Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (9)

Q & A

4. Q: How to make sure that all of material code is correct in case that all users can add their materials information?

    A: There are 3 ways in UMCS to keep the correctness of material codes. First, wrong codes do not disturb usage of material code. User only select correct material code for material referring. Second, User could inform UMCS administrator by e-mail if he finds a wrong code. The administrator will check and correct the error. Third, only paid users can add a large number of codes. Free user can only add limited quantity of codes. Normally, paid users are regarded serious users and will not add wrong codes intentionally.

5. Q: Does UMCS have duplicated codes?

    A: Duplicated codes cases can be divided into two kinds.

    The first kind of cases is "one code to multi-items", that means  a material code refers to many material items. In UMCS, this case does not exist. Each material
code has clearly-defined name and specifications.

    The second kind of cases is "Multi-codes to one material item", that means one material has more than one codes. In engineering practice, there are different names or specifications for one material. Because the material code is based on a set of material name and specifications, there may be some different codes referring to same material.

    The second case does not affect the user because of the following reasons. First, user can select one material code for a certain material if there are different codes for this material. Second, "Multi-codes to one material item" does not mean wrong code, they are only different referring to material. At last, the user can report this case to the UMCS administrator to correct this case.

6. Q: How to deal with wrong information that is input by user carelessly ?

    A: As a highly open and user-generate-content coding system, UMCS doses not judge the correctness of information input by user. If the user find that he has input wrong information, never mind. Do not use the material code of wrong information. User can inform the administrator of UMCS, they will mark the wrong code as invalid code.

7. Q: Our company has overseas project. Is there English Version for UMCS?

    A: UMCS has 2 versions, Chinese version and English version. The English version web site is www.e-umc.com. The material code in UMCS is based on the language. Even same materials, which are described by different language, have different codes. UMCS suggests user to find correct material in their working language.

    Other language version will be on-line in future.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (8)

Q & A

3. Q: What to do if the material cannot be found in UMCS?

A: One of the most important features of UMCS is its ability that users can add material code by their-self.

Think a user want to know the code of a known material. He browses the web site: www.e-umc.com and input the material name into the searching box.He clicks the search button and there is not any material item related to the material name.

He can login the UMCS and get the access right to add new material items. He clicks the "add new material name" link, a pop-up window displayed. He can add material name information on this window and a new material name item is created in UMCS.

There is not any material specification and code on the new material name page. The user should add these information.

He clicks the "add new UMC" link,a "Add new UMC" page will be displayed. The user can define attributes and options for the new material.

He clicks "select attribute" link, the system pops up a "Select attribute" page. The user can select attribute in UMCS or add new attribute into UMCS.

If he selects attribute in UMCS, he should find the attribute item and select it, then click "Save" button, and a link between the material name and the selected attribute is created.

If there is not any suitable attribute in the list, the user need add new attribute by clicking the "Add attribute" link. On the "Add attribute" page, the user can define the attribute name and other related information.

After selection of attributes, the user gets back to the "Adding new UMC" page. The user can select attribute option for the new material. If there is not any suitable option, the user can add new options by clicking "Add new option" link.

After selection of options, the system generates the material description. The user clicks the "Save" button, a new material code will be created.


Till this step, the UMC creation procedure is completed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (7)

Q & A

1. Q: Our company already has a set of material coding system. Is it necessary to use the Universal Material Coding System(UMCS)?

A: Actually, many companies have established its own material coding system for internal material management. But normally, there are many players in a project, such as engineering companies, owners, suppliers, logistic contractor, etc. The company's proprietary material coding system is difficult for outside users' access. UMCS is to build an open coding platform for all players who take part in a project. Everyone can look up material code on this platform.

UMCS and the company own code system are not contradictory. If the material code is only used within the company, there is no problem for company material code. If there are many users outside of the company take part in the project, it is better to use UMCS instead of company proprietary coding system.

2. Q: How to look up the material code of the known materials?

A: The so-called "known materials" should be the materials that the user already knows the material name and specifications. User can visit the UMCS main page(www.e-umc.com), and type the material name into searching box to search the material directly. UMCS will show the material list.

Click the required material link to access the material name page.

In the specifications list, select the specifications of the material, click the search button, user can find the material code.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (6)

UMCS Application Case

Case 5: Knowledge System of Engineering Materials

UMCS is an information system based on material names. Each kind  of material has its own web page. 

User can look up material code according to material specifications on this page. At the same page, user can also share his information about this kind of material.

UMCS is a Wiki-style information sharing system. Each kind of material is a Wiki item. The information of the material can be uploaded and edited by all users. 

