New IDEA, IDW and IDEA IRD Customers

IDEA announces two new IDEA customers, one new IDW customer and thirteen new IDEA IRD customers. Read more about these companies and how you can begin trading with them electronically to expand your business.

New IDEA Customers

Kandel Brothers, Inc.

Kandel Brothers, Inc., an electrical distributor from Middletown, NY, became an IDEA customer on April 11, 2008. They will be taking advantage of the cost savings and reliability of Industry Data Exchange (IDX). Kandel Brothers is a proud member of IMARK. Find out more at www.kandelbrothers.com.  

Muska Lighting

Muska Lighting, a distributor of home and commercial lighting products from Arden, MN, became an IDEA customer on April 15, 2008. They will also be taking advantage of the cost savings and reliability of Industry Data Exchange (IDX). Muska Lighting is a proud member of IMARK. Find out more at www.muskalighting.com.  

New IDW Customer: Yale Electric Supply

Yale Electric Supply, from Harrisburg, PA, recently expanded their eCommerce services and will now depend on Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) for their product and pricing information. To begin trading with Yale ES, contact them at www.yaleelectric.net.  

New IDEA IRD 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 thirteen suppliers:

• Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery, Inc.
• Hapa Girls N Co., Inc.
• A & V Denim
• Pandol Bros., Inc. 
• Windchimes by Russco III, Inc.
• Travelers Choice
• Adventure Products, Inc.
• East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc.
• Beautology Brands
• The Wise Company
• MumboJumbo
• Flynn Enterprises, LLC
• Cherokee Sports, LLC

These companies will be trained to use 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 find out more about the CERICOMX® product, please contact , IRD Product & Customer Support Manager, at .

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Hoffman, Border States, Dakota Supply Group and Schneider Electric: Sponsors of the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008!

IDEA would like to thank Hoffman, Border States and Dakota Supply Group for their Silver level sponsorship and Schneider Electric for their Bronze level sponsorship of the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008.
 

Hoffman, based in Anoka, Minnesota, is a leading designer and manufacturer of systems that safely and reliably protect the electronic and electrical controls in industrial, data communication and commercial construction applications. With more than 60 years of experience, extensive technical expertise and a vast distribution network, Hoffman is recognized as an industry leader providing a broad range of standard, modified and custom enclosure solutions to customers worldwide. Hoffman is a member of the Pentair Technical Products Group, which also includes Pentair Electronic Packaging, Schroff, Pentair Enclosures Europe, Pentair Enclosures Asia, and McLean Thermal. Find out more at www.hoffmanonline.com.  

Border States provides products and services to the construction, industrial, utility, and data communications markets. Active employees own 100 percent of the company under the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The employee-owned company has more than 1,200 employees and 50 branch operations in 11 states and Mexico. Border States is one of the 100 largest private ESOP companies in America and one of the few ESOP companies headquartered in North Dakota. Find out more at www.borderstateselectric.com.  

Dakota Supply Group is an employee owned full-line electrical, communications and mechanical distributor, known for state-of-the-art products, experienced employees, personal service, and a total quality management approach to every transaction from beginning to end. They offer 250 lines and 25,000 products. Dakota Supply Group's corporate headquarters are located in Fargo, North Dakota. Find out more at www.dakotasupplygroup.com.  

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, offers integrated solutions making energy safer, more reliable, more efficient and more productive in the energy & infrastructure, industry, data centers & networks, buildings and residential markets. With sales of €17.3 billion in 2007, the company's 120,000 employees in 102 countries help individuals & organizations make the most of their energy.

Square D® is a market-leading global brand of Schneider Electric for NEMA type electrical distribution and industrial control products, systems and services. Square D products are found in all types of residential, commercial and industrial construction, in a wide range of manufacturing and processing facilities, and in or on the products of other manufacturers. Find out more at www.squared.com.  

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Make Your Data Make Sense with IDEA!

