Reduces VAN costs, meets retailer mandates by implementing Inovis solution
Atlanta — April 1, 2004 — Aspen Pet Products is using an Internet electronic data interchange (EDI) solution from Inovis to reduce its network costs, meet the business commerce requirements of its retail partners and simplify its trading partner relationships, and now Aspen Pet has tapped Inovis to synchronize product data with the UCCnet GLOBALregistry.
Privately held Aspen Pet, based in Denver, serves a diverse customer base, ranging from small pet stores to major retailers like Wal-Mart and Petco.
The company had long conducted business transactions using a variety of communications methods. For example, a number of large retailers, including Wal-Mart, require its suppliers to use AS2 as the data transfer protocol to exchange critical point-of-sale data.
But doing business using multiple protocols with numerous trading partners proved to be costly and tedious. In opting to work with Inovis, Aspen Pet sought to consolidate on one business commerce automation platform with a partner that would provide a roadmap to meet future compliance requirements.
Inovis said that Aspen Pet selected the provider's TrustedLink iSeries solution based on its flexible capabilities and licensing agreement, which accommodated both FTP and AS2 users. Inovis' services organization implemented the software in only one week, according to the provider.
Following the implementation, Aspen Pet has cut its per-customer value-added network (VAN) charges in half for its largest customers and increased satisfaction levels through improved transaction processes and heightened security, according to Inovis.
With the success of TrustedLink, Aspen Pet again turned to Inovis to synchronize product data with the UCCnet GLOBALregistry and is in the process of implementing the provider's BizManager for UCCnet Services, a synchronization suite providing visibility, business process management and translation features for item synchronization.
"Inovis' EDI solution offers Aspen Pet tremendous flexibility to interact and meet requirements set forth by our wide range of business partners," said Chuck Sharpe, director of information technology for Aspen Pet. "We can now conduct business more effectively, meeting mandates and complying with UCCnet standards knowing that we have the necessary collaboration framework in place to meet any technology or trading partner requirements today and in the future."
Inovis asserts that by consolidating all transactions on one platform, Aspen Pet improved its trading partner relations with increased flexibility and ease of use. The company uses AS2 for a variety of business transactions, including inbound purchase orders, outbound invoices, advance-ship notices and inbound forecasts.
