Between 1995 and 2000, there were three initiatives to establish and maintain repositories of Spa, Pool and Backyard Industry data by NSPI, CSS, and a consortium of leading manufacturers and distributors.
The efforts attempted to standardize the form and location of product data for all industry members' use but none of those projects overcame the issues of commonality of purpose and data diversity among manufacturers and consequently were never adapted as mainstream solutions.
The MasterIndustryCatalog.com is an effort by CSS to establish a neutral, electronic registry of standards-compliant product and partner information open to all Industry Manufacturers, Manufacturers' Rep Groups, Distributors, Builders, Retailers and Service Companies.
Manufacturers can enter their product data directly online, submit a spreadsheet with their information or have their data cleaned and submitted by CSS. As existing products are changed or new products introduced, information will be downloaded and synchronized to all users authorized by the manufacturer to receive their data.