Datalliance Newsletter

Welcome to EDM’s Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) newsletter. Over the past several months we have been busy supporting and promoting the use of VMI in a variety of industries. We continue to reinforce our leadership role as the preferred provider of VMI solutions and services as is evidenced by the following activities:

EDM Presents at IDEA e-Forum in Memphis - I recently presented at the IDEA e-Forum held in Memphis, TN. IDEA is the Industry Data Exchange Association for the electrical industry. My session focused on the business benefits of VMI for the electrical industry. VMI continues to build momentum in this industry as more distributors and suppliers experience successful VMI implementations. EDM has added multiple suppliers in the electrical industry and these suppliers continue to add distributors on Datalliance.

EDM Participates in HDX User Conference - I was recently invited to present VMI for Fleet Customers at the HDX (Heavy Duty Exchange) User Conference. There were also two other VMI sessions at the conference. The first was a VMI Roundtable that included six suppliers who provide VMI services (5 of the 6 are Datalliance customers) and several distributors who are being replenished by VMI. The roundtable was followed by a panel discussion including Chicago Rawhide and Grote representing the supplier community and Boone Parts & Service and Midwest Wheel representing distributors. For copies of the presentations contact HDeXchange.

EDM is sponsoring a webinar on VMI Implementation Issues. This webinar will focus on the implementation effort that is required to roll out a VMI program and will be held on October 27, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. (See Events for details)

We continue to enhance our Datalliance service (new product release), data center operations, and customer service. More information on all of these topics is covered in the details of this newsletter.

I encourage you to continue to provide us with input on topics for future editions of this newsletter. Please feel free to contact me at carl@edm1.com with your ideas and suggestions. I hope you enjoy the newsletter!

Carl Hall, President, EDM

EDM Delivers New Release of Datalliance

New release enhances user productivity, improves report capabilities, expands international functionality, and incorporates latest technologies

Enterprise Data Management announced the immediate availability of the latest release of Datalliance®. Enhancements in this release cover a broad range of topics ranging from Planner productivity improvements, additional functionality for international distributors and suppliers, to support for technologies such as XML and SSL.

Carl Hall, president EDM, states, "Each of the enhancements in this new release of Datalliance support our stated ongoing objectives of enhancing user productivity, unlocking the value of information through flexible reporting options, and incorporation of the latest technologies where they can help us simplify and reduce the overall cost of implementing VMI."

Please click here to read complete press release.

Enterprise Data Management Announces VMI Feasibility Service

New service analyzes business environment and defines potential VMI benefits

Through this fee based service, EDM will use their extensive Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) industry experience to help companies analyze their specific business environments to determine the feasibility and potential benefits of implementing VMI with their trading partners. Many companies are evaluating VMI as VMI gains widespread acceptance across a variety of industries….

Please click here to read complete press release.

Collaborative Effort Results in First XML Industry Standard for Vendor Managed Inventory

DST and EDM Unveil Strategic Integration Capabilities Expanding Availability of VMI for Automotive and Heavy Duty Industries

DST and EDM, both recognized as leading solutions providers for the automotive and heavy duty parts industries, have jointly announced the successful integration of EDM’s Datalliance, the company’s Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) service, with DST’s DSTWare business and warehouse management systems platforms…

Please click here see the complete press release.

Datalliance Operations/Data Center Update - Data Center Capacity Expanded to Support Customer Demand

Increased demand from our existing customer base and our steady addition of new Datalliance customers makes data center capacity an ongoing focus at EDM. Our objective is to continually monitor current actual demand along with analyzing projected future demand to define the anticipated capacity requirements well in advance of our customers’ needs. Over the past several months we have invested a significant amount of time and capital to improve our capacity in the following areas ….

Please click here to read the complete update.

Customer Care Tip - Who ya gonna call? -- EDM Customer Care is here to help.

Our Customer Care group looks forward to the calls we receive from you, our valued customers. We realize that VMI is an ongoing learning process and we are committed to helping you along the way. In fact, given the continued enhancements to the Datalliance functionality and the increasing number of suppliers and distributors supported, we start to wonder how you are doing when we don’t hear from you! Our objective is your complete success and satisfaction….

Please click here to see the complete update.

VMI Customer Training Increases

EDM has been busy over the summer conducting six training sessions for new Datalliance users. The demand for these classes is a result of existing Datalliance customers expanding, adding new users, expanding VMI support internationally, and adding distributors. We are also providing training for new Datalliance customers to assist them in getting their initial VMI implementations up and running in the shortest amount of time. For more information on Datalliance training classes, contact Tammy Collins-Hoskins at 513-791-7272 or 1-888-364-3361.

Join us for a Webinar - VMI Implementation Issues – 10/27/04, 2:00p.m. EDT

This webinar will focus on the implementation effort that is required to roll out a VMI program. During this session you will hear from one of EDM’s newest VMI customers who will share some of their recent implementation experiences. This customer experience will be complemented by insights from members of the EDM Customer Care team who have significant implementation experience across many companies.

At the end of this webinar you will have greater insights into the following questions:

Which customer should I bring up first?
How long does it take to bring up a customer?
Does my staff have the required skills?
What are the technical and communications issues?
What key business issues need to be considered?
What metrics should be used to monitor and measure our program?
Is it reasonable to pilot a VMI program?

Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Time: 2:00 P.M. EDT

To Register: Send an email to info@edm1.com

This newsletter is also available online at www.dataliance.com/newsletters.html

To unsubscribe from this mailing list, simply click the following link: info@edm1.com

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