UMCS provides a knowledge sharing platform for all engineering material users. Engineering material vendors can sharre their material supply information on UMCS.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (5)

UMCS Application Case

Case 4: UMCS application on e-business platform

If a buyer wants to buy some engineering materials on the e-business web site,e.g Amazon.com, the procedure is always like this. The buyer inputs the material name into the searching box, such as "thread ball valve", "armored cable" and so on, the e-business system gives a list of related materials.

The buyer clicks search result item to enter a product page. On the material page, the buyer selects the specifications of the material and finds the correct material.

Since the buyer only inputs material name without exact specifications, the e-business system cannot find a precise searching result. The buyer needs to look for detail on the material page. So there are 2 steps for the user to find the prompt material he needs. 

It is difficult for the buyer to find a correct material.

If the seller lists the material on web page with the Universal Material Code, the buyer can search material by inputting the material code. The Universal Material Code provides an easy way for the buyer to locate the material quickly. Beside this advantage,the e-business system can list the correct materials in a list and give out an accurate comparison of same materials.


UMCS team will promote the application of UMCS in e-business platforms, and will provide a powerful media for engineering material buyers and sellers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (4)

UMCS Application Case

Case 3: UMCS for Project Instrumentation Electrical Material Cost Estimate

Material cost estimation is one of the most important tasks in the bidding phase of the project. The material price information of the cost estimation is mainly based on the budget engineer's experience or the pre-inquiry price, and its accuracy can not meet the requirements of the budget.

In particular, the instrument and electrical material, which has a wide range of complex specifications, is difficult for the budget engineers to get accurate price information.

In fact, the price of the purchase order of the previous project can provide a more accurate reference. However, because these data are not structured, engineers can not get this information in a easy way.

UMCS can act as a bridge to struct the order price information, and provides the budget engineers a easy method to access material price information.

In general, the price list in a purchase order has the following elements:

Material name, Material specifications, Units, Unit price, Quantity, Total price

Material name and specifications determine the unit price of the material. If the budget engineer wants to query the price data for a material, he needs to find the data record with the same name and specification in the price list, and then get the unit price data. As the material name and specifications are stored in the form of text, it is difficult to find a material for the budget engineers.

In the UMCS, the material name and specifications and material code is one to one correspondence. Therefore, the material in the contract price list can be assigned with the material code. Then the format of the price list is as follow:

Material code, Unit, Unit price, Quantity, Total price, Material name, Material specifications

If the budget engineer also knows the material code in the budget material list, he can search the unit price of the material code directly in the price list of previous order.

The following figure illustrates clearly the role of the material code as a bridge:

First, assign the material code to the materials in the price list of orders.

The budget engineer obtains the material list of the project budget with the material code, and searches the material code directly in the material price list to obtain the unit price of the material.

The UMCS connects historical material price and the budget material list and help to provides an accurate price information for the budget engineers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (3)

UMCS Application Case

Case 1: Cable material coding in a coal chemical project

At first there was no material code for cable in a coal chemical project. The cable definition in the project was based on the cable description or the manufacturer's model. For example, a cable description was described as:

Intrinsically shielded twisted pair signal cable, PVC sheathed, cross-linked polyethylene insulation, aluminum-plastic composite tape screening, flame retardant, 1X3X1.5mm2, multi-strand copper stranded.

The corresponding manufacturer model was:

IA - DJYJP2VP2-1X3X1.5mm2.

In first period when the cable manufacture was not decided,the engineer used description to refer to the cable. After placing-order of cable, the manufacturer's cable model was used.The problem was that each vendor's models are different, engineers should update the cable model according to the order.

The project operator recognized this problem, and they selected UMCS to refer to the cable. The code for the above cable in the UMCS is CCB006, which is used in the design, procurement and construction. Design engineers did not have to use a lengthy description and a variety of vendor models to refer to the cable.It would reduce the workload of engineers and improve the quality.

The material code of UMCS has become a common language of material description. Owners, engineering companies, suppliers and constructors can work together on the same coding platform. Application of UMCS improves the overall efficiency of material management.

Case 2: Application of UMCS in Frame Procurement of Electrical Material

An overseas project often needs to purchase electrical materials. In order to reduce contract work, site procurement department decided to sign a frame procurement contract with the local suppliers. This frame contract had only material and unit price,except quantity. If the site needed material later, they would find material in the framework. The supplier would supply material according to the frame contract price.

