Comparison · FDES configurators
Generator or distributor FDES configurator: what are the differences?
Generator or distributor: the question comes up as soon as an FDES configurator project starts. The answer has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with your products: what needs to be able to vary, and what you want to do with the FDES once it is generated.
This comparison is for manufacturers who know a configurator can help them and now need to choose the approach that fits their products and the way they use their FDES.
- Written by
- CEO and technical architect at Ailoop
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 9 min
Contents
- What is the difference between a generator and a distributor?
- What can vary in each approach?
- How does a generator configurator work?
- How does a distributor configurator work?
- What happens after generation?
- Which one should you choose for your products?
- Can both be combined in one application?
- Real-world cases
- Key takeaways
An FDES (the French EPD format, Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire) configurator can work in two ways. A generator models products: it varies what they are made of and how they are manufactured. A distributor starts from a product that is already defined and adapts its results to the order or the site. Both rely on a parametric, verified LCA model; what sets them apart is what can still vary, and what becomes of the FDES once it is generated. The INIES programme uses both terms in its configurator verification procedure.
What is the difference between a generator and a distributor?
The difference lies in which product characteristics can vary. A generator models products; a distributor adapts the results of products that are already defined.
Generator FDES
The product is modelled as a whole
- Composition
- Raw materials
- Dimensions
- Technical characteristics
- Manufacturing
- Transport
A generator can vary the characteristics provided for in the LCA model, including composition, raw materials, dimensions, technical characteristics, manufacturing parameters and transport.
Distributor FDES
The reference product is already defined
- Composition(locked)
- Manufacturing(locked)
- Dimensions
- Finish
- Transport distance
- Installation
A distributor adapts the results from a limited set of authorised parameters, usually related to the order, delivery or site, such as certain dimensions, finishes or transport distances.
This is not a question of sophistication: a distributor is not a “small” generator. They are two answers to two different needs, and the choice is made on your products, not on the technology.
What can vary in each approach?
It all depends on the LCA model and its scope of validity. As a rule, a generator varies the product and how it is made; a distributor varies the order and the site.
What can vary, parameter by parameter
| Parameter | Generator | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| The product | ||
| Composition | Can vary | Fixed |
| Raw materials | Can vary | Fixed |
| Dimensions | Can vary | Can vary |
| Technical characteristics | Can vary | Depends on the model |
| Manufacturing | ||
| Production site | Can vary | Fixed |
| Manufacturing processes | Can vary | Fixed |
| The order and the site | ||
| Finish | Depends on the model | Can vary |
| Delivery distance | Depends on the model | Can vary |
| On-site installation | Depends on the model | Can vary |
Two misconceptions are worth dispelling. A generator is not limited to composition: it can vary dimensions, performance or the manufacturing site, as long as its model provides for it. And a distributor is not just about dimensions: the finish, the delivery distance or the installation method can also be authorised parameters.
How does a generator configurator work?
The user describes the product as a whole: its family, its composition, how it is made. Each combination corresponds to an FDES, calculated with the rules of the model.
The journey through a generator configurator
The journey through a generator configurator in five steps: choosing the product family, entering the composition (share of each material), choosing the manufacturing site, calculation with the built-in LCA expertise, then the FDES generated as PDF and XML, to be verified and then published on INIES.
This is the approach for manufacturers whose products change through their inputs: several formulations, several raw materials, several plants. Ailoop, for example, developed a generator configurator for Rockwool that covers three insulation families; the insulation vertical presents how it works.
How does a distributor configurator work?
The user starts from a reference product, whose composition and manufacturing are locked. They only fill in the authorised parameters, related to the order, delivery or site, and the application adapts the results to the configuration actually delivered.
The journey through a distributor configurator
The journey through an FDES configurator in four steps: choosing the product (hollow brick), entering the colour, the thickness and the site postcode, which gives the transport distance, calculation with the built-in LCA expertise, then the FDES generated as PDF and XML.
This is the approach for manufacturers for whom each order or each site calls for its own FDES: the same grating delivered in many dimensions, the same stone delivered over different distances. The MEISER FDES configurator is a distributor.
What happens after generation?
This is where the two approaches truly part ways. With a generator, each FDES must be verified and then published on INIES. With a distributor, it is the configurator that is verified, then recognised for RE2020, the French environmental regulation for new buildings: its declarations can then be used directly in building calculation software, with no further verification of each FDES.
