EDI Purchasing: The Electronic Gateway to the Future

EDI The Electronic Gateway to the Future provides a brief, but thorough, look at how Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is becoming part of the purchasing world. With this book as a guide, you will be able to build the foundation for introducing EDI into the purchasing department at your company. And the time to do that is now! The future is upon us. Electronic networking will introduce unheard of efficiencies. It will also uncover problems and that is why we emphasize the connection between EDI and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) in the purchasing area. This book is designed not to be read passively. It is a book for doers! Pick up a pen or pencil and jot notes in the margins, answer the questions we pose and write out the actions you plan on taking. We take you from an overview of EDI and its uses in Purchasing to a list of resources which can help you get your EDI Purchasing project off the ground. Along the way, you will discover the most important technical issues and how they can be overcome. Then, you will examine just how EDI functions in Purchasing and what you will need to begin your own process of implementation. Since one of Pro-Tech's specialties is in the implementation of systems, we put our focus on this area as well. The best hardware, software and personnel will amount to little or nothing without a solid implementation plan. You will also find out how to select a Value Added Network (VAN) to assist you in connecting to the world of commerce.