Product category:
Builders Merchants
News Release from: Builders Merchants Federation [BMF] | Subject: E trading
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 March 2007
EDI conference uncovers myths of e
trading
The Builders Merchants Federation is bringing together major players in the merchant industry to explode the myths of e trading at a conference at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) is bringing together major players in the merchant industry to explode the myths of e trading at a conference on 25th April at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, supported by UNIMER and NMBS to help revolutionise the building supplies industry While increasing numbers of merchants want to switch over to electronic trading to help them reduce costs and improve services, they fear the cost of doing so
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 17 May 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Relatively few building products have their own standardised numbers, which means the merchant industry lags behind other sectors that are already exploiting the benefits of e trading.
BMF managing director Chris Pateman said: "By promoting the development of cost effective EDI systems, which are affordable for merchants of any size, and by bringing the major players together under one roof, the BMF aims to raise awareness and highlight the mutual benefits of e trading.
This conference will act as a one-stop resource for merchants who want to increase the use of their IT systems and find out what to do, where to go and which suppliers they can trade electronically with".
Robin Somerville heads up the BMF's EDI sub committee and is Strategic Development Director at Long and Somerville, one merchant that has recently put e trading into action.
He said: "We're already working to eliminate the entire manual re-keying process, which is a classic way of wasting time and generating errors, and currently takes us around three to four days of data inputting each week.
With e trading merchants never have to spend time resolving purchase order problems caused by re-keying errors and it frees up manpower to chase up credit notes and improve customer service.
It particularly benefits merchants who purchase through e commerce hubs provided by major buying groups, which receive electronic orders and send them out to members.
But Robin wants to do more, he added: "Most merchants already have computer systems within their business and the cost of the infrastructure and technologies has come right down, so e trading is accessible to all companies.
Now it's a case of all manufacturers identifying their products with unique codes, so that we can integrate our invoicing with theirs".
By the end of 2007 both NMBS and UNIMER want to receive all supplier invoices electronically and by 2009 send all invoices electronically to merchants.
Chris Hayward is managing director of NMBS, he said: "We implemented e trading over 10 years ago and it's saved us and our members thousands of pounds.
It is the one business tool that drives down cost and pushes up quality.
Over 80% of our invoices are received electronically so e trading reduces errors and improves efficiency, which takes costs out of the supply chain.
This conference will help educate the industry and encourage our members to adopt e trading in order to receive invoices electronically".
Howard Grant is managing director of UNIMER, he said: "Our aim is to educate the industry and promote the general benefit of e trading to the merchant sector.
Improved operations will see businesses moving forward and result in benefits for both their suppliers and customers.
For UNIMER, the more we trade electronically, the more we can reduce our costs, which means increased benefits for both suppliers and our members".
Merchants and manufacturers who've already embarked on e trading will be on hand to answer questions and give advice on issues facing smaller companies wanting to change over.
In addition the major providers of electronic trading systems and software will be exhibiting the latest technologies.
And at the exhibition, the GSIUK, which is responsible for supply chain data standards and can make available a range of unique product barcodes to manufacturers for just a few hundred pounds.
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