Thirty-four manufacturers have been certified by IDEA's Data Audit Certification Program (DAC).

Developed by IDEA, Rosslyn, Va., the DAC program examines more than 24 criteria to ensure that information submitted to the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) meets business data specifications for electrical distributors. IDEA, owned and operated jointly by the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), St. Louis, and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, launched the DAC program late last year.

Of the 34 companies now DAC-certified, 13 are business units of Hubbell Inc., Orange, Conn. The company has been an early and ardent supporter of electronic business communications in the electrical business, back to the earliest days of EDI and vendor management inventory (VMI).

“The hidden cost within our respective operations to rectify incorrect data has been a cost of doing business for long enough,” said Timothy Powers, IDEA chairman of the board, and president and CEO, Hubbell Inc., Orange, Conn. “The Data Audit Certification program, in conjunction with today's technology, can have a significant impact on lowering costs throughout the supply chain.”

When the DAC program was launched last year, Mike Rioux, IDEA president, said in an EW article that it would help manufacturers realize additional efficiencies in synchronizing their data.

“Without this program, it has been an uphill battle getting data synchronized,” he said. “The return on investment for participating in the DAC program exceeds the cost of having the data reviewed by Profile Systems by a factor or 150.”

More than 80 electrical manufacturers are now in the process of having their data certified. by a neutral third party, Comergent Inc., Redwood City, Calif.

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