"Giant Registry in the Sky" Helps Customer Satisfaction Soar to New Heights

Cantex is the first SCOA company to join UCCnet global registry

The days of the general store just might be numbered. And while some lament its demise, others embrace a new system that offers higher degrees of accuracy and efficiency.

For Cantex, Inc., a Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA) subsidiary, it all started in early 2003, when major hardware stores, such as Home Depot, ACE and Lowe’s, asked their suppliers to start participating in UCCnet™, a registry that will standardize part numbers and product specifications for retailers to view.

“UPC bar coding has been done for years,” said Toney Fidler, Manager, Information Systems, Cantex. “But in May 2003, Home Depot [a leading do-it-yourself retail chain] asked that we join UCCnet. So we responded to our customer’s request and began the process of converting to this new format. ”But first things first. Who is Cantex and what is UCCnet?

Cantex, Inc.: Taking its products to new heights

Cantex, Inc., based in Mineral Wells, Texas, was acquired by Sumitomo Corporation (SCOA’s parent company) in February 1992.

Cantex is a leading producer of electrical grade PVC (polyvinyl chloride) products, with eight manufacturing facilities located strategically from east to west across the United States. Its facilities feature some of the most modern production equipment and advanced process technology found anywhere in the industry. Production facilities include extrusion, injection molding, and fabrication processes to produce the broad lines of PVC products which serve the power, utility, building construction, and communications markets.

Cantex provides Home Depot with electrical fittings, and these products are involved in the UCCnet registry process.

What is UCCnet?

A visit to www.uccnet.org explains the background of this initiative. According to the web site, “UCCnet was formed in 1999 as a subsidiary of the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and is supported by the Uniform Code Council Inc., EAN International, and some of the world's leading trade associations. The not-for-profit organization was established in response to growing requests from retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers to address information inaccuracy in the global supply chain.

UCCnet services were conceived and created with the active support and participation of users from the retail and consumer package goods industries. The UCCnet registry and synchronization services were formally launched in July 2000 for the purpose of enabling companies to exchange accurate and synchronized standards-compliant data with their trading partners.

The UCCnet Internet-based services allow trading partners, trade exchanges, and Solution Partners to communicate synchronized product information throughout the supply chain in near-real time. Based on the global standards of the EAN.UCC System, UCCnet services help subscribers avoid communication of incorrect product information, which could result in costly errors and create other business inefficiencies.
UCCnet services were initially introduced successfully to the grocery industry. They have expanded into additional sectors, including hardlines, pharmaceutical, office supply retail, apparel, jewelry, beauty products, chemicals, and agriculture. Today, thousands of companies have embraced and adopted UCCnet services to improve the accuracy and efficiency of their trading partner collaboration.” (Source: www.uccnet.org)

The UCCnet registry is set up by categories. So Cantex’s product listings would fall under the PVC suppliers list.

Making changes, adding efficiencies

“Cantex realized that we had to go the way of UCCnet, and we wanted to be quick to respond,” said Don Wirtanen, President and COO of Cantex. “We are trying to eliminate inven-tory and lag times for our customers. Customer satisfaction is our top priority,” he added.

“No one wants to carry inventory anymore,” added Mike Spraggins, Electronic Commerce Administrator, Cantex. “Customers want to know ‘Do you have the product and can you meet the ship date?’ By using UCCnet, we are able to include nearly ‘real-time’ information to our customers about what we have available for just-in-time delivery.”

Mr. Spraggins joined Cantex in August 2003 and along with Mr. Fidler, spearheaded the company’s efforts to adapt to UCCnet requirements. “Cantex started an internal education process and software installation in August 2003 to get ready for the work needed to be in compliance with UCCnet,” explained Mr. Fidler.

“Mike joined our team in August 2003, and we had tests up by the end of November,” he added. “It was a really compressed installation. We needed to get moving to meet Home Depot’s deadline of January 1, 2004 and didn’t have a minute to waste.”
“At that time, the accounting department controlled the part numbers,” said Mr. Fidler. “So sales, accounting and manufacturing departments looked at the whole thing, each part number and every catalog. We reloaded cross reference numbers and filed them on the JD Edwards system that we use to track our sales and inventory.
“The bottom line was that a lot of clean up work was needed as a prerequisite to joining UCCnet,” he added.

For the past 10 months, Cantex’s challenge has been the synchronization task, according to Mr. Spraggins. “If Cantex’s product master list changes, it must be changed in the UCCnet registry to stay consistent,” he said.

Software selection bring project to life

“Cantex’s IT Committee had seen several software options to prepare the system for UCCnet, but LANSA UCCnet Direct was selected in July 2003 because it’s a complete, turn-key, solution,” said Mark Venetti, Director, Management Information Systems, SCOA, who advises SCOA’s subsidiary companies on their IT needs. LANSA was also selected by Home Depot to use for the UCCnet project. It’s the middle piece between Cantex’s software and UCCnet, said Mr. Spraggins.

“The LANSA workflow tool is only good if you have a defined internal process to change or check the product part numbers, and that is the area we have been focused on for the past few months,” he added.

From theory to practice: The pilot phase

“Right now, we are in the pilot phase with Home Depot, and we are refining the process. We are a year to two years away from being fully integrated with UCCnet,” said Mr. Spraggins.

To use UCCnet, Cantex checks its item master list and enter the information into the Lansa software. This information is then published to the “giant registry in the sky” that is UCCnet, where customers will be able to retrieve it.
So for example, the GLN (global locator number, which applies to Cantex) and the GTIN (which is the item number or Cantex part number) are assigned by UCCDirect and then published to the UCCnet registry. Currently, it is only used for business-to-business transactions, according to Mr. Spraggins.

As of April 2004, Cantex had posted 101 items to the test registry. Fifty items are currently active on UCCnet, Mr. Spraggins explained to Visions as he demonstrated the LANSA software in his office in Mineral Wells.

Cantex: Setting the pace for SCOA

“Cantex is glad to lead the way for SCOA on this important initiative,” said Mr. Wirtanen. “Eventually, UCCnet will be applied to many other industries that SCOA does business in. We will be glad to work with our colleagues and offer our best practices to them as they adapt to this new technology.”

“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” said Mr. Wirtanen. “The bottom line is we are still committed to fulfilling our customers’ needs, but are ready to take the leap into new areas to meet our promises.”

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