteristics of being international, nonsector specific, without property or class referencing attributes and with explicit criteria regarding changes of identifiers as a result of property alteration is one of the means for achieving this. Among the systems in current use EAN-13 is regarded as the most suitable since it is international, non-sector specific, in correspondence with a barcode standard for automatic data capture and has the widest propagation, however the EAN-13 system, like the other systems, lacks explicit norms that guarantee valid identification in a historical perspective especially required for product information management within facility management processes. EAN-13’s main disadvantage in the construction context is its total focus on trade items, thus its deficient handling in standard product units, which is the common view for actors outside the sector of trading. (Less)