May 8, 2013 - Earlier this month, the Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) named its officers and directors for 2013-14. Leading the board of directors is John Burke, president and COO of Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, as IDEA chair. He previously served on the IDEA board as vice chair from 2012-13 and treasurer from 2011-12.

May 6, 2013 - General Cable has announced it has reached IDEA’s (The Industry Data Exchange Association’s) Platinum Band, describing it as the “most prestigious level of IDEA’s Bands of Excellence program”.

February 19, 2013 - The Industry Data Exchange Association Inc. (IDEA)—a technology service provider and eBusiness standards body for the electrical industry—released the Attribute Schema v3.0, an industry-approved guide for electrical manufacturers to communicate standardized product descriptors to their trading partners through the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW). Manufacturers can use the Schema to populate descriptive information for nearly 3500 product categories, expanding product coverage by 40% from the previous version, and enabling additional manufacturers involved with related verticals (e.g. HVAC, plumbing and industrial) to participate. Product descriptors are based on the product categories of the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). The Attribute Schema v3.0 is also being used to develop a cross-reference tool with its European equivalent, the European Technical Information Model (ETIM), to align standards internationally and enable manufacturers to send descriptive information to their U.S.-, Canadian- and European-based distributors simultaneously.

December 19, 2012 - Universal Lighting Technologies has reached IDEA’s (The Industry Data Exchange Association’s) Platinum Band, the “most prestigious level of IDEA’s Bands of Excellence program”, it said.

October 3, 2012 - IDEA, a business-to-business technology service provider owned by the electrical industry, has launched the Data Management Platform (DMP) to help manufacturers aggregate, synchronize and communicate product information with distributors, retailers and other trading partners. According to IDEA, the solution increases data sync efficiencies for manufacturers and distributors 
and helps them quickly adapt to their customers’ needs. Distributors can use the DMP to manage the product information they receive from various sources in one location before importing it into their business system and packaging it for end-users.

IDEA

July 19, 2012 - IDEA—a technology service provider of the electrical industry—today announced the manufacturers that have achieved the Platinum level status for the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) Bands of Excellence. The manufacturers recognized have provided “the robust product marketing content that distributors have requested to market products in the most efficient way possible”.

June 21, 2012 - IDEA, a business-to-business technology service provider owned by the electrical industry, has named its new officers and directors for 2012-2013.

May 31, 2012 - IDEA (a B2B technology service provider owned by the electrical industry) says registration is now open for the 14th annual IDEA E-Biz Forum—an eBusiness event dedicated to business-to-business leaders in the electrical supply chain.

February 27, 2012 - IDEA, a business-to-business technology service provider owned by the electrical industry, has announced a strategic partnership with ecmarket, an eBusiness solution provider, where IDEA will resell the latter’s Conexiom solution, integrating it with the Industry Data Exchange (IDX) network. This integrated solution will be launched as “iConex” to help IDEA customers automate order management processes with trading partners that are not EDI-capable, explained the companies.