Just recently I came across an interesting article on B2B.com which reported that a universal integration system is the top strategy for businesses challenging with internal and supplier communication. Aberdeen Group, a research firm in Boston,  surveyed the chief supply chain officers at 158 enterprises last April and 78% of the respondents said the top business strategy for dealing with supply chain issues is improving internal cross-departmental visibility and integration.

“In short, today’s supply chain management professional is being asked to move products further and faster than ever before through all these various channels while striving to decrease logistics costs and increase profitability,” Aberdeen reports.

B2B Companies today are being asked to have exact inventory levels available at all times to ensure the retailers they are working with have access to their up to date product information. Implementing processes and technologies, like eBridge’s EDI integration, that automate the tedious day-to-day work that keeps your business running will allow you and your employees to focus on higher-level strategic tasks. An EDI integration system for B2B companies ensures an integrated flow of data that eliminates data entry. EDI is used in all major industries, such as health, retail, automotive, finance etc. and can be implemented almost immediately, depending on the type of EDI solution chosen.

This type of seamless integration is also becoming increasingly valuable and often necessary for eCommerce companies. With the eBridge eCommerce integration, customer and sales order information is automatically entered into the back-office financial system from the Ecommerce storefront. In turn, product information and order status updates are automatically entered into the Ecommerce storefront to provide customers with essential and up-to-date information. The eCommerce solution greatly increases the speed of information exchange, resulting in improved customer service efficiency and customer satisfaction.

If you believe your company would benefit from eBridge’s universal integration platform, please comment below or contact me today: pvanasseldonk@ebridgeconnections.com

Also, if you wish to view the report “Supply Chain Visibility and Collaborative Execution in Consumer Markets: Addressing Omni-channel Logistics” it is normally available for Aberdeen clients at a price of $399, but is available as a free download for a limited time only.

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This is an email we received from one of our customers today and wanted to share this information to other EDI customers who are connected to Target Canada. The email read:

If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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Similar to the saying ‘Call Before You Dig’ we would like to remind all of our customers to ‘Call Before You Upgrade’. A lot of companies are upgrading their ERP systems or adjusting their eCommerce, EDI or CRM applications so that their company can be using the best and most intuitive software available. eBridge Connections is a firm believer in staying on top of innovative technology but when it comes to making upgrades that may affect your integration, you should always call your eBridge Integration Specialist before making any changes. This will ensure that the upgrade does not interfere with your solution because that ends up creating headaches for both us and you.

The aftermath of upgrading without letting your Integration Specialist know beforehand can vary. Sometimes nothing changes and it’s business as usual, but unfortunately, it usually ends with your integration needing some work done so that it can run properly again.

Here are the most common issues eBridge runs into when you make upgrades without letting us know:

• The integration adapters often have a version check, so while there may not be changes at the database level from version to version, upgrading can cause the solution to fail based on this alone
• An old version of Windows or SQL server may not be compatible with the adapter, however, if the ERP officially supports a particular version of Windows or SQL, this shouldn’t be an issue
• If the customer updates and we haven’t released that version of the adapter, they can be production down for several days…or weeks
• If the customer forgets or isn’t aware they have customized their ERP database in a way that required a customized adapter, this could compound the delays
• It’s possible that the integration will appear to work but some of the data fields will not map to the correct location anymore

If you have any questions about your current solution or are planning an upgrade during the new year I advise you to call your eBridge Connections representative right away. This is because if any changes need to be made to your solution, it can be scheduled ahead of time to avoid any down-time or problems with your integration. If you are not sure which representative you should contact about your integration, please email me at pvanasseldonk@ebridgeconnections.com and I will forward your inquiry to your proper specialist.

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You may have already noticed, but we wanted to announce the roll-out of our new and improve homepage as well as site-wide style updates. The changes are largely cosmetic, but the menu has also been revamped to make your browsing experience on the eBridge more intuitive. Below is a snapshot of what it looks like (or click to check out the real thing)

The update was soft-launched on Monday, and there will likely be minor additions and changes over the next week or so.  Feel free to let us know what you think and/or report any issues.

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We just received a tip from Accolade Publications detailing some important expiration dates for support from Microsoft for both MS Dynamics GP and SQL products. If you are using any of the products mentioned below, we recommend looking into an upgrade as soon as possible.

Important Dates for Microsoft Support Expiration

Microsoft only supports the most recent two versions of most of their software products.  This includes not only MS Dynamics GP but also tools like MS SQL. Here are some support expiration dates of interest.  If you are on any of these versions (or earlier) you should contact your partner and schedule updates.

Read more…

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Last Thursday, we let you know of some upcoming EDI changes for Hannaford Bros. and Food Lion. We just received additional details that explain the impacts on each specific document. The details we received are as follows:

These changes apply to EDI documents for suppliers delivering products to Food Lion and Hannaford Bros. distribution centers and the Hannaford Bros. stores.  They do not apply to documents for the Food Lion Direct Store Delivery program or for Scan Based Trading programs with Food Lion or Hannaford Bros.

Read more…

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Hey Everyone,

As always, the development team here at eBridge has had their nose to the grindstone this week. Below are the new and updated integration connections that were deployed to the ePortal during the week of June 7, 2010:

• Arch Brook Laguna 4010
• United Food Services 4010

Read more…

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Good Afternoon,

Below are the new and updated integration connections that were deployed to the ePortal during the week of May 31, 2010:

• Blair Catalogue 4010
• Duckwall 4010

Read more…

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We recently received notice that effective this month, all vendors trading with Target.com will be required to implement an EDI solution. The details of the change including concerns for specific EDI document numbers can be found below:

As we move away from the VCommerce (Channel Intelligence) solution, we require that all vendors implement an EDI solution to connect with Target.com.  This is the only way that you will be able to receive purchase orders, send inventory feeds, and send advance ship notifications.  Attached are new specifications.

Specific EDI Document Changes:

Read more…

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Good Afternoon,

We’re making this post a day earlier than usual, because no one will be here tomorrow thanks to Good Friday. Given the short week, we have also have a shorter than usual list to share. Below are the new and updated integration connections that were deployed to the ePortal during the week of March 29th:

• GE Catalog 4010

• Amazon Books 4010
• Bostwick 4010
• CVS 4010
• Find MRO 4010
• ASPDotNetStorefront Connector
• Home Depot Canada 4060
• Metro Richeleau 4010 VICS
• Bloomingdales 4030 VICS
• Miva Merchant
• MSC Industrial Supply 4010
• Pubnet US 3060

That wraps it up for this week. As always, be sure to contact us if you have any questions or need a connection we haven’t deployed yet!

Have a safe and happy long weekend (if you get one)!

Kevin Martin
Assistant Marketing Professional

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