IDEA and A-D Form Partnership
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Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Arlington, VA- October 10, 2007 - Affiliated Distributors (A-D), the largest wholesale buying and marketing group in North America, has signed an agreement with IDEA, an eCommerce service provider, to move all of its electronic transactions through IDEA' s Industry Data Exchange (IDX).
In addition, A-D will encourage its electrical distribution member affiliates to switch their electronic (EDI) transactions to IDX. This move will provide greater efficiencies for the A-D affiliates and support an electrical industry wide initiative.
Industry Data Exchange (IDX) enables manufacturers, distributors, and service providers to conduct partner-to-partner electronic business on an Internet based network using EDI, XML, Flat File or Web Form transaction sets. Activant Solutions provides the core network services. IDX also provides direct connections to other similar Internet based networks.
"A-D makes every effort to provide leadership to its distribution members," said David Oldfather, Vice President of the Electrical Supply Division, A-D. "This move will help improve efficiencies and continue to encourage standardization of electronic communication for distributors. We encourage manufacturers and affiliates to follow suit and support this industry wide initiative."
"Our core mission has always been to provide tools that allow companies to be more efficient. The agreement with A-D is a great stride towards overall industry improvement and we are proud to be a part of this," said Mike Rioux, President, IDEA.
About A-D
Comprised of over 370 independent distributor companies with over 3,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada, A-D's membership commands over $24 Billion in sales across five industries: electrical supplies, industrial supplies, plumbing supplies, HVAC equipment and supplies, and pipe, valves and fittings. A-D is committed to the success of the independent distributor. A-D differentiates itself from traditional buying groups by building positive, marketing-oriented relationships between members and suppliers. Year after year, A-D members in every A-D division have grown faster than the industry as a whole. Affiliated Distributors works to level the playing field for the best independents in the five industries served and works to ensure that the suppliers treat members fairly are treated fairly in return. For 26 years, A-D has been proud to say, "We stand with independents" and we always will.
About IDEA
IDEA is the only standard-setting organization offering a full range of eCommerce products and services designed to drive supply network efficiencies, reduce costs, slash cycle times, and ensure standardized, timely, and accurate data. IDEA provides the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW), a database of product, pricing, and marketing data; the Industry Data Exchange (IDX), a centralized and standardized document exchange solution; the Industry Retail Database (IRD) a central repository of manufacturer retail product data powered by CERICOMX® which helps users meet retailer mandates and CPG and GS1 US requirements; IDEA eCredit (IeC), a hosted industry account receivables reporting database and the Data Audit and Certification (DAC) Program which assures the accuracy and completeness of the manufacturer data found in IDW.
About Activant Solutions Inc.
Activant Solutions Inc. ("Activant") is a leading technology provider of business management solutions serving small and medium-sized retail and wholesale distribution businesses in three primary vertical markets: hardlines and lumber; wholesale distribution; and the automotive parts aftermarket. Founded in 1972, Activant provides customers with tailored proprietary software, professional services, content, supply chain connectivity, and analytics. More than 30,000 customer locations use an Activant solution to manage their day-to-day operations. Activant has operations throughout the United States and Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
For more information, please visit www.activant.com.
Contacts:
IDEA
Rita Hagopian,
(703) 562-4628
rhagopian@idea-eSolutions.com
2461 South Clark St. Suite 450
Arlington, VA 22202
TEL (703) 562-4600
FAX (703) 562-4601
www.idea-eSolutions.com
