Imagine a world where you can click on any product in a three-dimensional blueprint for a construction project to access that product's source of supply, pricing, maintenance and installation instructions, warranty, catalog cut sheet, and other pertinent technical data.

As Electrical Wholesaling subscribers will learn in an article in the upcoming September issue on building information modeling (BIM), this is a few miles over the next hill for most architects, engineers and electrical contractors, as well as electrical manufacturers, distributors and independent reps. But with the help of some of the electrical market's biggest BIM advocates, the groundwork needed to shape and organize the digital product information standards that will make this dream a reality is underway. Some electrical manufacturers who want to get a head start on preparing their data for the supply and product information aspect of BIM designs are already developing the digital CAD icons for their electrical products that designers will use in their three-dimensional building models. Several BIM experts say these CAD icons will function as a branded marketing presence in digital BIM databases of product options for designers.

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Thank-you from the staff of Electrical Marketing.