New IDEA IRD Customers

IDEA announces 31 new IDEA IRD customers. Read more about these companies and how you can begin trading with them electronically to expand your business.

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 31 suppliers:

• North Texas Lubricants, Inc.
• Royal Consumer Information
• Leonard A. Feinberg, Inc. 
• Wilde Tool Co.
• Taylor Brands, LLC
• Venture Products, LLC
• Priceless Resource, Inc.
• Zim Manufacturing
• Mechanics Time Savers Inc.
• Reborn Beauty, LLC
• Games to Remember
• Dayman US, Inc.
• Elexa Consumer Products, Inc.
• Filo America, Inc.
• Baby Trend, Inc.
• Island Snacks, Inc.
• Reno Tahoe Specialty, Inc.
• Sutong China Tire Resources, Inc.
• Badia Spices, Inc.
• Biciclo SA DE CV
• Desert Extrusion Corporation
• Emerson Healthcare, LLC
• ESI Cases & Accessories
• KrausUSA
• Nalu Group, LLC
• NTM, Inc
• Ohio Steel Industries
• Pioneer Plastics USA
• SpongeTech 
• Thorsen Tool Company
• Western Sales Trading Company 

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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IDEA Releases the First Electrical Industry Attribute Schema to Standardize Descriptive Product Information

Schema developed and approved by various participants to improve the sales process

IDEA recently released the first Electrical Industry Attribute Schema. This schema provides suppliers with a guide to communicate a standardized set of product descriptors to their trading partners through IDEA’s Data Synchronization Platform (DSP), as an accompaniment to the existing transactional and descriptive marketing data in Industry Data Warehouse (IDW).

The schema is based on the lowest and most detailed product category level of the electrical industry related portion of the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®) list. UNSPSC® is an internationally harmonized and standardized code set used to categorize products for reporting and spend analysis.

“This attribute schema is a major muscle movement in the energy to advance eCommerce and stands as an example of the collaborative power of the electrical channel. We should all be appreciative for the leadership of the Standards Committee manufacturer and distributor volunteers, heavily supported by DATAgility, that developed and piloted the schema, and Activant, that quickly enabled the IDW data sync platform to accommodate the data,” said Bob Gaylord, president and CEO, IDEA.

The UNSPSC® field will become mandatory in IDW effective January 1, 2010. The UNSPSC® is the basis for the attribute schema which enables the growth of Internet based commerce. Correct assignment of the UNSPSC® code to products is necessary to effectively use the schema for attribute assignment.

“Bottom line, missing information equals limited or no sales,” said Phil Barrios, Chairman, IDEA Industry Standards Committee and Sr. Director, Corporate Marketing & eBusiness, Hubbell Incorporated.

"Once IDW is populated with detailed product attributes and UNSPSC® codes, distributors can incorporate this sales information into internal search and reporting functions and fuel the need of online commerce information,” said Barrios.

The Standards Committee is developing a “lessons learned” document to assist the industry in populating and using the schema based on insights from a pilot program. IDEA is prepared to assist manufacturers in expediting this initiative to populate the product descriptors in IDW.

DATAgility, partnered with Unilog Content Solutions, assisted with development of the Electrical Industry Attribute Schema that was ultimately approved for implementation channel-wide by the Standards Committee.

The official documents detailing the copyright protected Electrical Industry Attribute Schema are available on the new IDEA Portal (www.myideaportal.net) using the navigation Training>Standards>Product Identification. You are encouraged to contact your account manager for additional details.

Read more about the schema in the Electrical Wholesaling article “Big Schema Things”.

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Experience the New IDEA Portal 2.0 Today

IDEA recently upgraded the customer portal to enhance the user experience. The upgrade provides customers with improved search and navigation efficiency, real-time customizable news and expanded contact information. Take a tour...

Improved Search and Navigation Efficiency

• Search by service, document type or standard type from one screen
  • The more efficient navigation saves you time while searching for training and support documents
• New pages launch in separate windows conducive to multi-tasking
  • You can easily view and refer to resources such as user guides while using an application

Real-time Customizable News

• News and events page revamped with RSS functionality
  • IDEA and industry news and education available to customers in real-time
• Users can customize RSS Feeds and Quick Links in Account Settings
  • You can get all your special interest news in one location

Contacts Page Expanded

• Easily search and find the right person for your specific needs
• View all staff contact information, pictures and bios in one location

All customers can use their old Portal user name and password to access the new interface. Please contact your account manager or email if you are unable to login.

About the IDEA Customer Portal

The customer portal is a password protected site providing customers with secure and direct access to Industry Data Warehouse (IDW), Industry Data Exchange (IDX) and Industry Retail Database (IRD). The site also features customer support Live Chat, public and private access to product support and training materials, Standards knowledge base and the ability to create support cases.

Experience the IDEA Portal 2.0 Now!

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Keep the Forum on Your Mind

We hope you are beginning to implement some of the strategies you learned at the 2009 Forum. Be sure to check your inbox for the Forum survey that was sent on Thursday, October 8th and stay tuned for additional resources.

We value the feedback you provide in the Forum survey because it helps us plan future events around your needs. Please don’t hesitate to express your opinions and share your ideas. All input is greatly appreciated and all individual feedback will be kept confidential. An overview of the comprehensive results will be shared once the survey is closed.

You can also check back on the Forum resources page for presentations, reviews and photos of the 2009 event. Please contact if you did not receive the survey or if you have additional Forum resources to include on the website.

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IDW Hot Fact: How to Prepare for the December 31st Deadline

The UNSPSC® field will become mandatory in Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) effective January 1, 2010. The population of this field is essential before any company in the industry can use and benefit from the recently released Electrical Attribute Schema. IDEA is offering an assistance program to guide manufacturers through the UNSPSC® code assignment and ensure all companies successfully meet the December 31st deadline.

The new UNSPSC® assistance program will help manufacturers populate the correct category code for each of their products in IDW. The service is available in varying levels of support, from guiding and consulting to outsourcing the project entirely.

Manufacturers are encouraged to contact their account manager or email to request assistance on this project when needed.

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