MANN+HUMMEL
Requirements regarding BMEcat format
for eCatalog Suppliers
Date:
April 2013
1
Introduction
MANN+HUMMEL GMBH makes great demands with regard to the quality of its suppliers. This also applies
to the quality of the electronic product catalogs. To be as accommodating as possible towards the suppliers,
MANN+HUMMEL does not intend to define its own solutions and has decided instead to use a common
standard for electronic purchasing using a central catalog system.
For this reason, the BMEcat Standard 1.2 is being used for integrating electronic supplier catalogs into the
internal catalog solution. It is used for exchanging catalog data between the supplier and MANN+HUMMEL.
Another requirement is that the suppliers have classified all articles according to the classification standard
eCl@ss 6.1 and have filled out the appropriate feature bars.
Applied standards:
•
BMEcat, Version 1.2
•
eCl@ss, Version 6.1
•
UNECE Recommendation N°. 20 (Order and quantity unit)
The current specifications and further information on the BMEcat can be found in the download section of the
BME homepage at www.bmecat.org. Information on eCl@ss can be found at www.eclass-online.com.
The current standards and additional information you will find on the following web sites:

BMEcat: Homepage of the BME www.bmecat.org at „Download“

UNECE: http://www.unece.org/cefact/recommendations/rec_index.htm at the Recommendation N° .20
Content Delivery
Please send your BMEcat as well as images and additional documents via email to
eCatalog@mann-hummel.com
Requirements regarding BMEcat format
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2
Basics of the BMEcat Standard
„BME“ stands for the German Association of Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics (AMMPL)
(German: “Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik e.V.“) and „cat“ for „catalog“.
The specification of the AMMPL aims to standardize the presentation of electronic catalogs. Catalogs which
meet these standards can be imported into catalog systems.
The BMEcat supports following mode for the transfer of catalog information:

T_NEW_CATALOG: A complete catalog
The BMEcat format is based on XML.
A BMEcat catalog is structured into four sections:
1. Catalog Header Data (see 3.1)
There is the general information to the catalog. With these information it is possible to identify the catalog
exactly by for example the buyer, supplier or the catalog ID.
2. Catalog Structure (see 3.2)
The catalog structure is the structure the supplier has defined for grouping his products. The catalog
structure is mandatory (CATALOG_GROUP_SYSTEM). Every article has to be related to minimum one node
in the structure.
Please do not confound the catalog structure with the classification system. A classification system is a
standardized structure. They have been developed for example by the eCl@ss.
3. Article Details (see 3.3)
In this section the details of the articles are defined. For example the suppliers item number, the order unit
and the price.
4. Mapping of the Articles to the Catalog Structure (see 3.4)
Here the item numbers are mapped to the catalog structure.
The following chapters of this document are sorted in these four sections and are describing the included
fields in detail.
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3
Requirements regarding supplier catalogs
 All mandatory fields of BMEcat specification are also a MUST field at MANN+HUMMEL
 The following fields are in the search engine involved: Article-Number, short description, manufacturer,
manufacturer article number, keywords, long description
BMEcat
• Catalog data standard: BMEcat, Version 1.2
• Classification standard: eCl@ss, Version 6.1
• Use the encoding
which is named
e.g. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
in
the
first
line
of
the
BMEcat
Catalog:
• Be sure to have the following second line in the BMEcat Catalog:
<!DOCTYPE BMECAT SYSTEM "bmecat_new_catalog_1_2.dtd">
• Avoid empty fields and blanks at the beginning and the end of fields.
E.g.: False: <KEYWORD> Screw </KEYWORD>
Correct: <KEYWORD>Screw</KEYWORD>
The following chapters are sorted like the sections of the BMEcat catalog, described in the basics of BMEcat:
Header Data, Catalog Structure, Article Details, Mapping of the articles to the catalog structure. Each chapter
is followed by a description of the most important fields.
To guarantee consistent and high-quality data in the supplier catalogs, it must be ensured that a supplier is
able to provide the necessary “content quality”. The required criteria are listed below.
3.1 Catalog Header Data
The supplier must fill certain BMEcat fields with a predefined content. These fields are listed below. They
must be transferred unchanged to the catalog.
