ÿþ<HTML><HEAD> <TITLE>EDI Center News, March, 2006</TITLE> <meta name="description" content="Quarterly EDI Newsletter. March, 2006."> <meta name="keywords" content="EDI, electronic data interchange, news, retail"> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <STYLE> body { font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;} a:link { color: #0302B8; text-decoration:none} a:visited { color: #0302B8;text-decoration:none} a:active { color: #0302B8} a:hover { color: #C69800; text-decoration:underline} </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#fbfbff> <DIV align=center> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width="100%" bgColor=#fbfbff><A name=top></A> <DIV align=center> <TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #020169 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #020169 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #020169 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #020169 1px solid" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=center bgColor=#355581 height=100> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=bottom width=7>&nbsp;</TD> <TD vAlign=bottom>&nbsp;</TD> <TD>&nbsp;</TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=bottom width=7>&nbsp;</TD> <TD vAlign=bottom> <P style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> &nbsp;&nbsp;<EM style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>Welcome To</FONT></EM> </P> <P style="MARGIN-TOP: -28px; FONT-SIZE: 34pt; COLOR: #c69800; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma" align=center><B>&nbsp;<FONT face=Arial>EDI Center News</FONT></B></P></TD> <TD> <P align=right>&nbsp;</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=center noWrap bgColor=#000000> <P style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2pt; COLOR: #a47e00; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; LETTER-SPACING: 7pt" align=center>EDI Education, Jobs, and Support</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top align=middle width=150 bgColor=#fffcf2> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD bgColor=#355581><A name=Training> <P style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" align=center><STRONG>Upcoming EDI Training</STRONG>&nbsp; </P></A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align=middle> <P><B><FONT face=Verdana size=2><BR></FONT><FONT face=Verdana>EDI Fundamentals Class<BR>May&nbsp;11, 2006</FONT></B></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=2><B>&nbsp;</B>Whether you are new to EDI or have been working in the field, this is a great opportunity to network with other EDI professionals and brush up on your EDI knowledge.</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-class-registration.htm"> Sign Up Now</A> for Early Registration Discount</FONT></B></P> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD bgColor=#355581> <P align=center><B><FONT face=Arial color=#ffffff size=2><A name=05></A>Staffing &amp; Support</FONT></B></P></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top> <DIV align=center> <CENTER> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> <P align=center><FONT size=2><B><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A name=Jobs>EDI Job Opportunities</FONT></B></A></P> <P><FONT size=2>We currently have&nbsp;opportunities posted for positions in&nbsp;Torrance, CA and Dallas, TX. <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-jobs.htm"> View the positions</A>.</FONT>&nbsp;</P></FONT> <HR color=#020169 SIZE=1> <P align=center><STRONG><FONT size=2>Employers</FONT></STRONG></P> <P align=left>If you are looking to fill an EDI position or find short term staffing, we can post a job opening on our site for a minimal monthly fee. </P> <P align=left>Find out more about <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-staffing.htm"> EDI staffing</A>.</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV> <P align=right><FONT face=Verdana size=1><A href="#top">Back to top</A>&nbsp;</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE id=table1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD bgColor=#355581> <P align=center><B><FONT face=Arial color=#ffffff size=2><A name=04></A>Upcoming Industry Meetings</FONT></B></P></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top> <DIV align=center> <CENTER> <TABLE id=table2 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> <P align=left>The next meeting of the Southern California eBusiness Forum is scheduled for April 12, 2006. This is a great place to network with like minded profesionals!</P> <P align=left><A href="http://www.scebiz4m.org/Content/MeetingNotice011106.htm"> Additional Information</A></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV> <P align=right><FONT face=Verdana size=1><A href="#top">Back to top</A>&nbsp;</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><FONT face=Verdana size=1><STRONG> <HR color=#020169 SIZE=1> </STRONG><BR> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=1><STRONG>We try to cover the highlights of the industry but if we have missed something, let us know and we will try to incorporate it in an upcoming edition.</STRONG></FONT></P><STRONG> <HR color=#020169 SIZE=1> </STRONG> <P><STRONG></STRONG></FONT>&nbsp;</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P></P></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=10 background=http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i05.gif> <P>&nbsp;</P></TD> <TD vAlign=top> <DIV align=center> <CENTER> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width="50%"></TD> <TD width="50%"> <P style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2pt; PADDING-LEFT: 2pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2pt; PADDING-TOP: 2pt" align=right><B><FONT face=Verdana size=1>March&nbsp;27, 2006 Volume&nbsp;IV</FONT></B></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD height=30> <P><B><FONT face=Verdana size=2>IN THIS ISSUE:</FONT></B></P></TD></TR> <TR> <TD> <DIV align=right> <TABLE cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=0 width="95%" border=0><TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10><FONT face=Wingdings color=#0302b8 size=3>Ø</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=351><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A href="#Training">Upcoming EDI Training Classes</A></FONT></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10><FONT face=Wingdings color=#0302b8 