Blog Entries

Technical or Business?

tloetz — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:25:22 +0100

As I was thinking of a topic for this blog, I focused on some of the things that I tend to get heated about in the EDI consulting world. That didn’t take but a few minutes…

EDI is still considered a technical process rather than a business process.

Why do I say this? The vast increase in the number EDI consulting firms, the ad content for EDI positions on Monster and DICE, and the calls our company receives.

I have been in the EDI [...]

A Store Chain where ELECTRONIC COMMERCE is King

KenKinlock — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Europe has an excellent example of a store chain where ELECTRONIC COMMERCE is King. It is called Shecklers (www.schlecker.com)
. It is referred to as a “drug store” (pharmacies here are just
pharmacies….no shoe polish, potato chips, etc). So Shecklers is a
variety store, dollar store, convenience, you get the idea.

Anton Schlecker (born October 28, 1944 in Ehingen) is a German billionaire, and founder and owner of the Schlecker drug store chain in Germany and throu [...]

Outsourcing Gone Awry

tloetz — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:26:24 +0100

I�m sure all of you have heard of both the success and failure of companies outsourcing their EDI development and support to offshore IT consulting firms.

REMEDI has been involved with several customers that have decided to take this path. The plan was to have consultants from the offshore company come to the United States to get trained for 6-8 weeks, return to their country, and within a few weeks be able to take over the EDI department.

Unfortunately, they have a [...]

The 800 Lb Gorilla

MikeKelly — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

We all know the metaphor about the 800-lb Gorilla, or the large customer who gets his way. Dealing with these brutes can be quite the challenge, especially given the delicate politics of the situation.

The vendor to the 800-lb Gorilla has many obstacles:
the signing of strict legal contracts, agreeing to long payment terms, satisfying tight delivery dates, and complying with the elect [...]

Principality of Monaco

KenKinlock — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Last BLOG I wrote about the French Riviera I focused on the high tech
park in Sophia-Antipolis. This time I will introduce the Principality
of Monaco. It is tiny: just 430 acres, or less than a square mile in
size. Only about 5,000 of its roughly 30,000 residents are Monégasque
citizens; the rest are French, Italian, and other foreigners who have
come to Monaco for work, fun, and tax breaks.

Today the Principality is a dynamic economic center and a great source of jo [...]

Introduction to Electronic Commerce on the French Riviera

KenKinlock — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

While most of us are familiar with all the aspects of electronic
commerce as it exists in North America (EDI, XML, ANSI, etc), we
sometimes think the rest of the World is different and maybe not as
sophisticated. I'm not going to try and cover the whole World (today
anyway), but just my little niche: the French Riviera (where I happen
to live).

The highlights are:

(1) Business start-ups and high technology: The huge center at Sophia-Antipolis (the " [...]

Why is our EDI not standardized?

MikeKelly — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

As someone who earns a living in EDI and as an avid blogger, I am
excited to begin what I hope to be a long line of interesting and
helpful posts within the realm of Electronic Data. Like yourselves, I
have logged several years of "doing EDI" in one capacity or other, and
have both the scars and success stories to show for it. Like most of
the EDI relationships I've set up, my posts will probably be
"non-standard". :)

My backgro [...]

An Invitation

skoegler — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Are you involved in EDI? I'm betting that you are, or you wouldn't even
be reading this. If you've been in the business for any length of time,
you probably have some observations, insights, and opinions about this
industry. I'm inviting you to share your thoughts with your fellow EDI
professionals.

ec-bp.org has established a blog, and is accepting applications from EDI professionals to add their voices. If you have thoughts about what's ri [...]