The construction industry has been digitalising for years, but 2026 is shaping up to be a turning point. New regulations, the acceleration of data-driven workflows and further standardisation across the supply chain mean that product data is more important than ever.
Manufacturers who organise their data processes now will benefit from efficiency, better visibility and a stronger position toward clients and specifiers.
Below you’ll find the most important trends for 2026.
Europe is making major progress with the Digital Product Passport (DPP). While 2024 and 2025 focused on pilots and frameworks, 2026 is the year manufacturers will see concrete requirements emerge: structural product identification, traceable versions and verifiable environmental and performance data.
A PIM solution capable of generating, managing and archiving DPP information is no longer a luxury, but a basic requirement.
Impact for manufacturers:
The principle of the Golden Thread—one continuous stream of reliable data from design to operation—is becoming mandatory or strongly encouraged in more countries and sectors. In the Netherlands, we increasingly see project requirements demanding that product information be traceable to trustworthy sources, including historical versions.
This requires:
This last development in particular shows that standards will become increasingly leading (and that manufacturers must align their product data accordingly).
2026 is the year in which standards truly converge. ETIM is being applied more widely, including to non-technical product groups. DICO messaging is becoming the norm for data exchange, and DSGO promotes safe, controlled data sharing.
Manufacturers will notice:
Those with a solid data foundation avoid manual work and strengthen their market position.
AI tools can enrich, summarise and analyse product information. Yet the key trend is that AI is only powerful when the underlying data is correct and up to date. “Garbage in, garbage out” applies more than ever.
Applications expected to break through in 2026:
All these applications depend on structured, centrally managed data.
Where advisory tools such as specification services used to be separate tools, in 2026 they are increasingly seen as “output channels” of central product data. Manufacturers no longer want multiple data sources; they want one dataset that feeds specification texts, BIM data, DPP, website content and sales documentation.
This reduces the risk of errors and speeds up updates when regulations or product ranges change.
Digital product information is becoming a strategic asset. Manufacturers who invest in PIM will benefit through:
The biggest trend may be that data is no longer “something for marketing,” but a core part of business operations.
Three themes will be essential in 2026:
With Utopis, we support manufacturers throughout this entire process: from classification and document management to publication on websites, data pools, specification services and BIM channels.
