Focus on 'Made in Germany' and 'Made in Europe': New filter for the PSI Product Finder

Supplier Members are requested to export their product data by 15^th October 2024. Because: the PSI Product Finder will be extended by an important function. From mid-October, it will be possible to filter specifically for products from Germany and Europe. In an interview, PSI E-Business Manager Martina Lipp explains why this innovation is necessary and what suppliers need to do now.

PSI Product Finder has a new filter for “Made in Germany” and “Made in Europe” products. What is the background to this innovation?

Martina Lipp: ”In discussions, we have found that products manufactured in Germany and Europe are becoming increasingly important for our PSI Distributors. They increasingly value short supply chains, sustainability and responsible production. In order to meet the needs of our distributors, we have decided to integrate a special filter into the Product Finder. This allows users to filter the search results specifically for products marked ‘Made in Germany’ and ‘Made in Europe’.“

When will this filter be available and how exactly does it work?

Martina Lipp: “The filter will go live on 16^th October 2024. The basis for this is the ‘Made In’ field, in which the countries of origin of the products are entered by the suppliers. The filter will automatically flag products that are ‘Made in Germany’ or ‘Made in Europe’ based on the data entered.”

You inform PSI Suppliers that they need to update their product data. What exactly does that mean?

Martina Lipp: “To ensure that the filter works correctly, the data in the ‘Made In’ field must be standardized. Specifically, this means that the PSI E-Business team will delete all existing data in this field before the filter goes live on 16^th October 2024. Suppliers should now export the data they have entered in the Product Finder, 15^th October 2024at the latest, and update column AL with the country codes provided in our code list. After the filter goes live, they must import the edited data into the Product Finder again. Only then can their products be found via the filter.”

What happens if suppliers do not update their data?

Martina Lipp: “All previous entries in the ‘Made In’ field are automatically removed from the database. If they are not added again – and correctly with our codes – by the suppliers after the filter goes live, their products will not appear when filtering the search results for ‘Made in Germany’ or ‘Made in Europe’. Accordingly, clear and timely communication is important to us! We hope that suppliers will act on this as soon as possible and revise their products accordingly.”

Are there any legal regulations that suppliers must observe when they state ‘Made in Germany’ or ‘Made in Europe’?

Martina Lipp: “Yes, there are clear guidelines as to when a product can be labeled as ‘Made in Germany’, for example. In this case, for example, the main production step must take place in Germany. We therefore recommend that our suppliers obtain precise information before making these claims. Otherwise, they could violate legal regulations – we at PSI cannot accept any liability for this.”

What do you recommend to suppliers who are unsure about data preparation?

Martina Lipp: “We are of course available to all suppliers with help and advice. If anyone has any questions about updating their product data, they can contact us at any time. Our aim is to make the transition as smooth as possible and ensure that all products are correctly integrated into the new filter.”