New technology to understand" and match product information, improve quote fulfillment
Phoenix and Louisville, CO — September 20, 2005 — Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas, a division of Avnet Inc. and a distributor of electronic components, today announced improvements to its quote fulfillment process to drive higher levels of quote fulfillment, reliability and timeliness for customers.
"Everyone in the electronics business knows how hard it is to match customer requests to valid parts," said Pat Wastal, senior vice president of Avnet's interconnect, passive and electromechanical (IP&E) product group. "Any time we cannot satisfy a customer request, it is frustrating for us and for our customers. Working with Silver Creek Systems, we have implemented a substantial new approach to understanding and matching customer requests, and we are already seeing significant improvements in quote fulfillment and customer satisfaction. We are already known for our customer focus, and by leveraging this unique technology, we intend to extend our lead."
The core challenge for Avnet, or any distributor, is to take constantly changing product information from hundreds of suppliers and use it to match the needs of thousands of customers — each of whom may specify products in slightly different ways. Working with enterprise data usability solutions provider Silver Creek Systems and its DataLens System, Avnet Electronics Marketing, Americas, said it is now able to "understand" and match product information specified in widely different formats — both in internal systems as well as customer requests.
Ed Kamins, chief operational excellence officer at Avnet, commented, I'm proud to be associated with a team that does such a great job of using technology to drive our business goals. This innovation from Silver Creek Systems not only adds many millions of dollars to the bottom line, but drives customer satisfaction and serves as a distinctive competitive advantage for Avnet."
