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The FDES-MEISER configurator open on a laptop resting on a grating, next to an FDES for industrial flooring.

FDES configurator for metal products

Ailoop builds custom FDES configurators for metal product manufacturers (FDES: the French EPD format, Fiche de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire). Your teams generate the FDES of each product from its actual characteristics, including transport to the construction site. For MEISER: 200 FDES published on INIES, 678 product combinations covered.

See the families covered
Naeem ADIBIGuillaume SZABLEWSKIMarie BECCATRequest a demo

With an LCA expert and a digital expert

Why is a single FDES not enough for your metal products?

Because your products change from one order to the next: dimensions, material, finish, delivery location. A single FDES for a whole range doesn't accurately describe the product delivered to the site.

One FDES for the whole range
  • Order A1,000 × 600 mmGalvanisedSite in Lille
  • Order B1,200 × 1,000 mmUntreatedSite in Lyon
  • Order C800 × 400 mmPowder-coatedSite in Marseille
FDESA single FDESRange average
Doesn't describe the product delivered
One FDES per order, with a configurator
  • Order A1,000 × 600 mmGalvanisedSite in Lille
  • Order B1,200 × 1,000 mmUntreatedSite in Lyon
  • Order C800 × 400 mmPowder-coatedSite in Marseille
  • FDES A
  • FDES B
  • FDES C

  1. A product that changes with every order

    Bar and mesh size, sheet width and thickness, surface density, galvanising: the configuration ordered is never quite the same.

  2. The construction site is part of the declaration

    For the FDES to reflect the order, the delivery distance to the site has to be included in the calculation of transport impacts.

  3. Hundreds of combinations

    At MEISER, three product families add up to 678 combinations. Handling them one by one as separate studies isn't sustainable.

The metal product families we model

Three families are already modelled by Ailoop in FDES-MEISER, the configurator in production at MEISER. Our experts can model every other metal product family, including those in your catalogue.

  • Illustration: pressed gratings Already modelled by Ailoop

    FDES configurator for pressed gratings

    Material, bar and mesh size, hot-dip galvanising and distance to the site vary from one order to the next. The FDES-MEISER distributor configurator produces the FDES of the configuration ordered.

    See an example
  • Illustration: electroforged gratings Already modelled by Ailoop

    FDES configurator for electroforged gratings

    Same logic as pressed gratings, with the parameters specific to the electroforging process. The family is covered by the same configurator, FDES-MEISER.

    See an example
  • Illustration: metal industrial flooring Already modelled by Ailoop

    FDES configurator for metal industrial flooring

    Width, sheet thickness, material and galvanising define each industrial floor. FDES-MEISER generates the corresponding FDES, transport included.

    See an example
  • Illustration: metal guardrails

    FDES configurator for metal guardrails

    Dimensions, infill, finish: our experts model what varies from one guardrail to another, from your production data, to generate the FDES of each model.

    See an example
  • Illustration: metal staircases

    FDES configurator for metal staircases

    Height, width, steps, finish: our experts model what varies from one staircase to another, from your production data, to generate the FDES of each configuration.

    See an example

  • Your product family isn't on the list?

    Our experts model every product family in metal products. Let's talk about it during the free audit.

    Book my free audit

What the configurator varies

In our FDES configurators for metal products, the user enters the characteristics of the product ordered and the site location: the form only shows the parameters of the chosen family.

Product

  • Raw material
  • Dimensions (length, width, thickness, height)
  • Surface density
  • Surface treatment

Order and site

  • Site postcode
  • Delivery distance
Conceptual previewTypical flow of a distributor configurator in three steps: choose the family, enter the parameters, then download the FDES, the XML file and the Excel spreadsheet. Example values.
Naeem ADIBIGuillaume SZABLEWSKIMarie BECCATRequest a demo

With an LCA expert and a digital expert

Distributor or generator: which configurator for your metal products?

For metal products, what mostly varies are the variants of the product ordered: dimensions, finish, delivery. That's why we generally choose the distributor configurator.

Suited to your sector

Distributor configurator

A distributor configurator is verified once, then recognised for RE2020, the French environmental regulation for new buildings: the FDES it produces can be used directly, with no obligation to submit them to INIES, in an XML format that can be imported into building calculation software. The manufacturer can also choose to submit them to INIES to broaden its published catalogue.

Generator configurator

A generator configurator is verified once; each FDES it generates then goes through a lighter verification (the verifier checks the composition rather than the calculations), and is then submitted to INIES.

The choice depends on what varies: if it is the variants of your products, a distributor configurator; if it is your inputs and processes (several sites, formulations, raw materials), a generator configurator.