size=3>Ø</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=351><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A href="#Jobs">EDI Job Opportunities </A></FONT></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10><FONT face=Wingdings color=#0302b8 size=3>Ø</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=351><A href="#01"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Retail EDI News</FONT></A></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10><FONT face=Wingdings color=#0302b8 size=3>Ø</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=351><A href="#02"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>EDI Standards Service Provider News</FONT></A></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10><FONT face=Wingdings color=#0302b8 size=3>Ø</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=351><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A href="#03">Technology News - RFID Updates</A> </FONT></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=10><FONT face=Wingdings color=#0302b8 size=3>Ø</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=351><A href="#04"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Upcoming Industry Meetings and Conferences</FONT></A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <DIV align=center> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD background=http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i07.gif> <P align=right><IMG height=24 src="http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i02.gif" width=24 border=0></P></TD> <CENTER> <TD noWrap width="5%" bgColor=#c69800> <P align=right><B><FONT face=Arial color=#ffffff size=2><A name=01></A>Retail EDI News&nbsp;</FONT></B> </P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="97%" border=0><TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top><FONT face=Wingdings color=#020169 size=1>l</FONT> </TD> <TD vAlign=top> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2><IMG height=59 src="http://www.edi-center.com/images/Retail.gif" width=170 align=right border=0></FONT></P><FONT face=Verdana size=2><B>Supply Chain Technology - A Whole New Language<BR></B></FONT><FONT size=2>There have been several name changes and new technologies in the last few years which&nbsp;make for a whole new language&nbsp;for our industry. We&nbsp;will try to&nbsp;summarize some of the biggest changes for you.&nbsp; If you&nbsp;would like to know more about theses intiatives, we suggest&nbsp;attending our <STRONG><A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-training.htm"> EDI Fundamentals Training</A></STRONG>. I&#39;ts not just for newbies! Most of our attendees are working in the field and want to broaden their knowledge and&nbsp;understanding of&nbsp;the lastest trends.</FONT> <P><FONT size=2><STRONG>UCC (Uniform Code Council)</STRONG>&nbsp;has been renamed to&nbsp;<STRONG>GS1 US</STRONG> as part of their alignment with the global organization, <STRONG>GS1</STRONG>. This means that many of our acronyms that were prefixed with UCC have been renamed.&nbsp;</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><STRONG>UPC&nbsp;(Universal Product Code)&nbsp;- </STRONG>We now have a 14 digit code called the <STRONG>GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)</STRONG> which allows us to indicate packing information in the code<STRONG>.</STRONG></FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><STRONG>UCC-128 Label</STRONG>&nbsp;(shipping container label) is now technically a <STRONG> GS1-128</STRONG>. That&#39;s going to get hard to get used to.</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><STRONG>RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)</STRONG> - If you are a Wal-Mart supplier, you&nbsp;are being asked to&nbsp;update your shipping&nbsp;labels to include RFID. This new technology could ultimately replace bar codes.&nbsp; See more on Wal-Mart and RFID below.</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><STRONG>Data Synchronization</STRONG> - We have had UPC Catalogs for almost two decades now. Data Synchronization is a newer technology with Data Pools for storage of item information, near real-time synchronization of the data and expanded data attributes.</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <HR color=#e6e6e6 SIZE=1> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="97%" border=0><TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top><FONT face=Wingdings color=#020169 size=1>l</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top> <P align=left><B><FONT face=Verdana size=2>New EDI Documents and Requirements </FONT></B></P></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top>&nbsp;</TD> <TD vAlign=top> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=2><STRONG>Beals Department Stores </STRONG>has posted their updated Vendor Partnership Guide effective February 1, 2006. They are trying something innovative. &quot;To those vendors who currently are, or become successful partners with us in our Store Cross-Dock Program, Beall&#39;s is extending a <STRONG>50% discount within our Expense Offset Policies</STRONG>.&quot;</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=2><STRONG>Boscov&#39;s </STRONG>added a new section to their Routing Guide effective January 15, 2006 with UPC/EAN Standards and Inovis Catalog requirements. Corresponding expense offsets have also been implementd.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Verdana size=2><B>Federated Department Stores</B> has posted their 2006&nbsp;Vendor Standards effective February 2006&nbsp;along with periodic updates&nbsp;regarding the FDS/May merger.&nbsp; Vendor standards&nbsp;that are updated&nbsp;for 2006 include <STRONG>GTIN</STRONG>, <STRONG>Purchase Order Carton Consolication</STRONG>, and Textile Retail Ticketing.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2><STRONG>JCPenney</STRONG>&nbsp;is updating their documentation to reflect new terminology associated with the UCC&#39;s name change from Uniform Code Council to GS1-US.&nbsp; An example of the change is that the term&nbsp;UCC-128 bar code label will be revised to GS1-128. A list of the <STRONG>new acronyms</STRONG> can be found on the GS1-US website, <A href="http://www.uc-council.org/ean_ucc_system/pdf/GS1USGlossaryLegacyTerms012506.pdf"> Legacy Terms</A>.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT size=2><STRONG>Lowe&#39;s</STRONG> has updated their <STRONG>Data Synchronization</STRONG> Process Vendor Implementation Guide. Wow, 103 pages to describe the process. Vendors that implemented early versions will need to upgrade because the data attributes have changed. Because the global data standards do not support 100% of Lowe&#39;s requirements, a Lowe&#39;s Schema extension is supported by their Datapool, 1Sync.