This Week in IDEA | March 28, 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:

- High Desert Turf
- Haas Outdoors, Inc.
- Logistix Retail, Inc.

The following supplier signed up directly for the IRD/CERICOMX®:

- Oatey

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, at (703) 562-4624; or Tony Gaffney, IDEA CERICOMX® Implementation Manager, at (508) 386-0261.

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IDEA Announces First Annual Richard Buzun Award for Leadership and Innovation in eCommerce

IDEA recently announced the introduction of a new award named after the late Richard Buzun, the second IDEA Chairman, and former President and CEO of Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. (SE&A). The Richard Buzun Award for Leadership and Innovation in eCommerce was created to honor an individual manufacturer and distributor company that continues to reach the highest standards of excellence in eCommerce practices.

These companies should demonstrate the same passion and determination as intended by Buzun while leading both Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. and IDEA.

"We are most grateful for everything that Richard Buzun did for IDEA; and for his family, who allowed us to use his name, for what we hope, will be a very prestigious award befitting a great industry champion," said Mike Rioux, IDEA President.

The award will be presented on September 19, at the Electro E-Biz Forum 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event is co-hosted by IDEA; the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED); the Electro-Federation Canada (EFC); the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA); and the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA).

"Richard Buzun volunteered to be IDEA chairman when the company was experiencing a very difficult period in its early history. His hands on involvement and determination to ensure that IDEA would succeed were key tipping points for us. I know of no other person that would have taken on so much responsibility in addition to his own company and been as influential and successful as Richard," said Rioux.

Buzun served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. from October 2000 to June 2002. He joined SE&A in 1994 as Vice President of the Residential business. In 1995, he was appointed to Vice President, Distribution Products Division. In 1999, Buzun was named Executive Vice President when he assumed responsibilities for the motors and controls businesses. In December of 1999, he was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for all operating divisions of SE&A. Prior to joining Siemens, Buzun held positions of increasing responsibility at General Electric.

In addition to serving as a member on the IDEA Board of Directors, Buzun held a variety of other positions. He was the Chairman of the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Directors for Workbrain, the Georgia Tech President's Advisory Board, and served on the Board of Directors of the Carter Center.

The 2007 winners and subsequent winners of The Richard Buzun Award for Leadership and Innovation in eCommerce will be selected based on individual company submittals against specific criteria spanning eCommerce practices.

Some of the manufacturer award criteria include the population of product, pricing and catalog information within the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW2), incorporation of electronic data interchange (EDI) and transaction types; whether the company has met certification standards for their data and if they spearhead any programs that generate adoption of eCommerce practices.

Similar to manufacturer criteria, distributor candidates will be scored on incorporation of EDI and SPA processes, execution of eCommerce programs, usage of IDW2 and their dedication to help drive programs that generate the growth of eCommerce practices.

Submit your company information to be considered for this prestigious award today by completing the Manufacturer Submittal Form or the Distributor Submittal Form and emailing it to Amanda Johnson.

Please visit the Electro E-Biz Forum 2007 Page for more information and direct additional questions to Rita Hagopian at (703)562-4628.

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Attention Manufacturers: Distributors Requesting Net Price into Stock Information

Many distributors utilizing the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW2) are making their demands heard by requesting their manufacturers provide Net Price into Stock data via the IDW2.

The Net Price into Stock feature enables manufacturers to populate all their net price sheets in one location guaranteeing that only authorized distributor locations will receive the Net Price data. IDEA will send signed request forms to the manufacturers specified on April 9th. The following companies have requested that manufacturers supply their Nets into Stock and complete product and pricing data in the IDW2 to date:

- Allied Electric Supply
- American Electric Supply
- City Plumbing and Electric Supply, Inc.
- Columbia Electric Supply
- Commercial Lighting Supply, Inc.
- Crum Electric Supply
- Dakota Supply Group
- DS Electric Supply
- Electric Supply and Equipment Co.
- Electric Supply Center
- Electric Supply Co.
- Electric Supply, Inc.
- Electrical Distributors, Inc.
- Electrical Equipment Company
- Gerrie Electric
- Good Friend Electric
- Griffith Electric
- Gross Electric
- Hampden Zimmerman
- Independent Electric Supply
- JH Larson Company
- Kirby Risk
- Mayer Electric Supply
- Mid-Coast Electric Supply
- North Coast Electric
- Northwest Electrical Supply Co.
- R & R Supply Co.
- Regency Lighting
- Rumsey Electric
- Samson Electrical Supply
- Sefco Electric Supply Co., Inc.
- Standard Electric Supply
- Stanion Wholesale and Electric Co.
- State Electric Supply Co.
- Steiner Electric Co.
- Superior Electric Supply Co.
- The Reynolds Co.
- Van Meter Industrial
- William Supply Inc.
- Werner Electric Supply
- Yale Electric Supply Co.

Attention Distributors: Fill out the Distributor Request Form by April 9th to communicate your requests to suppliers on your line card.

Please contact Rita Hagopian at (703)562-4628 if you would like to know more about this initiative.

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Edwin Lopez Joins the IDEA Team

Edwin Lopez, formerly of PatLive, has joined the IDEA team as an Account Manager. His duties will include providing support and training to IDEA customers. He will work one-on-one with prospective and current customers to handle inquiries and recommend appropriate actions or solutions. Edwin can be reached at (703) 562-4614 or via email here. Welcome to the IDEA team!

This position was newly created to accommodate IDEA’s growing customer base.

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April IDW2 Training Schedule

IDEA continues to offer distributor and manufacturer trainings, all-users’ Q&A sessions and Net Pricing sessions. The April dates for these trainings are:

IDW2 Distributor Training Sessions:

Wednesday, April 4, 2007: 1:30 – 3:00PM
Wednesday, April 18, 2007: 1:30 – 3:00PM

General Net-Pricing Sessions (open to all):

Thursday, April 5, 2007: 1:30 – 2:00PM
Thursday, April 19, 2007: 1:30 – 2:00PM

All-user Ask the IDW2 Experts Q&A Sessions:

Wednesday, April 11, 2007: 1:30 – 3:30PM
Wednesday, April 25, 2007: 1:30 – 3:30PM

IDW2 Manufacturer Training Sessions:

Thursday, April 12, 2007: 1:30 – 3:30PM
Thursday, April 26, 2007: 1:30 – 3:30PM

If you plan on attending an Ask the IDW2 experts session, it is recommended, but not mandatory, to e-mail questions in advance, as those questions will be addressed first. These sessions will aim to help you:

o Resolve your IDW2 issues
o Learn from those in your industry
o Find out how your supplier or distributor is using the IDW2

Additional training sessions are announced each month in This Week in IDEA.

To sign up for a training session, please contact Robert Hollands, IDW2 Training and Technical Representative, at 703-562-4616.

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IDEA Webinar Reminder: Don’t Miss Enabling Profitable Growth with Enterprise Technology on April 5th!

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

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer

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