FAQ for Manufacturers
All the essential information about our content creation, management, and distribution services—designed to guide you through your digital transformation while leveraging our multidimensional 5D digital catalog approach.
Definitions
What is Specifi Studio?
Specifi Studio is a content creation and optimisation service that helps manufacturers digitise their product information, build a digital equipment catalog, and deliver it to customers and prospects in a smarter, faster, and more efficient way.
What is a digital catalog or library?
A digital catalog (Specifi® library) is a structured database of equipment that includes technical and commercial information, linked directly to 3D drawings and supporting documents such as spec sheets and images.
What does Static Standalone Content mean?
Static Standalone Content is a 2D or 3D geometric representation (in DWG or RFA format) of a foodservice equipment model that comes pre-configured with fixed accessories, components, and colours (if applicable). It is delivered as-is and cannot be modified by the end user.
With Static Standalone Content:
- The code/model is unique and includes all components and accessories (if any)
- The technical and commercial descriptions contain complete equipment details and are linked directly to the drawing (one-to-one)
- The price is fixed and reflects the total of all included components and accessories
What does Smart Content mean?
Smart Content is a 2D or 3D geometric representation (in DWG or RFA format) of a foodservice equipment model with highly configurable elements. It allows users to modify accessories, components, configurations, variants, or colours on demand.
With Smart Content:
- The code/model can change based on the selected set of accessories (where manufacturer rules apply)
- The technical and commercial descriptions include full details of the equipment and its accessories, linked to the drawing on a one-to-many basis
- The price updates dynamically based on the selected accessories, components, configuration, variant, or colour
Specifi by the Numbers
How many countries does Specifi® cover?
Specifi® is currently active in over 70 countries worldwide, with a strong presence across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania, and continued expansion into the Americas (including the United States and LATAM) as well as key regions in Africa.
How many dealers, designers, and consultants use the Specifi® platform?
Our network has grown steadily over the years. Globally, we have over 1,600 active users—including dealers, designers, and consultants—and have established partnerships with leading Buying Groups in Europe and Dealers Associations in the Americas. To date, our software solutions have generated more than 6.5 million offers and 3.5 million 2D/3D projects.
How many manufacturers have joined the Specifi® system?
As a global platform, Specifi® has partnered with over 450 manufacturers, beginning with Europe’s top 350 and recently expanding to include 100 leading U.S. companies and growing. Our system currently manages:
- 500,000+ CAD symbols
- 190,000+ BIM symbols
- 17,000+ pricelists in multiple currencies
How to get started
What material does Specifi® need from manufacturers to get started?
Getting started with Specifi® is simple, as we guide manufacturers through the entire process. Often, manufacturers’ information is spread across different departments and locations. We provide the tools to consolidate all this data into a single, unified source of truth.
Why is it beneficial to give Specifi® time to analyze your catalog before providing an offer?
Providing Specifi® with time to review your catalog helps minimize the manufacturer’s investment in content creation—often reducing costs by up to 30% compared to standard per-file pricing. The effort required varies depending on the type of equipment (for example, creating a stainless-steel table is much quicker than creating an oven or coffee machine) and the type of drawing (RFA Revit files are more complex than DWG files).
Additional considerations:
- Specifi® does not charge the same rate for each product if it is part of a series with minor variants or technical differences.
- We aim to reuse as much material as possible from the manufacturer’s original files, which can further reduce costs.
Minimum information needed to start the analysis:
- Any exportable data (CSV, SQL, XLS, etc.)
- PDF catalog
- Sample drawings in available formats (if any)
- Sample spec sheets (if any)
What if a manufacturer already has drawings, a database, and spec sheets?
Specifi® offers a complimentary consultation to review existing content and provide a detailed report on its readiness, quality, and areas for improvement. We also provide recommendations to optimise or enhance the digital representation of the manufacturer’s equipment. Additionally, Specifi® can offer a dedicated pricing plan to convert existing materials into a standardized format that simplifies and streamlines the daily work of foodservice designers and dealers.
What if my equipment is more complex than the average manufacturer’s models?
