SEMA News—December 2012

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

Ready for Launch

Now It’s All About the Data SALES

It’s been quite a journey. Some 10 years ago, the simple but now prophetic words of good friend and visionary Jerry McCabe launched a tenacious group of volunteers in pursuit of an industry solution for product data creation, storage and distribution: “It’s all about the data.” Now, after years of planning, adjusting and adapting—and a nine-month “test drive” in the beta phase—the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is readying for launch of the live production system in January.

Because of the importance of product data management in today’s marketplace, SEMA has taken a no-holds-barred approach to this project, investing much time, effort and money to create a state-of-the-art solution. Affordable to the smallest of companies yet powerful enough to support the largest, the SDC is truly positioned to be the centralized data repository for the specialty parts market. And now, with the full production system slated for liftoff, there is no better time to bring your company into the Co-op and join us as we bring order and efficiency to this critical business asset once and for all.

The SDC concept is simple: to enable the cost savings of a single facility to safely store and distribute product data, to educate and train participants to own the process and their data, and to enable members to provide or receive the latest data updates without delay through an easy-to-access web interface. The system also provides other specific services and feature points:

• The SDC is an industry-owned, nonprofit solution that allows suppliers to own their data 100% and manage it 24/7 using state-of-the-art tools.
• It is the only data service to validate all incoming data for standards compliance, producing a consistent, accurate supply.
• The SDC’s fulltime help desk is available to assist suppliers and receivers of any skill level, from beginner
  to expert.
• All data is stored in the latest Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) and AAIA Catalog Enhanced Standard (ACES), with no confusing proprietary data formats to deal with.
• Exports are available in standard formats or virtually any custom requirement, with no extra charges for “special” exports.
• Unlimited exports, updates and downloads mean you can send or receive as often as you like with no extra charges.
• Low fixed monthly fee for all on-boarding, validation, secure storage and unlimited exports ensure an affordable solution for companies of any size.

We’re all looking to 2013 with anticipation and hopes for a year of recovery and economic upswing. If you are a supplier, then stack the deck in your favor by committing your company to owning your product data management with the help of the SEMA Data Co-op. If you are a receiver looking for a solid source of product data in one place, configured specifically to your system requirements, you’ve come to the right source!

Our data, business and technology experts will be happy to help you with any questions you may have and look forward to showing you how effective product data is a true business builder. 

For more information about how the SEMA Data Cooperative can help you create, manage, store and distribute your product data in the most efficient and cost-effective way ever, call 888-958-6698 or send an e-mail to jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org.