The italicized data need to be defined individually for each supplier by the MANN+HUMMEL purchaser.
BMEcat Element
LANGUAGE
CATALOG_ID
CATALOG_VERSION
CATALOG_NAME
TERRITORY
CURRENCY
BUYER_ID
Content
ces / deu / eng / esl / fra / scr /por
Supplier Name_Supplier No._Country (abbreviation)
(max. 20 figures!)
001.001
Product range_supplier name
CZ, FR, GB, DE, ES, BA, BR
EUR/GBP/CZK/BAM/BRL
MH_001 (DE) / MH_002 (CZ) / MH_003 (GB) / MH_004 (BA) / MH_005 (FR) /
MH_006 (ES) / MH_007 (BR)
MH_001 (DE) / MH_002 (CZ) / MH_003 (GB) / MH_004 (BA) / MH_005 (FR) /
MH_006 (ES) / MH_007 (BR)
BUYER_NAME
SUPPLIER_ID
type="buyer_specific" Supplier No. of SAP
SUPPLIER_NAME
Supplier Name
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Additional Hints Header Data:
Catalog version
The version number consists of a Master_ID and a Sub_ID in the format xxx.yyy (Versioning according to
BMEcat). Each new supplier starts with 001.001. The Master_ID is increased by 1 for each complete update.
Sub_ID is not considered by MANN+HUMMEL
CATALOG_ID
It is very important to use the same CATALOG_ID for every catalog update, so the existing catalog is replaced or updated. Always use the CATALOG_ID assigned by MANN+HUMMEL.
LANGUAGE & TERRITORY
The visibility of catalogs is navigated by the fields LANGUAGE and TERRITORY.
Example: A Catalog with Territory DE is for an English user not visible. The visibility of the product range
depends on the log-in language.
3.2 Fields for the Catalog Structure
The catalog structure is the structure the supplier has defined for grouping his products. The Catalog Structure is independent, without using a classification standard. This catalog structure is to distinguish from
standardized classification systems like eCl@ss. The catalog structure (CATALOG_GROUP_SYSTEM) is
necessary. Every article has to be assigned to a catalog group with the type leaf. The mapping of the articles
is done at the fields mentioned at the chapter 3.4.
Used / required fields for catalog structure
Field /
Label
Description
BMEcat field
Field
Mandatory/
length Optional
Specification of the catalog structure (CATALOG_GROUP_SYSTEM)
Catalog system ID
Identification of the catalog group system
Catalog system name Name of the catalog group system
Description
Description of the catalog group system
Catalog structure
Designation of the individual catalog groups as
specified below.
root
node
leaf
Group No.
Unique designator which identifies the
group
Name of the catalog group, which is displayed in the catalog system
Brief description of the respective group
GROUP_ID of the higher-level catalog
group
Sequence for catalog groups
Supplementary multimedia information
Keyword for the group
Group name
Group description
Parent group
Sequence
MIME information
Keyword
Requirements regarding BMEcat format
GROUP_SYSTEM_ID
GROUP_SYSTEM_NAME
GROUP_SYSTEM_
DESCRIPTION
CATALOG_STRUCTURE
type = ...
50
50
250
Optional
Optional
Optional
4
Mandatory
GROUP_ID
50
Mandatory
GROUP_NAME
50
Mandatory
GROUP_DESCRIPTION
PARENT_ID
250
50
Optional
Mandatory
GROUP_ORDER
MIME_INFO (see above)
KEYWORD
-
Optional
Optional
Optional
50
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3.3 Fields to Specify the Article Details
We use the following fields of BMEcat 1.2 for displaying your catalog and product data in our target system.
Depending on the type of field, the field is either optional or mandatory. The field length value indicates the
maximum field length.
Note: Certain fields are defined as mandatory fields contrary to the BMEcat specifications. These are indicated as follows: *Mandatory*.
Field /
Description
BMEcat field
Label
Specification of data fields which identify and verbally describe an article
(ARTICLE_DETAILS) – Mandatory
Article
Mode in which articles are read in
ARTICLE mode=new
Supplier article No.
Article number from the supplier
SUPPLIER_AID
Short description
Brief and concise description of the
DESCRIPTION_SHORT
article
Long description
Detailed description of the article
DESCRIPTION_LONG
Alternative article No.
