According to Prophet 21, Trading Partner Connect streamlines the commerce process between distributors, manufacturers/suppliers, and end-users, thereby increasing sales and improving customer service while reducing operating costs.

"Prophet 21 is pleased to welcome Valenite to Trading Partner Connect," said Chuck Boyle, the company's president and CEO. "Trading Partner Connect is the best, most innovative way for manufacturers to cut costs while improving communications with their distributor partners."

Valenite joined Trading Partner Connect to improve their business processes and better serve customers. "We are seeking an improved vision of inventory availability, order status, and product content throughout our channel," said Bob Carson, Director-Market Channel at Valenite. "In addition, electronic commerce, point of sale reporting, and electronic invoice transmission and payment are key elements of our distributor programs.

"The power of electronic commerce and the B2B Internet marketplace strategically places Valenite in tandem with our distributor partners who are members of Trading Partner Connect. This alliance will drive our joint supply chain costs down."

Valenite supplies the metal cutting industry with standard and special cutting tools, fluids, gaging systems, and die and wear parts. Many of the company's distributor partners requested that Valenite join Trading Partner Connect to improve relationships and remove costs from the channel.

"Trading Partner Connect will definitely help us communicate and exchange data more easily," said Roxanne Mueller, vice president of operations at Herlache Industrial Supply, a Wisconsin-based distributor that buys hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of inserts and cutting tools from Valenite each year. Mueller said that her sales force will benefit from the ability to view real-time product availability. "They'll be able to respond more quickly to customers, which will improve our service levels."

Carson concluded, "We work extensively to ensure that our market channel partners find our customer service is the best in the industry. It makes perfect sense for us to partner with Prophet 21 to reach that goal."

Publication date: 01/19/2004