---
title: Understanding Products
description: Learn how to add, manage, and configure products, connect them to suppliers, and use them in product-specific requirement rules to manage compliance at product level.
---
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# Understanding Products
The Products page allows you to configure how products are managed and used within your supply chain. Products can be connected to suppliers, used in requirement rules, and configured with additional information such as tags, seasonality, and supplier-specific identifiers. For PPWR, products also hold your packaging structure.
By structuring products in the platform, you can manage compliance at a product level instead of only at supplier level.
### Product Types
Each product in Simvia has a type. The type determines how the product is used and which information applies to it.
- **SKU:** the finished product you sell to your customers.
- **Ingredient:** a processed input that goes into one of your products, like a dressing, coconut milk, or chocolate chips.
- **Raw material:** an unprocessed input you source, like fresh fruit or bulk flour.
- **Packaging units:** the primary (sales), secondary (grouped) and tertiary (transport) packaging the SKU is placed on the market in
- **Packaging component:** a single item or packaging at any level, like a label or tray, a cardboard box, or a pallet.
- **Packaging base material:** the material used to make a packaging component, like a roll of foil or a sheet of cardboard.
When you add a product, hover over the info icon next to each type to see a short description.
### Adding Products
You can add products one at a time or upload several at once with an Excel template.
- To add one SKU, ingredient, raw material or packaging product, see [**Add a product.**](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/how-to-add-a-single-product?hsLang=en) 
- To add many products at once with an Excel template, see **[Add products in bulk](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/how-to-add-products-in-bulk?hsLang=en).** 
Flexible products behave the same as predefined products and can be used in requirement rules and supplier connections.
### Packaging Structure for PPWR
For PPWR, your products are organised in a hierarchy:
- **SKU:** the product you sell
- **Packaging units:** the sales, grouped and transport packaging the SKU is placed on the market in
- **Packaging components:** the physical parts that make up each packaging unit
In the Products overview, click the arrow next to a packaging unit to expand it and see the components linked to it.
For a full walkthrough, see [**Understanding your packaging structure.**](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/understanding-your-packaging-structure-sku-packaging-unit-packaging-component?hsLang=en)
### Linking Products to Suppliers
Once products are created, link them to the suppliers that provide them.
To link a product from the Products page:
1. Go to **Products**
2. Open the product
3. Go to the **Supply Chain** tab
4. Click **Add organisations**
5. Select the suppliers
You can also add products from the supplier’s side, through the **Products** tab of an organisation. See [**How to Manage Organisations and Supply Chains.**](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/managing-organisations?hsLang=en)
### The Products Overview
The Products overview shows your full product portfolio. Besides the product name, these columns are available:
- **Product tags:** the tags linked to the product
- **Type:** the product type
- **Role for Regulation (EU) 2025/40:** your role under PPWR for this product
- **Accounts:** the accounts linked to the product
- **Outgoing requests:** the number of open requests for the product
- **Regulation (EU) 2025/40 Conformity:** the PPWR conformity status of the product
- **DoC status:** the status of the EU Declaration of Conformity
- **Seasonality:** the active season of the product
- **ERP identifier:** your internal product code
- **Organisations:** the suppliers linked to the product
- **Supplier product identifiers:** the names or codes your suppliers use for the product
- **Notes:** your notes on the product
- **Last Updated:** the date the product was last changed
To show or hide columns:
1. Click **View options**
2. Click **Columns**
3. Switch the toggle next to each column on or off
To save a set of filters as your own view, see **[Creating and Managing Custom Views in Simvia](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/creating-and-managing-custom-views-in-simvia?hsLang=en).**
### Product Configuration Options
#### Product Tags
Tags allow you to group products based on shared characteristics, such as Organic, Packaging or Fresh produce. You can use them in requirement rules to apply document requests to groups of products at once.
To rename, merge or delete product tags, see **[Managing Tags](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/managing-tags?hsLang=en).**
#### Product Seasonality
Seasonality defines when a product is in season per country. When it’s set, product-specific document requests are only sent during the active season.
See **[Set Product Seasonality](https://helpcenter.simvia.com/knowledge-base/set-product-seasonality?hsLang=en)**.
#### Supplier Product Identifiers
Suppliers may use different product names or internal codes. You can store these as supplier-specific product identifiers.
To add them:
1. Open the product
2. Select the supplier
3. Click **Edit supplier product identifiers**
4. Enter the supplier’s product name or ID
These identifiers appear in requests sent to suppliers, helping them clearly identify the requested product.
### Using Products in Requirement Rules
Products can be used as a condition in requirement rules. This allows you to:
- Request documents only for specific products
- Apply requirements to groups of products using tags
- Trigger requests only during the product’s active season
This helps reduce unnecessary requests while improving compliance accuracy.
### When to Use Products
Products are particularly useful when:
- Different products require different certifications
- You want to request documents only for specific product categories
- Suppliers provide multiple products with different compliance requirements
- You need to prepare packaging data and a DoC for PPWR
Using products allows you to organise compliance requirements in a more structured and scalable way.
> **Need more help?** Contact our Support team via the help icon at the top right of the platform, we’re happy to help.
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