After verification: two routes
Configurator verified by an INIES-approved third party
Generator configurator
Towards publishing each FDES
- 1 Product parameters entered
- 2 FDES and its deliverables generated
- 3 Each FDES verified, with its own verification statement
- 4 Registration and publication in INIES
Distributor configurator
Towards use in projects
- 1 Configurator recognised for RE2020
- 2 Reference product selected
- 3 Order or site parameters entered
- 4 Configured declaration, usable in building LCA software
| Topic | Generator | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| Verification after generation | Each FDES follows the verification and registration procedure. Prior verification of the configurator can make it lighter. | The configured declarations are used directly, with no further verification of each FDES: they rely on the verification of the configurator and its reference models. Additional verification may be required if some parameters are entered freely. |
| Submission to INIES | All the FDES generated are registered and published in INIES. | Submitting the configured declarations is not mandatory. The manufacturer can choose to publish some. |
In both cases, verification is entrusted to an independent third party approved by the INIES programme: neither the manufacturer, nor whoever carried out the LCA, nor the company that developed the application. For a distributor, submitting the FDES to INIES remains possible but is not mandatory. These procedures follow their own timetable: the FDES configurator verification guide details them, including the two annual RE2020 recognition sessions.
Which one should you choose for your products?
Start from what varies in your products, and from what you want to do with the FDES once it is generated.
Start from your situation
Rather a generator
Your inputs and processes are what change
- Produce FDES for new formulationsThe composition and raw materials need to be able to vary.
- Cover several industrial sitesThe site, its energy and its processes are part of the model.
- Publish the FDES for a whole rangeEach reference becomes an FDES, verified then published on INIES.
Rather a distributor
The variants of a defined product are what change
- Adapt the FDES to an orderThe product is defined; only the characteristics ordered vary.
- Calculate for a specific siteDelivery distance and installation are authorised parameters.
- Give your customers the FDES of the product deliveredIt can be used in building calculation software once the configurator is recognised.
To pinpoint your need in a few questions, the suitability guide offers an interactive self-assessment.
Can both be combined in one application?
Yes, it is possible, but it is neither automatic nor always useful. The INIES programme even provides for configurators that are “generators and distributors”.
It makes sense when a manufacturer has both needs at once: publishing the FDES for its ranges, and giving its customers the FDES of the product delivered. Each function then keeps its own verification rules, and the model must be designed for both from the outset. On the concrete vertical, we present both approaches, because the sector’s products lend themselves to it.
Real-world cases
The configurators developed by Ailoop cover both approaches. Here are the ones our clients have allowed us to name; others were developed for manufacturers who wish to remain anonymous.
- Distributor
MEISER
Gratings and industrial flooring
Every order calls for its own FDES. The distributor covers 678 product combinations, and 200 FDES have also been published on INIES: a distributor can publish, there is no contradiction.
See the MEISER project - Collective distributor
DimACV
Natural stone, with CTMNC
A shared framework for a whole industry: each manufacturer generates the FDES for its product from the same verified model.
See the DimACV project - Generator
Rockwool
Three insulation families
The products change through their inputs: a generator in production covers three insulation families.
See the insulation vertical
Key takeaways
The choice is not made on technology, but on your products. If your inputs and processes change, a generator; if it is the variants of a defined product, a distributor. And if you have both needs, one application can carry both functions.
Frequently asked questions
Can a distributor change the composition of the product?
As a rule, no: the composition and production of the reference product are locked in the model. A distributor varies a few authorised parameters, most often related to the order, delivery or site. If what you need is to vary the composition or the materials, a generator is the option to look at.
Can a generator vary the dimensions?
Yes, if its model allows for it. A generator models the product from all the variables provided for: the composition, but also the dimensions, technical characteristics, manufacturing site or production parameters.
Do the resulting FDES follow the same verification route?
No. With a generator, each FDES generated has its own verification statement and registration number, and is then submitted to INIES; prior verification of the configurator can make this step lighter. With a distributor, it is the configurator and its reference models that are verified: the configured declarations are then used with no further verification of each FDES, and submitting them to INIES is not mandatory.
Can both functions be combined in one tool?
It is possible: the INIES programme even provides for configurators that are both generators and distributors. One application can produce the official FDES for a catalogue and adapt an FDES to an order. Whether it is worthwhile depends on how you use it, and each function follows its own verification rules.
Which type should I choose for a highly variable catalogue?
It all depends on what varies. If it is the inputs and processes (formulations, raw materials, several sites), a generator. If it is the variants of a defined product (dimensions, finishes, delivery distances), a distributor.
Further reading
Generator, distributor, or both: your products decide.
We develop both types of FDES configurator. Discover Ailoop’s solutions and the configurators already in production at manufacturers.