</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <HR color=#e6e6e6 SIZE=1> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="97%" border=0><TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top><FONT face=Wingdings color=#020169 size=1>l</FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top> <P align=left><B><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Retail Mergers and Acquisitions</FONT></B></P></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top>&nbsp;</TD> <TD vAlign=top> <P align=left><FONT size=2><STRONG>The Bon Ton Stores</STRONG>&nbsp;<!--StartFragment -->has acquired the Sak&#39;s Northern Department Store Group consisting of Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner&#39;s, Herberger&#39;s, Younker&#39;s and Boston Stores. For the next several months, supply chain requirements (including EDI)&nbsp;will remain the same and are still available via the Sak&#39;s website.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT size=2><B>Federated Department Stores</B>&nbsp;is continuing to&nbsp;transform many of their acquired May Company properties into Macy&#39;s stores. Check the Federated website to keep abreast of conversion time frames.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT size=2>For&nbsp;additional EDI in Retail news and information, visit<A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-news.htm"> the EDI Center website.</A></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=1><A href="#top">Back to top</A></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <DIV align=center> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD background=http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i07.gif> <P align=right><IMG height=24 src="http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i02.gif" width=24 border=0></P></TD> <CENTER> <TD noWrap width="5%" bgColor=#c69800> <P align=right><B><FONT face=Arial color=#ffffff size=2><A name=02></A>EDI Standards News&nbsp;</FONT></B> </P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2><STRONG><IMG height=140 src="http://www.edi-center.com/images/supply_chain.jpg" width=155 align=left border=0></STRONG></FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2><STRONG></STRONG></FONT>&nbsp;</P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2><STRONG>X12 Version 5010</STRONG> was released last year. One of the first retail implementations we have seen is at Kroger. For Kroger vendors that want to utilize the 14 digit GTIN code, they will need to upgrade to version 5010.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=1><A href="#top">Back to top</A></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <DIV align=center> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD background=http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i07.gif> <P align=right><IMG height=24 src="http://www.edi-center.com/images/Tabular_Navy-Gold_Newsletter_i02.gif" width=24 border=0></P></TD> <CENTER> <TD noWrap width="5%" bgColor=#c69800> <P align=right><B><FONT face=Arial color=#ffffff size=2><A name=03></A>Technology News&nbsp;</FONT></B> </P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2><IMG height=103 src="http://www.edi-center.com/images/rfid_scanner_tags.jpg" width=63 align=right border=0></FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Wal-Mart now has over 300 suppliers tagging products using Radio Frequency Identification, <STRONG>RFID.&nbsp;</STRONG>This number will continue to grow as well as the number of Wal-Mart facilities capable of handling RFID.&nbsp;Wal-Mart also has projects to utliize RFID in other areas including a proof-of-concept project involving using sensor tags to identify crates of perishable items such as fruit. This will let them know how long&nbsp;the fruit&nbsp;has been&nbsp;in transit so it can be delivered to the store at the right time.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT size=2>The DOD also has a large RFID initiative, requiring suppliers to attach RFID tags to cases and pallets. They have a 3 year time-frame to roll out RFID for all classes of supplies.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT size=2>These two very large initiatives should&nbsp;keep the momentum going&nbsp;for RFID implementations in the&nbsp;supply chain.</FONT>&nbsp;In additon, there are many applications of RFID from animal tracking to&nbsp;baggage handling&nbsp;that are increasing the usage of RFID.&nbsp;The second generation of technology is being implemented and prices of tags continue to drop. The momentum for RFID adoption is strong.</P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Additional information on RFID applications can be found <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/rfid.htm">here</A>.</FONT></P> <P align=left><FONT face=Verdana size=1><A href="#top">Back to top</A></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <DIV align=center> <CENTER></CENTER></DIV> <P align=left><FONT size=2>For information on EDI training and staffing services, please&nbsp;visit<A href="http://www.edi-center.com/"> the EDI Center website.</A></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#355581> <P align=center><FONT face=Verdana color=#ffffff size=1>The EDI Center is a resource for education, jobs, and support.</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV> <DIV align=center> <CENTER> <TABLE style="BORDER-TOP: #d0c0a0 1px solid" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width=600 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana" width="100%"> <P align=center>You are subscribed as &lt;E-mail Address:200&gt;. To be removed from this email list, please reply with <FONT face=Verdana>REMOVE in the subject line.<BR>&nbsp;<A href="http://www.edi-center.com"><BR>EDI Center</A> | <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-training.htm">EDI Training</A> | <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-jobs.htm">EDI Jobs</A> | <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-staffing.htm">Staffing</A> | <A href="http://www.edi-center.com/edi-resources/edi-directory.htm"> Additional Resources</A></FONT></P> <P align=center><B>EDI Center<BR></B>&nbsp; <BR>Phone: 310-356-7618<BR> <P align=center><MPCT_FOOTER></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>