Further article ID from the supplier
SUPPLIER_ALT_ID
Article No. from buyer “type" defines the type of article number. BUYER_AID type = …
type = "Standard range": value = S
Field
length
Mandatory/
Optional
6
32
80
Mandatory
Mandatory
Mandatory
64000
50
50
Mandatory
type = "SAP_MATNR": value = SAP
material number
REQUIREMENT from MANN+HUMMEL for field type =
“SAP_MATNR”: please do NOT fill in MANN+HUMMEL SAP
material number (10-digit-number)
Manufacturer
article No.
Manufacturer
ERP product group of
buying company
Optional
Mandatory
for type
“standard
range”
Part number from the manufacturer
MANUFACTURER_AID
50
Optional
Name of the manufacturer
Material group or category of the article
in the ERP system of the buying company
MANUFACTURER_NAME
ERP_GROUP_BUYER
50
10
*Mandatory*
*Mandatory*
DELIVERY_TIME
6
*Mandatory*
SPECIAL_TREATMENT_CLASS type
=…
KEYWORD
20
Optional
50
*Mandatory*
REMARKS
ARTICLE_STATUS type =
…
64000
250
Optional
Optional
REFERENCE_FEATURE_
SYSTEM_NAME
50
*Mandatory*
REFERENCE_FEATURE_
GROUP_ID
60
*Mandatory*
FNAME
60
Mandatory
FUNIT
FDESCR
FVALUE
20
250
60
Optional
Optional
Mandatory
Specification from MANN+HUMMEL:
eCl@ss number of the article without "-", i.e. 24240100 for e.g. pencil
Planned delivery time
Time in working days that the supplier
requires for delivery. 0 is not allowed.
Special treatment
Additional classification of the article
class
(hazardous goods). Here "type" defines
the special treatment regulation.
Keyword
Keyword which makes finding the article
easier
Remarks
Additional remarks from the supplier
Special article features Assignment of additional special attributes. Here "type" specifies the special
feature.
Classification of articles (ARTICLE_FEATURES) – *Mandatory*
Classification and
feature group system
Classification and feature group system
Specification from MANN+HUMMEL:
Group ID
Feature name
Feature unit
Feature description
Feature value
ECL@SS-6.1
ID of the referenced group within the
classification and feature group system,
eCl@ss Number from eCl@ss Version
6.1
e.g. 24240100
Unique name of the feature to be described
Measurement unit of the feature
Additional description of the feature
Prominence of the referenced feature
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Specification of ordering conditions and packaging arrangements
(ARTICLE_ORDER_DETAILS)
 See also the paragraph "Order and quantity units"
Order unit
Unit in which the article can be orORDER_UNIT
dered
Content unit
Unit used for the article within an
CONTENT_UNIT
order unit
Package quantity
Number of content units per order
NO_CU_PER_OU
unit of the article
Price quantity
A multiple or fraction of the order
PRICE_QUANTITY
unit indicating the quantity to which
all specified prices relate
Minimum order quanti- Minimum order quantity of the article QUANTITY_MIN
3
Mandatory
3
*Mandatory*
-
*Mandatory*
-
*Mandatory*
-
Mandatory
Number indicating the multiples in
QUANTITY_INTERVAL
which the article can be ordered
Specification of price data (ARTICLE_PRICE_DETAILS)
Valid as of
Date from which the article prices
DATETIME
become valid
type=“valid_start_date”
Valid until
Date after which the article prices
DATETIME
are no longer valid
type=“valid_end_date”
Attention: At end of valid date, article
is no longer visible!