Understand the difference between distributor and generator configurators

FDES configurators already in production for metal products

Ailoop developed FDES-MEISER, MEISER’s FDES configurator, for its pressed gratings, electroforged gratings and industrial flooring.

Interface of FDES-MEISER, the FDES configurator developed by Ailoop for MEISER, next to an FDES generated for industrial flooring.

MEISERManufacturer · gratings and industrial flooring

FDES-MEISER: a distributor FDES configurator for three product families

The need
Provide an FDES that matches the product actually ordered (dimensions, material, galvanising) and its transport to the construction site.
What was built
A web configurator that brings together three product families, their business parameters and the project’s environmental model, with PDF, INIES XML and Excel exports.
Who did what
LCA modelling: WeLOOP. Application development and calculation automation: Ailoop.
  • 200FDES published on INIES
  • 678product combinations covered
  • < 1 minto generate an FDES
Explore the MEISER project

The examples shown here are those our clients have allowed us to cite. Other configurators have been developed for manufacturers who wish to remain anonymous.

Methodology

How is an FDES configurator built?

For metal products, the delivery-to-site data is prepared from the very first step: it is what makes the FDES true to the order.

  1. 01

    Define the products and variations to cover

    Identify the families, the products, the parameters that make the results vary, the users and the expected deliverables.

  2. 02

    Structure the LCA models and the data

    Environmental data, assumptions, rules and validity ranges.

  3. 03

    Develop the configurator

    Business forms, calculation engine, checks, data, rules and exports.

  4. 04

    Test and prepare for verification

    Reference cases, consistency of results, limits, traceability and documentation.

  5. 05

    Deploy and evolve

    Opening to users, new product ranges, data updates, maintenance and regulatory changes.

Find out how to build an FDES configurator

Frequently asked questions about FDES configurators for metal products

How does an FDES configurator take into account the dimensions and mass of a metal product?

The dimensions, mass and technical characteristics of the product can be built into the configurator as parameters.

For a grating, a guardrail, a staircase or an industrial floor, the user can enter the characteristics specific to the product being declared. The configurator then uses this data to determine material quantities and recalculate the environmental impacts of that configuration.

Depending on the scope of the LCA model, a single application can cover many variants without having to create a new study by hand for each reference.

How do you include galvanising, paint or other finishes in an FDES?

Surface treatments and finishes can be built directly into the configurator’s environmental model.

Galvanising, powder coating, painting or other treatments can be offered as parameters once their impacts have been modelled. The FDES calculation then adapts to the finish actually applied to the product.

The configurator can therefore account for the differences between several variants within the same range of metal products.

Can you generate an FDES for a specific order or configuration?

Yes. An FDES configurator can generate a declaration matching a specific product configuration, as long as that configuration stays within the scope planned and verified.

The characteristics can be entered directly in the application or come from another system: ERP, sales configurator, quoting software or API.

This means you can, for example, generate an FDES matching the dimensions, mass, finish or other characteristics of the product actually sold.

Can one FDES configurator cover several metal product families?

Yes, when the different families can be built into a consistent environmental model.

A single configurator can, for example, offer separate flows for gratings, industrial flooring, guardrails or metal staircases, with parameters suited to each family.

The aim is not necessarily to build a different tool for each product, but to design an architecture that can handle several families and their variants in a shared environment.

Why choose Ailoop for your metal products FDES configurator?

Ailoop brings LCA expertise and software development together in one team, and has already put FDES configurators for metal products into production.

  • Dual expertise in LCA and digital

    Our chairman, Dr Ing Naeem ADIBI, has 20 years of experience in LCA; our managing director, Guillaume SZABLEWSKI, 20 years in digital transformation. Our LCA experts and our developers work together, from environmental modelling to going live. This complementarity lets us design reliable configurators, tailored to your products and ready for your teams to use.

  • Already in production for metal products

    Our configurators are already up and running at metalworking manufacturers. They generate verified FDES, published on INIES (the French national EPD database) and usable in RE2020 calculations.

    200
    FDES published on INIES
    678
    product combinations covered

  • A tool designed for your teams

    We start by studying your real needs. The tool can then connect to your systems to generate an FDES with every quote, and offer a space where your sales teams find the FDES generated. Tailor-made, built around the way you work.

  • A configurator that evolves with your catalogue

    New ranges, data updates, regulatory changes: we keep the tool and its LCA model up to date over time, without starting from scratch.

Are your metal products a good fit for an FDES configurator?

In a 100% free, no-obligation audit, we look with you at your product families, what varies from one order to the next and the data available. You leave with answers to your questions and our advice on next steps.

Book my free audit
  • Naeem ADIBI
  • Guillaume SZABLEWSKI
  • Marie BECCAT

Led by Naeem ADIBI, Guillaume SZABLEWSKI and Marie BECCAT.