National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) launches B2B e-Commerce program

After more than four years of study and evaluation, National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) is launching a business-to-business electronic commerce program for its retailers/members.

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- After more than four years of study and evaluation, National Home Furnishings Association is launching a business-to-business electronic commerce program for its retailers/members. Pedro Capo, NHFA president, has made it one of his top priorities this year to introduce programs and emphasize activities to streamline the industry, and this is one of the steps in that direction.

NHFAs technology committee, comprising members of the associations Board of Directors, began discussions of a B2B program in March 1998. Deliberations concluded this month with the selection of Exim Technologies of Greenville, S.C., as the service provider.

Members of the technology committee agreed that Exims capabilities are most suitable and cost-effective for the majority of NHFA members. Rodney Finger, Finger Furniture, Houston, Texas, chairs the technology committee.

Exim Technologies was founded in 1999 as a software company to provide e-commerce solutions for companies to exchange product data and conduct business transactions via the Internet. Manoj Nigam, Exims president and CEO, explained that the NHFA program will allow retailers, through electronic interchange with their manufacturer trading partners, to purchase merchandise, receive acknowledgments, and learn when a product ships. Invoicing and even payment transactions are handled through the system.

Nigam said, The electronic process virtually eliminates the factor of human error. It is a means to reduce the errors and labor costs in the operations of both retailers and manufacturers while increasing the efficiencies resulting from reduced inventory carrying costs."

Nigam explained that Exims solutions integrate invisibly with the business systems on both sides of the transaction exchange, requiring no new investments in translation software. New users of the system may choose Exims client software to invisibly integrate with an existing business system or provide their own tools to send and receive product information/transactions utilizing standard Internet protocols.

Exims XM Commerce (XMC) platform receives the transactions in native formats from the users business system, provides centralized translation for transactions in intended receivers formats and routes and delivers transactions to the receivers over the internet through Exims XM Commerce Service, EDI VANs, via web or even fax or email. For those trading partners that do not have an ability to send transactions electronically, the Exim system provides a web interface for subscribers to enter their transactions to be delivered to the intended party electronically.
Steve DeHaan, NHFA executive vice president said, We are convinced that these electronic capabilities will bring greater profitability to retailers and manufacturers." Referring to a resurgence of the Internet as a formidable force in the world of commerce he said, In launching this program, NHFAs objective is to bring the e-commerce issue into sharp focus for our members and to make it easy for them to access the technologys benefits."

DeHaan cited a May 12 Business Week article reporting that, according to Forrester Research, Inc., networked business-to-business transactions now stand at $2.4 trillion.

DeHaan said, This impressive figure underscores the importance and impact of the internet in todays marketplace. There is no doubt that it is helping companies cut costs and boost efficiency through lightning speed connections from business to business."

Capo, whose Miami-based El Dorado Furniture is among the retail pioneers in B2B, said This technological innovation is a way for the industry to streamline operations and increase efficiencies that lead to greater profitability." The NHFA president emphasized that NHFA under the guidance of its technology committee will continue to monitor technological developments and maintain an active role in organizations such as the Furniture Industry Data Exchange (FIDEX). FIDEX, made up of retailers, manufacturers and software providers is spearheading the development of standards to enable retailers and their suppliers to communicate more easily and at less cost.

DeHaan explained that NHFA staff members will work one-on-one with member retailers to assure that their volume of transactions and other factors make them a perfect fit for the program. He added that those who subscribe to this new service will be put in touch with Exim Technologies operations department that will work to have the retailers business to business electronic commerce activities operating at full speed in a month or less.

NHFA is an 83-year-old trade organization serving home furnishings retailers in all 50 states, Canada and abroad.