In a perfect world…our internal product and pricing data would be up-to-date, accurate and centralized. All of our trading partners would have matching attributes and identical information on their end to eliminate order errors and improve marketing efforts. The sales process would flow quickly and seamlessly resulting in bottom-line benefits for everyone in the channel.

IDEA recently met up with industry expert Allen Ray, principal of Allen Ray Associates, to discuss how we can help make that world a reality for all members of the industry through data synchronization. In our discussion, Allen Ray emphasized ten reasons why you need to synchronize your data through IDEA to remain competitive in the marketplace today. The top three reasons are:

1. Easy Adoption – IDEA’s first priority is to serve the industry – no matter the size of the company. So they help you every step of the way to make your transition painless and rewarding
2. Minimal Investment - With IDEA, you can synchronize and centralize your data without investing in any new hardware or software.
3. Reduced Labor Costs - By automating the transaction process, you eliminate labor-intensive manual tasks and minimize errors, thereby reducing time and costs throughout the supply network.

We want to help you take the next step toward achieving data synchronization no matter where you are in the process. To make this easier for you, IDEA developed a quick 5-step data sync plan to fit your needs.

Get Allen Ray’s complete top ten list and your custom data sync plan now!

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IDEA Moving Forward

To continue our forward thinking tradition, IDEA is undergoing a strategic planning review. We are conducting a scan of the electrical industry and we want to hear from you!

You hold the key information we need to gain a greater perspective of the industry and develop a suitable strategic direction.

Within the next week, many of you will be invited to provide your feedback - please take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to respond to the request. Your feedback will be used to evaluate the industry as a whole so that we can better serve you in the future.

As an added incentive, each respondent will be entered into a drawing to receive a free registration to the IDEA E-Biz Forum 2008!

If you have any questions about IDEA’s strategic planning process, please contact  at .

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Voice Your Channel Challenges

Allen Ray Associates and Channel Marketing Group are collecting feedback from manufacturers, distributors and manufacturer reps to bring greater clarity to the common issues facing channel partners in the industry today. Make sure to voice your personal experiences by taking the Channel Challenges Survey.

The research results of this survey will be presented and analyzed in future issues of Electrical Wholesaling. The goal is to gain a better understanding of each others’ perspectives so issues can be addressed and strategies can be developed to close the gaps.

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Industry Data Warehouse May Training Schedule

IDEA continues to offer Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) distributor and manufacturer trainings and focused sessions on Net Pricing and the Inbound Mapper. The May dates for these trainings are:

IDW Distributor Training Sessions:
Wednesday, May 14: 1:30-3:00PM
Wednesday, May 28: 1:30-3:00PM

IDW Manufacturer Training Sessions:
Thursday, May 8: 1:30-3:30PM
Thursday, May 22: 1:30-3:30PM

Net Pricing Training Sessions:
Thursday, May 1: 1:30-2:00PM
Thursday, May 15: 1:30-2:00PM
Thursday, May 29: 1:30-2:00PM

Inbound Mapping Sessions:
Wednesday, May 7: 1:30-2:30PM
Wednesday, May 21: 1:30-2:30PM

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

To sign up for a training session, please contact at .

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Did You Know? IDW Hot Facts

The setting called “Allow Multiple Price Sheets” in the Company Profile menu has been enabled for Current and Future pricing requests. If checked, IDW will deliver duplicate items if:

a. more than one price sheet exists within a given time frame
b. an item hasn't been expired or
c. there are multiple pricing zones

 

When the box is unchecked and any of the above scenarios apply, IDW will withhold duplicate items and distributors will receive a separate zipped .csv file within their Extraction Summary notification listing all the items withheld. Manufacturer contacts who are selected to receive Load Summary Reports will simultaneously receive this zipped .csv denoting the duplicate items withheld from their distributors' extracts.

*It is recommended for distributors who receive zoned pricing to check the “Allow Multiple Price Sheets” setting.

The setting will not withhold duplicate items caused by duplicate catalog numbers or other improper product lifecycle changes. IDEA is handling those administratively.

If you have any questions about this new setting, please contact at .

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