Specifi®’s content creation team is highly experienced in foodservice equipment and has never faced a challenge we couldn’t solve. We address complex cases carefully, ensuring that the solution works effectively for both manufacturers and their customers.
Equipment Drawings
Why might Specifi® need to convert manufacturers’ drawings?
Often, manufacturers’ production drawings are not optimised for designers’ needs. Additionally, these drawings may contain trade secrets, so we recommend not sharing them directly. Depending on the condition of the original files, conversion or optimisation—or in some cases, a complete rebuild—may be necessary to meet market expectations. Common situations include:
Drawing Status & Challenges:
- IGES, STEP, or other production files / Revit families with built-in accessories and variants:
For architectural planning, file sizes should ideally stay under 1 MB. Manufacturing files may contain sensitive or proprietary information and should be used only as reference. - DWG files – 2D only (top view or top/front/side views) / DWG files – 3D only / DWG files with unoptimized insertion point, scale, or units:
These files often require extensive manual work to import into a project in a usable layout for foodservice designers. - DWG or Revit files with pre-assembled elements (static standalone):
These cannot be easily modified by designers, nor configured with alternative variants, accessories, or colours without manual workarounds. - DWG or Revit files in other standards / Non-FCSI/IFSE standard Revit files:
These files may not meet industry-recognised standards or fully satisfy the needs of foodservice designers in different regions.
Why doesn’t Specifi® create or provide Revit Families?
Specifi® follows Autodesk best practices and, since 2016, has participated in the FCSI (Foodservice Consultants Society International) worldwide technical roundtable to define geometry and parameter standards for the foodservice industry (FCSI US / IFSE Europe).
Over the years, our R&D team has developed a unique technology that meets the diverse needs of equipment modelling. This approach allows us to avoid creating large, complex Revit Families that include all variants and accessories but are limited in region-specific information. Instead, Specifi® provides a system that can be accurately modelled with the correct information, variants, and accessories for each country, making it easy to manage even large layouts with hundreds of pieces of equipment.
What level of detail is required for a drawing?
The shape and size of drawings adhere to industry-accepted standards for use in foodservice design and quoting of commercial facilities.
CAD and Revit symbols in Specifi® are not intended for actual equipment manufacturing. Therefore, the level of detail is simplified to include only the attributes required by industry standards, such as current FCSI and IFSE Revit standards (shared parameters/GUID).
Technical details smaller than 5–10 mm are evaluated carefully before inclusion, as they can significantly increase file size and create challenges when managing large kitchen layouts with hundreds or thousands of elements.
Which drawing file formats are most commonly used and recommended in the industry?
Based on over 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry, we strongly recommend:
- DWG files (AutoCAD 2004 version): Ensures compatibility for users with older planning software and avoids future backward compatibility issues.
- RFA files (Revit 2016 version): Allows users with older Revit versions to open files without compatibility problems.
Technical and Commercial Information about Equipment
What type of information is needed for a database?
Specifi® uses the same information manufacturers provide through catalogs, websites, or spec sheets. To build a complete and consistent software representation, the following data is needed:
- Code/model
- Short and long descriptions (in any available language)
- Dimensions
- Technical specifications (e.g., weight, power, and other equipment-specific data)
- Accessories
- Parts, configurations, and variants
- Associated attachments (if any, including images, spec sheets, manuals, certifications, etc.)
- X, Y, Z coordinates of connections (retrievable from drawings or spec sheets)
Why is a database so important?
A database is the foundation of any digital catalog and the digital representation of equipment. Specifi® uses a 5D Multi-Dimensional Data Model, a method that organises, arranges, and assembles content efficiently.
This multi-dimensional approach allows users to analyze market or business trends, rather than just running simple queries as with traditional relational databases. A relational database organizes information into tables (or “relations”) of rows and columns, showing how different data points are connected. While relational databases make data easy to understand, the Specifi® Multi-Dimensional Model enables users to quickly generate insights and receive answers to complex requests with high efficiency.
Why might Specifi® need to convert a manufacturer’s database?
