Many large companies are benefitting from enterprise application integration(EAI) and from electronically automating their business transactions. Order process, shipping information, inventory management and others are all handled by integrated software systems.

Ecommerce first began 20 years ago with EDI and was limited to large customers and their larger suppliers. Now, with the web and lower costs for EDI, large customers can mandate all their suppliers to get on board or lose their business.

Data Integration Specialists provide two valuable services; 1) get companies trading on-line with their customers and 2) deliver the same benefits of integrated information to small suppliers.

The ultimate goal is to be more responsive to actual customer needs without unnecessary inventory. This is the challenge for the world-class supply chain.

Manufacturers must now move from a forecast-based production schedule to a customer-driven Demand-Pull environment.

Point of Sale (POS) Customer demand is analyzed by back-end systems.

Those systems generate electronic orders sent via EDI or email that must be filled quickly (customer demand pulls replenishment).

Suppliers must respond faster than ever before by conducting the transaction electronically. Suppliers that don’t have their back end systems integrated must hunt for information to respond to the customer’s purchase order.

Suppliers must also complete the order faster.

Communicating necessary shipping, price, customer and other information electronically.

Without an integrated system, the supplier then is faced with re-keying the same information into their systems.

Suppliers can now reap the same benefits from integrated systems as their large customers. In fact, most large customers will welcome and reward those suppliers who take steps to integrate their back-office and trading systems becoming a part of their customers extended supply-chain.