MISSISSAUGA, Ontario - The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) has announced the launch of its e-Business Web site, "HRAI e-Business Centre" (www.hrai.ca/e-business). According to HRAI, the site has information that will be useful to members who have been contemplating how to incorporate technology into their businesses.

The site provides HRAI members with information to assist them in assessing their current level of technology, information on the different technologies available, and how it may improve their businesses. The site is geared to different levels of industry expertise such as executive, operations, and technical. This is designed to enable the user to select a topic of interest and "drill down" through the layers of information, going from general to descriptions that are more detailed.

Topics on the site include what e-business has to offer, e-business benefits, and success stories from HRAI members. The success stories demonstrate the value and benefits of using e-business technology by providing the reader with information on how members embraced technology and reaped the benefits by providing a higher level of customer service, streamlining their processes, and becoming more competitive, says the association.

Visitors to the site can read how Boutette & Barnett, Yorkland Controls, and Atlas Air ClimateCare incorporated e-business technology into their business processes. The topic "e-Business Benefits" is broken down by industry sector (contractor, manufacturer, and wholesaler) to allow each sector to focus on its unique problems and requirements.

The third and final stage in the development of the HRAI e-Business Centre is currently underway. This stage will provide an interactive medium that will allow participants to learn how they can incorporate e-business technology into their businesses.

The medium will be in the form of panel discussions that will be held via conference call. Each panel will include one of the HRAI members highlighted in the Web site success stories and a technology provider to handle the technical aspects of the discussion. The first panel discussion is tentatively scheduled to take place during the first week of October and will be limited to 30 participants.

Additional details will be placed on the HRAI e-Business Centre site during August and September. For more information, contact April Gucciardo at 800-267-2231 or e-mail agucciardo@hrai.ca.

Publication date: 08/30/2004