Major Manufacturers Team For Direct-Store Delivery Solution

Compiled ByDeborah Austin Transora - a Chicago-based business-to-business exchange for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry -- is leading a steering committee of CPG manufacturers to create a data synchronization solution for the unique requirements of direct-store delivery (DSD) manufacturers and the retailers they serve. To facilitate store-level information exchange, the committee -- including manufacturers Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods/Nabisco, PepsiCo and Sara Lee Bakeries, and standards-based item registration/data synchronization provider UCCnet -- plans to add DSD-specific functionality to the Transora Data Catalogue and UCCnet's GLOBALhub, which provides data processing. The joint effort is needed for a DSD-tailored solution that goes beyond proprietary solutions available today, says Dan Marr, chief customer officer, Coca-Cola Enterprises. The committee will solicit retail partners for a U.S. pilot in second-quarter 2003 and expects a generally available solution by third-quarter 2003.