This Week in IDEA | March 21, 2007

New IRD/CERICOMX® Customers

IDEA, a 1SYNC Data Pool On-Board Solution (OBS) partner, implements suppliers that subscribe to the 1SYNC data pool using IDEA's IRD CERICOMX application. IDEA was recently assigned the following suppliers:

- Golden County Foods Inc.
- Black Opal Inc.
- Nat Sherman International
- EPICOR Industries Inc.
- Goldtech Industries, Inc.
- Muzzy Products
- Wolf & Moon Products, Inc

These companies will be trained to use the IRD CERICOMX®, an IDEA branded product for supporting and uploading supplier product information into the GS1 Registry® and GDSN via the 1SYNC Data Pool.

If you would like to learn more about the CERICOMX® product, please contact John Etrie, IDEA IRD Product Manager, here or at (703) 562-4624; or Tony Gaffney, IDEA CERICOMX® Implementation Manager, here or at (508) 386-0261.

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Companies Recently in Production with IDX2

Cuny and Guerber, Inc. and AMO Electric Co. have successfully completed IDX2 implementation by IDEA and are now in production to commence business with trading partners. Congratulations!

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This Week in IDEA Now Offers Advertising Opportunities

Your company now has the opportunity to target over 1500 business professionals in the electrical industry through advertising in our weekly newsletter and website for one low monthly rate. This is a great way to supplement any current and future marketing campaigns directed to the electrical industry. Discounts are available for all IDEA customers to show our appreciation of their dedication to the electrical industry. Rates start as low as $26.25/week so make sure to reserve your spot today! Click Here for rates and details on the program.

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Free Webinar: Enabling Profitable Growth with Enterprise Technology

Date: April 5, 2007
Time: 2:00-3:30PM
Speakers: David Wascom, CIO and VP of IT for Summit Electric Supply; Paul Pretko, Industry Principal for SAP America's Wholesale Distribution division

Space is limited so REGISTER NOW!

The consolidation trend within the electrical distribution industry is continuing. Many distributors are moving from disruptive to profitable acquisitive growth by utilizing enterprise technology. This IT strategy allows distributors to quickly and efficiently increase revenues after expanding into new geographic areas and/or broadening their product offerings. Learn about how Summit Electric Supply is leveraging SAP to meet their challenges in a consolidating industry.

Summit Electric Supply is a major electrical distributor based in Albuquerque, NM. It operates 20 Service Centers in the U.S. and a Global Export Division. Summit specializes in providing equipment, service and technical support to a wide range of companies and organizations, including residential, commercial and industrial electrical contractors, government, institutions, health care, petrochemical, mining and other organizations that use the material to maintain, repair or operate their facilities.

SAP for Wholesale Distribution addresses the needs of both midsize and large wholesale distribution businesses in a wide range of segments, including food service and grocery, industrial, medical, and healthcare. This solution set supports the core components of your business, with applications for planning, procurement, warehouse management, sales order management and business analytics.

Speaker Profiles:

David Wascom is the CIO and Vice President of IT for Summit Electric Supply. Earlier this year, he accepted the role of CIO and VP of IT. He has a Bachelors and a Masters of Business Administration degree (Economics) from Louisiana Tech University, as well as a Master of Science degree (Economics) from Louisiana State University.

Paul Pretko serves as an Industry Principal for SAP America’s Wholesale Distribution division. He is responsible for direct sales support, pipeline growth, field enablement, and thought leadership in the wholesale distribution industry. He coordinates industry, solution, and marketing resources to support effective business development and sales cycle execution. Paul has completed his Masters work in Advanced Information Technologies at Villa Julie College and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola College.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server

Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer

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Radio Frequency Identification (RFID): Not your Standard Mandate

Not long ago consumer goods manufacturers wanted nothing to do with RFID technology. They winced when they had to comply with RFID mandates from retailers like Wal-Mart, convinced they were getting little, if anything in return.

Manufacturers watched with dismay as tests determined the best location for RFID tags on metallic products or packages containing liquids – both trouble spots for the technology dragged on and on. All the while, they grumbled that the retailers would see all the benefits, while manufacturers got stuck with the bill.

That was yesterday. As RFID technology matures, more manufacturers are jumping on the RFID bandwagon. One example of their support is the push by a group of electronics manufacturers to establish a set of international standards for RFID, with the goal of embedding tags into all kinds of electronics.

EPCglobal, a GS1 subsidiary organization, is working with the electrical industry to make sure it has a clear understanding of where manufacturers, retailers and users can benefit from global RFID standards. It is anticipated that an electronics industry action group will be formed within EPCglobal. This would be more than a track and trace initiative; it would be an initiative to implement a formal set of guidelines in the form of international standards. The action group would help manufacturers better manage products from cradle to grave, and also improve manufacturing processes.

Retailers and distributors would benefit from better product availability and supply chain visibility. Best Buy is a good case study for this argument. RFID has improved everything from their product forecasting to their on-shelf availability, which soared from 84% to 93%. They have moved beyond case and pallet tagging, reducing customer disappointment per store visit, helping fight piracy and preventing stock outs.

Manufacturers are also hoping to benefit in the form of internal process improvements. Dell and HP are eyeing RFID applications in the manufacturing process. Imagine running a kanban production line, which aligns inventory levels with actual consumption. You simply install the component rather then scan the component in an assembly process. All the scanning processes are eliminated because RFID identified the unit, verified it is going into the correct product and stored the serial number.

So what began as a major headache for manufacturers, has now led to rising interest in RFID for internal applications that promise a greater return on investment

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