This Week in IDEA | October 20, 2011

Access Forum Presentations and Resources Online

The IDEA E-Biz Forum 2011 presentations, photos, videos, and reviews are now accessible through the Forum Resources page. The Forum materials are available for everyone to use for informational purposes, but they are best used as a supplemental resource to the live presentations given at the event. Save the date for the 2012 Forum on September 25-27th in Dallas, TX so that you can maximize our Forum resources. Be sure to read Electrical Marketing’s article "IDEA E-Biz Forum Charges Up Tech Crowd" for a review and summary of the event.

What 2011 attendees are saying:

• “The networking opportunities at this event are second to none. I know of nowhere else where you can get a relatively clear vision of where the industry is heading on multiple fronts, not just solely from a technological aspect.”
• “The topics were relevant and well prepared. I found myself having to choose between two topics held at the same time on several occasions throughout the event which indicates the quality of the material.”
• “Great networking and learning experience. It's all about the people and knowledge shared.”
• “IDEA is making a difference. It just takes time, perseverance, patience, and good leadership.”
• “The session by Tim Sanders was inspirational as an eye opener to the fact that not sharing information can be a crutch to your company rather than a strong suit.”
• “The Forum acts on two fronts: advancing eCommerce in the electrical industry, and keeping participants abreast of the latest developments and related technologies.”
• “Cost of the Forum- $595.00. Cost of the hotel- $129.00. Cost of meeting and interacting with the people who can help your business and solve problems- priceless.”

Please email or connect with us on social media sites if you have additional Forum resources to share.

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A Practical Guide to Data Syndication in the BIM Environment

Part of the buzz around the 2011 E-Biz Forum was the relevancy of the topics and quality of sessions offered. “A Practical Guide to Data Syndication in the BIM Environment” session presented by Angela Baraks of DATAgility and Marty Brett of Wheatland Tube introduced attendees to principal concepts and key stakeholders in the Building Information Modeling (BIM) arena. Jim Lucy, Chief Editor of Electrical Wholesaling magazine discusses how BIM is crucial to sales because of its potential to distribute information that could influence whether a manufacturer’s brand is chosen for construction projects.

NEMA selected DATAgility, the leading provider of data management services and solutions to develop the guide for manufacturers to build BIM templates for the electrical industry. These templates will allow manufacturers to have their product data published in a standardized format within the BIM application software systems. Attendees were given an overview of the process needed for data collection and an outline of how to successfully populate their product information within the BIM templates.

Key Highlights:

• The Construction Industry Institute estimates there is up to 57% non-value-added effort and waste in current business models. Industries may waste up to $600 billion each year.
• According to Carnegie Mellon University Research, an improvement of just 3.8% in productivity of building functions would totally pay for a facility’s design, construction, operations and sustainment through increased efficiency.
• The BIM Template Toolkit contains guides, spreadsheets, and tutorials that manufacturers can reference when populating the BIM templates.
• BIM applications focus on saving resources (dollars, time and materials) during each phase of the facility life cycle.
  

Call to Action:

• Increased product specification early in the BIM process means increased sales opportunities for manufacturers.
• If your company is interested in growing sales in this vertical, contact Angela Baraks at DATAgility.
  

The PowerPoint presentation from the session is now available on .

Download the BIM PowerPoint presentation>

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Innovative Manufacturers Prepare for Digital Success

Content courtesy of electroindustry magazine.

In this lean economy, manufacturers are finding themselves fighting a digital battle as distributors and retailers clamor for more and better product information to satisfy information-thirsty, mobile-enabled purchasers. As eCommerce competition rages on, many electrical manufacturers are finding some of their biggest challenges to be within: hidden away in the quiet recesses of their own product data and processes.

Sonia Coleman, marketing and web consultant, interviewed pilot participants of IDEA’s new Data Management Platform (DMP) on how this solution is helping them streamline processes and save time. Samer Shehadeh, EDI Manager, Cooper Industries, said, “Creating one source of your product information, automating it through a certified data management platform and synchronizing it to multiple channels at one time – now that’s a game changer.” Find out more about the DMP in this month’s electroindustry magazine article.

Download the pdf of the article>

Download the DMP Product Brief>

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IDEA Industry Standards Committee Members Recognized at 2011 E-Biz Forum

On Wednesday September 28th, during the general session at the E-Biz Forum in St. Louis, MO, Mindy Michalski, Project Manager, Rockwell Automation, was recognized by Bob Gaylord, President and CEO of IDEA and Mary Shaw, Director of Standards, for her dedication and service to the electrical channel and the IDEA Industry Standards Committee.