Daily price
Daily price identifier
DAILY_PRICE
Price type
Attribute which specifies the price
ARTICLE_PRICE
type
Specification from MANN+HUMMEL:
ARTICLE_PRICE price_type=“net_customer“, NOT: net_list
Price
Price amount
PRICE_AMOUNT
Lower graduated price Lower quantity limit for graduated
LOWER_BOUND
limit
prices
VAT
Vat tax percentage for the item, e.g. VAT
0.20 (please do NOT write 20%)
References to supplementary multimedia data (MIME_INFO)
 See also the paragraph "Images and supplementary documents"
-
Optional
-
Optional
-
Optional
-
Optional
Mandatory
20
Mandatory
-
Mandatory
Optional
Mime type
MIME_TYPE
30
Optional
MIME_SOURCE
250
Mandatory
MIME_DESCR
MIME_ALT
250
50
Optional
Optional
MIME_PURPOSE
20
*Mandatory*
ty
Quantity interval
Source
Description
Alternative text
Purpose
Type of supplementary document
JPEG  image/jpeg
PDF  application/pdf
HTML Document  text/html
URL to the internet  url
Relative path and file name or URL
address
e.g. Picture.jpg or datasheet.pdf
Attention: in Mime-file must be the same
path
Description of the supplementary file
Alternative text in case, for example, the
file cannot be reproduced by the browser
on the target system
Desired purpose of the MIME document
on the target system
“normal” for pictures
“detail” for detail pictures
“data_sheet” for PDF files
“others” for other files
Mandatory
Specification from MANN+HUMMEL: At least one image must
be supplied as
MIME_PURPOSE = "normal"
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Note: If a catalog is also provided in another language, the values must be left unchanged in the
MIME_SOURCE (Source) element.
Optional: References to other articles (ARTICLE_REFERENCE)
Reference type
Number
Reference article
Product catalog
Version
Describes how the two articles are related
- sparepart
- similar
- followup
- mandatory
- select
- accessories
- consists of
- others
Indicates the number of articles being
referred to
Unique article number which is to be
referred to
Unique CATALOG_ID if the reference
article is not listed in the same catalog
Version of the referenced product catalog
ARTICLE_REFERENCE
type = ...
20
Mandatory
ARTICLE_REFERENCE
quantity = …
ART_ID_TO
-
Optional
32
Mandatory
CATALOG_ID
20
Optional
CATALOG_VERSION
7
Optional
Additional Hints Article Details:
Short Description
Please be sure to insert a specific detail of the article into the first 40 characters of the short description (DESCRIPTION_SHORT). So the item will be easier to find for the users. The short description is limited to 80
characters. Example: Screw Cross Recess 6x40mm
Features
MANN+HUMMEL wants to have features, because they are helping to differentiate articles which are sorted
into the same catalog structure or classification group. So the users are able to choose articles more easy.
The fields FNAME and FVALUE are defined as MUST fields, if features are used. It is possible to define
features attached or as independent from the classification system.
Prices and Tax
Use a dot as a decimal separator for all numeric values in BMEcat catalogs. E.g. in the field
PRICE_AMOUNT a dot “.” has to be used and NOT a comma “,” as decimal separator, 3.12 instead of 3,12.
The same is true for the VAT in the field TAX. Insert 0.19 instead of 0,19 for example. Do not specify values
greater than 1 for the tax field. A maximum of 2 decimal places is allowed.
Order and quantity units
The order and quantity units used in the BMEcat must comply with UN/ECE Recommendation 20. The units
of quantity and measurement are entered in the CONTENT_UNIT field in the BMEcat. Possible units of
measurement are, for example, m (metres) or kg (kilograms). The order units must be entered in the ORDER_UNIT field. The correct quantity unit for e.g. piece is not piece or PCE but rather C62. The specifications of UN/ECE Recommendation 20 can be found at:
http://www.unece.org/cefact/recommendations/rec_index.htm
http://www.unece.org/cefact/recommendations/rec20/rec20_rev3_Annex1e.pdf
Example
The article "cola bottle" which can only be purchased in a crate of ten bottles at a price of € 1.00 per bottle
can be presented in the following way in the BMEcat.
