3 Benefits of Reusing Your OTL Content

If you work in asset management, infrastructure, or the process industry, you have likely come across the term Object Type Library (OTL). An OTL defines types of objects, their characteristics, attributes, and relationships with other concepts, creating a shared language for exchanging information within a specific ecosystem.

Still new to OTL’s and how they work? Check our ‘What is an OTL [OTL and RDL explained]’ blog.

In other words, you do not start your projects from scratch every time. You can reuse what you have built, and the returns compound. Building an OTL does take serious investment. So before committing to that work, you want to know it pays off.

Here are three concrete benefits that make the investment worth it.

1. You Create a Common Language Across Your Supply Chain

One of the most powerful things an OTL does is establish a standardized vocabulary. That vocabulary gives everyone in your supply chain a shared language to speak. When asset owners, contractors, and software systems all refer to the same concepts consistently, information flows smoothly from one hand to the next.

Think about what happens during an asset handover. A contractor builds an asset, and the owner needs to maintain it afterward. For that to work, the maintenance software needs reliable, consistently structured data about what was built. By reusing your OTL content, for example, in Information Delivery Specifications (IDS) or Exchange Information Requirements (EIR), you give contractors clear instructions on exactly what information to hand over and in what format.

Reusing that shared language across projects means you spend less time clarifying terms and more time actually working.

2. You Enable Software to Process Information Consistently

A well-structured OTL goes beyond a simple dictionary. When you build it using formal language, meaning logical definitions that every computer can process, software can reason and infer information independently. That includes determining permissible values and quantities without someone manually checking every entry.

When you reuse this formalized OTL content across applications, such as CAD software or Geographical Information Systems (GIS), your systems can interpret data consistently every time. Consistency at this level reduces errors, speeds up automated processing, and makes your entire information exchange more reliable.

Building that formal foundation once and reusing it is far more efficient. Starting from scratch with every new project or application costs far more time and effort.

3. You Build on a Proven, Industry-Aligned Structure

When you reuse your OTL content, you are working from a foundation that already aligns with established standards like BIM or asset hierarchies. That alignment saves time and reduces the risk of inconsistencies when new projects or team members join.

Consistent object descriptions for things like pipes, pumps, and roads mean everyone is working from the same reliable foundation. There is no guesswork about whether your data meets industry expectations because the structure was built from the start to reflect real-world applications and industry-specific needs.

And since there is no universal OTL, the one you have built for your specific purpose is genuinely valuable. Reusing it means that value compounds across every project, every team, and every handover.

Final reflections

Reusing your OTL content is not just a time-saver. It strengthens communication across your supply chain, empowers your software to work smarter, and keeps your data aligned with the standards that matter. 

You can start building your OTL directly within Laces. Define object types, set attributes, and formalize relationships in one place. Laces provides a user-friendly app and offers you the structure to make your OTL reusable from day one.

For more information, check Laces for Ontology Management.