Bob Gaylord announced, “When you look within a group, and particularly at Mindy, you’ll hear her very quietly say something and everybody will stop to listen. Whether she has a leadership position within that meeting or not, she commands a leadership presence because she is well respected by h­er peers for her technical knowledge and is widely known as the EDI expert. As she moves on to other adventures and challenges within Rockwell, IDEA and the ISC family wish her all the best and thank her for all the contributions she’s made to the channel.”

Mindy has been involved with global standards development since 1988, when NEMA managed the eComm Division EDI committee. When NEMA then turned standards development over to IDEA, Mindy continued to be a key contributor to the team. Her efforts on EDI transactions and X12 have had widespread influence throughout the industry and she has held many leadership positions on the ISC.

­Mindy shared, “I can’t express the gratitude that I have for the opportunity to meet each and every one of you. All of your contributions over the years have been fantastic, and I truly appreciate all of your efforts. Because it’s not just me, it’s everyone working together that truly makes a difference in our industry.”

Also recognized at the E-Biz Forum during the ISC Meeting were:

• Chris Long, Graybar Electric Company, Inc., for his service as Vice Chair of Product Information Subcommittee
• Tammy Paters, Cooper Industries, for her service as Vice Chair of ISC.
• Ann Jaehn, Thomas & Betts, was welcomed as new Vice Chair of ISC.
• Brenda Maxwell, Acuity Brands Lighting, was welcomed as new Chair of B2B Communications subcommittee

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Electrical eCommerce Standards Resources

The IDEA Industry Standards Committee (ISC) is dedicated to publishing industry created and/or approved standards in order to help trading partners speak one common language and optimize business processes. The updated Sta­ndards Resources page on the main IDEA website features a search application where standards, white paper guidelines, and templates can be found and sorted according to standard type, name, or application (IDX, IDW, etc). The search application is also available through the IDEA Customer Portal under "Standards". With regard to its commitment to the industry, the ISC makes a variety of standards resources available for download. The documents that are not hyperlinked in the search window require an IDEA Portal customer login to access and download. If you need help logging in to the IDEA Portal, please contact your account manager directly or email .

Key documents:

• IDEA Electrical Attribute Schema V2.0: To enhance sales/marketing efforts and differentiate products, the Schema V2.0 is based on the global UNSPSC® product categorization system and enables manufacturers to communicate standardized product descriptors to trading partners through IDEA’s data synchronization platforms.
• IDEA PDD 05.02.00: Learn how to best populate data in the IDW by reviewing the Product Descriptor Database, which outlines the format and structure in which data should be submitted.
• 05 – 1SYNC Data Requirements Guide DPv4.0: A great resource for IRD CERICOMX®  users that provides detailed definitions and notes for 1SYNC Data Requirements.
• EDI Pro: A set of electrical industry specific subsets/guidelines to the ASC X12 EDI Standards, intended to facilitate easier implementation when establishing EDI with trading partners across the industry.

If you have a need for a new standard, white paper guideline or edits/additions to existing standards, please complete the Standards Development Request Form and send to . Each request will be carefully reviewed and considered for implementation by the ISC Executive Committee.

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New Synchronization Customers

New IDW Customer

Victor Specialties, a manufacturer from Bronx, NY, became an Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) customer in October 2011. Previously, Victor Specialties was a data donor to the IDW. They decided to become an IDW customer to leverage features that enable them to take full control of their product information. Victor Specialties is a leading source of high quality clamps, straps, hangers, gang boxes, device covers, and flat covers with customization capabilities. Find out more at www.victorsp.com.

New IRD CERICOMX® Customers

As a 1SYNC Data Pool On-Board Solution (OBS) partner, IDEA implements suppliers that subscribe to the 1SYNC data pool using the IRD CERICOMX® Data Synchronization Platform. IDEA was recently assigned 17 suppliers:

• Poggio La Noce
  
• Smoke Free
  
• Schmilne, Inc.
  
• Lehi Valley Trading Co.
  
• Dickinson Brands
  
• Mackie International, Inc. 
• Home Essentials, Inc. 
• Tripp Country Hams, Inc. 
• Ultimark Products 
• Snappy Dragon Foods LLC 
• OFM, Inc. 
• DeGoede Bulb Farms, Inc. 
• Great American Duck 
• Stream TV Networks
• ABC Development, Inc. 
• Caldwell Consumer Health 
• BooginHead 

These companies will be trained to use IRD CERICOMX®, an online catalog that suppliers use to register product data with the GS1 Registry® and GDSN via the 1SYNC Data Pool. Suppliers also use this solution to publish product data to demand partners including retailers such as Lowe’s and Walmart.

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