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Case 1: Presentation of price per bottle
ORDER_UNIT = CS (case)
CONTENT_UNIT = BO (Bottle)
NO_CU_PER_OU = 10
PRICE_QUANTITY = 0.1 (1/10)
QUANTITY_MIN = 1
QUANTITY_INTERVAL = 1
PRICE_AMOUNT = 1
Case 2: Presentation of price per crate
ORDER_UNIT = CS (Crate)
CONTENT_UNIT = Bottle
NO_CU_PER_OU = 10
PRICE_QUANTITY = 1
QUANTITY_MIN = 1
QUANTITY_INTERVAL = 1
PRICE_AMOUNT = 10
Example for Units
Unit
Piece
Meter
Centimeter
Cubikmeter
Liter
Kilogram
Package
Palette
Case
Bottle
Bag
Carton
Unit UNECE
C62
MTR
CMT
D90
LTR
KGM
PA
PF
CS
BO
BG
CT
Images and supplementary documents
To be able to display images and supplementary documents correctly in the catalog system, the BMEcat
fields MIME_TYPE, MIME_SOURCE and MIME_PURPOSE must be filled out. The JPEG or GIF format is
always used to display images. Other MIME_TYPEs can be, for example, HTML documents, PDF documents or URLs.
BMEcat Field
Description
The catalog system uses the attribute “normal” in the field MIME_PURPOSE for
displaying the picture in the list or detail view of the items. Use “detail” for additional
larger pictures.
Attention: Only one picture (image/jpeg) per item is allowed to be declared as
“normal”. If pictures are used, one has to be declared as “normal”.
MIME_PURPOSE Use “data_sheet” for an additional instructions in the PDF file format.
Examples:
- “normal” for pictures
- “detail” for detail pictures
- “data_sheet” for PDF files
- “others” for other files & URLs
All possibilities of the BMEcat specification are possible.
Examples:
MIME_TYPE
MIME_SOURCE
JPEG  image/jpeg
PDF  application/pdf
URL  url
HTML Document  text/html
Source and name of the file
If you insert file directories for picture files in the MIME_SOURCE field, be sure to file the files in these directories (e.g. in the zip file or at the CD), otherwise they are not displayed.
The standard item picture (purpose=normal) is scaled down to a maximum size of 300 pixel height and 400
pixel width. Any lager image is a waste of space.
Example
MIME_SOURCE: <MIME_SOURCE>datasheets/987262.pdf</MIME_SOURCE>
Picture-ZIP file or CD: datasheets/987262.pdf
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Please pay attention to the case sensitivity and to use no special characters like \ / : * ? „ < > | . Compared to
the example mentioned above, a MIME_SOURCE with
MIME_SOURCE>DataSheet/98726*2.PDF</MIME_SOURCE> will not work.
References to other Articles
It is possible to refer to another article in the detail view of an article, to
point the user for example to a necessary additional article or an accessory. Important is to use the correspondent type of reference.
Example
<ARTICLE_REFERENCE type=“mandatory“>
<ART_ID_TO>123456</ART_ID_TO>
</ARTICLE_REFERENCE>
Possible Field Types:
- sparepart
- similar
- followup
- mandatory
- select
- accessories
- consists of
- others
3.4 Fields for the Mapping of Articles to the Catalog Structure
Every article have to be linked to the catalog structure, otherwise the article is not visible in a folder. At end of the file,
this have to be done for all articles. Every article needs a entry as following:
Required fields for the mapping of articles to the Catalog Structure:
Field / Label
Description
BMEcat field
Field
Mandatory/
length Optional
Specification for mapping the articles to the catalog structure (ARTICLE_TO_CATALOG_GROUP_MAP)
Article No.
Catalog group
Article sequence
Unique number identifying the article
(SUPPLIER_AID)
Unique ID identifying the catalog group
(GROUP_ID)
Sequence in which articles are placed
in a catalog group in the target system
ART_ID
32
Mandatory
CATALOG_GROUP_ID
50
Mandatory
ARTICLE_TO_CATALOG_
GROUP_MAP_ORDER
-
Optional
This is an independent catalog structure, without using a classification standard. This catalog structure is to
distinguish from standardized classification systems like eCl@ss or UNSPSC. The catalog structure (CATALOG_GROUP_SYSTEM) is necessary for MANN+HUMMEL. It allows the user to drill down into your items.
Use a hierarchical structure that helps finding things easier or is similar to your printed catalog. Every article
has to be assigned to a catalog group with the type leaf. The definition of the catalog structure is done in the
fields mentioned at the chapter 3.2.
Note: The following fields are used for searching in the catalogs: DESCRIPTION_SHORT, MANUFACTURER_NAME, MANUFACTURER_AID, SUPPLIER_AID
Requirements regarding BMEcat format
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