But buyers and sellers had different point of view on how to refer to material. The buyer considered that the agreement should be signed on the basis of their internal material code, and the seller believed that the framework agreement should be based on the seller's product model. The buyer said that they had no time and effort to check whether the seller's model had met the requirements one by one, and the seller indicated that they had no access to query the company's internal code.

Finally two sides accepted a neutral UMCS as the material coding system. The reason is simple, both buyers and sellers could query the UMCS for a detailed description of the material code. UMCS has become a bridge between buyers and sellers.

Similarly, UMCS can be widely used in the framework of procurement, group procurement and other strategic procurement process. This code provides a basic material management data platform for these procurement activities.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (2)

Features of Universal Material Coding System (UMCS)

User to generate content

Unlike conventional material coding system, UMCS only provides a coding framework, and the content in the framework is generated entirely by the user. Material name and specification are defined and input by user, and UMCS generates code for the specified material.

During the encoding process, the database only acts as a "container" for recording the material code and the corresponding material name specification. 

In the conventional material coding system, the definition of material name and specifications is done  by the experts and administrators. It will takes an average of one week  for user to apply for a new code in the conventional system. While in UMCS, it only takes 5 minutes. According to a survey, the most complete coding system, can only cover 95% of the material, and UMCS  can do 100% full coverage of materials.

Open for all users

The contents and use of the UMCS Universal Material Coding System are not affiliated with any company. Any user can use the system as a tool for its engineering material management.

The openness of the UMCS Universal Material Coding System is reflected in the generation and querying of material code all through an open platform (www.e-umc.com). UMCS provides a simple, convenient and friendly interface.

The goal of the UMCS Universal Material Coding System is to become a common coding standard for engineering materials, reduce the cost of information exchange for industry users, and improve the efficiency of material management throughout the engineering industry.

Rich information of material

Unlike conventional coding system that provides only material names and specifications, the UMCS Universal Material Coding System database can contain rich content related to the material and the content can be displayed to on web page. 

Details of each material and specification can be found on its web page (see below). Users can also add, edit material-related information, and share this information with other users .

Application programming interface(API)

UMCS provides two APIs:

The first API is the HTTP / XML protocol interface. The user sends an HTTP request command containing material code to UMCS, and UMCS returns an XML file containing information such as material code description / unit. The user needs to parse the XML file by programming. This API is suitable for the user's program to automatically extract the material code and its detailed information,  and is mainly for the user's ERP, material control software.


The second API is the MS-EXCEL file function interface. The UMCS website provides the EXCEL file with the material code interpretation function. The user can get the code description  / unit and the note in the EXCEL by the interpreting function. This API does not need to be programmed, it is suitable for ordinary users with material list of MS-EXCEL.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!

www.e-umc.com

www.e-umc.cn

Introduction of the Universal Material Coding System (1)

Universal Material Coding System (UMCS) Background

Using code to refer to the material can improve the efficiency of material management.  It has basically formed a consensus about this in engineering industry. According to a report of the Engineering Society in 2014, in usage of the traditional method of material identification , material management error rate is about 5.4%, while with the usage of material code referring to the material, the error rate is less than 0.5%.

Large construction companies, owners and operating companies have prepared their own material code, such as: MDM code in the Petrol China, Shell's MESC code, and so on.

In 2006, a  coal chemical project in China started. Owners recognized the importance of material management information, and required the engineering company to provide materials with material coding, in order to facilitate the engineering materials computer management.  At that time the engineering company proposed that they did not have material coding software, the owner said that they could specifically develop a set of materials coding software, and the owner were willing to bear the cost of software.

Subsequently, the engineering company organized professional engineers to prepare software functional requirements, and found a software company to develop coding software. After a year or so, the code software version 1.0 development was complete. The successful application of the coding software to the project, improved the efficiency and quality of the owner's material management. The owners were satisfied with this material coding software. And this set of coding system was later applied to other projects by the engineering company.

But there were some shortcomings with coding software version 1.0, such as application limitation, that means the user could only run software inside the company LAN. Engineering company hoped to continue to develop coding software version 2.0. The technical staff put forward the needs of version 2.0, which had a great improvement on the basis of software version 1.0.

In order to improve the level of material management level of the engineering industry, the engineering company made an important decision: Version 2.0 software should be fully open to all engineering companies, owners, construction units and suppliers. After one year efforts of eight engineers, material coding system version 2.0 in January 2016 was on-line opening. They named software version 2.0 as Universal Material Coding System(UMCS). Since January 2016, more than 10 business users, nearly 50 engineers have tried the new coding system, and there are more than 3,000 material coding records in the database now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Universal Material Coding System, an open and easy-to-use material coding database!
www.e-umc.com
www.e-umc.cn