Specifi®, like any ERP or software system, uses its own unique database structure to map and manage accessories, variants, and compatibilities. The level of “readability” and ability to automate processes—such as using tools like Specifi® Organiser—varies depending on the format of the source files. This can affect the time, effort, and cost required for integration.
Manufacturers can provide data in virtually any exportable format to facilitate quick import into Specifi®, including:
- ERP systems or other platforms
- XLS files
- CSV files
- SQL files
- Any other available digital format
Digital Catalog Management
What is Specifi® Organiser?
Inaccurate or inconsistent data can be costly for manufacturers and frustrating for clients. Specifi® Organiser is a Product Information Management (PIM) tool specifically built for equipment manufacturers.
It allows you to upload all product symbols, photos, spec sheets, price lists, videos, and other files instantly, ensuring that engineering, sales, and marketing teams all have access to the same up-to-date information. As an open platform, Specifi® Organiser also enables seamless data import and export whenever needed.
How often can manufacturers update their data, and can they do it themselves?
Specifi® is an open platform, and manufacturers always retain full control over their data.
There is no limit to the number of updates they can make. Manufacturers can choose to have Specifi® manage their data under a contract or handle updates themselves using our PIM tool, Specifi® Organiser.
Can a manufacturer add multiple price lists? How can they manage different products and specifications for different countries?
There are no limits on the number of languages or price lists that can be added to the database.
Specifi® supports multiple currencies and languages, allowing manufacturers to upload descriptions in any language and share as many price lists and currencies as needed. Using the distribution system, manufacturers can assign specific price lists to different countries. By linking the price lists to the relational database, only approved users in each region will see the relevant products and associated content.
Specifi Competitive Advantage
How can a manufacturer distribute their content independently of Specifi®?
Specifi® Share is a website plug-in that enables manufacturers to distribute their content using Specifi’s advanced configuration and visualisation tools—without requiring recipients to be Specifi® software subscribers. The solution can be tailored to different levels of adoption based on the manufacturer’s specific needs.
Is there an analytics system to track manufacturers’ products, visibility, and downloads?
Specifi® partners with manufacturers to help them sell more equipment and convert leads into buyers.
To support smarter sales and marketing decisions, Specifi® provides analytics that track views, downloads, and other engagement metrics by country, product, or category within a chosen time frame.
Which marketing activities does Specifi® offer to manufacturer partners?
At Specifi®, our goal is to help manufacturer partners sell more equipment. Providing CAD and BIM content is just the start—we also help manufacturers show their customers how easy it is to access the information and symbols they need to specify equipment.
Through our sister company, FER (Foodservice Equipment Reports), Specifi® acts as a full media brand for manufacturers, offering marketing support across social media, digital advertising, and more.
Distribution of Manufacturers Data
What is the duration of a contract with Specifi®?
Specifi® offers contracts of 12 or 36 months, depending on whether you choose Static Standalone or Smart Content.
Our pricing is transparent and broken down into three main areas:
- Drawing creation or management (conversion, optimisation, maintenance)
- Database creation or management (conversion, optimisation, maintenance)
- Data hosting and distribution
What about Intellectual Property? Are NDAs or other protections in place for Manufacturer trade secrets?
All data provided by a Manufacturer to Specifi® for content creation remains the Manufacturer’s property and is fully protected under a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
When Specifi® creates content on behalf of a Manufacturer, the resulting work falls under Specifi®’s intellectual property, as it incorporates our proprietary expertise and methods to produce content that is optimised for designers and estimators. Importantly, no trade secrets or sensitive production details are shared. Our drawings represent only the external appearance of the equipment, including real colors, logos, standards, and shapes, while the database contains information publicly available from the Manufacturer’s catalogs, websites, or spec sheets.
While Specifi® retains intellectual property rights over the content creation software and methods, Manufacturers always retain ownership of their original data, and Specifi® makes no claim over it.
What is the Authorisation Portal and how does it work?
The Authorisation Portal gives Manufacturers complete control over their data. Through this portal, Manufacturers receive direct access requests from Specifi® Design and Quote users for their digital catalog—including drawings, pricing, spec sheets, and more. Manufacturers can then choose whether to approve each request, assign which pricelists the user can access, and update or revoke access at any time.