August 26, 2013 – The Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) has announced the new 2013 criteria for the IDW Bands of Excellence and the new banded manufacturers, saying the 2013 bands have been tightened from the original ranges defined in 2012 to more closely align with the NAED Supplier Scorecards.

According to the association, the new banding criteria also has more stringent requirements for attribute population than before, and additional rigor will be added to the banding criteria as end user needs evolve.

The manufacturers recognized this year are providing essential marketing content (SAID elements: spec sheets, attributes, images, descriptions) for 85-100% of their stock products.

“Since the Bands of Excellence program began last summer, marketing content in the IDW has increased more than tenfold,” said Bob Gaylord, president and CEO of IDEA. “While distributors are recognizing this progress, they still see gaps in product information that is vital to the success of their web storefronts. These new more rigorous banding levels were designed to communicate the rapidly-evolving expectations of buyers, and recognize the manufacturers that are meeting or exceeding those expectations.”

The manufacturers first to be banded according to the new 2013 IDW Bands of Excellence criteria are:

Platinum: 100% stock products in the IDW populated with all SAID elements
• Allied Moulded Products, Anamet Electrical; Anamet Canada; Burndy; Eaton—Crouse-Hinds; Eaton—Cooper Lighting; Electri-Flex; Hubbell—Killark; Hubbell—Lenoir City; Legrand—Pass & Seymour; Schneider Electric

Gold: 95-99% stock products in the IDW populated with all SAID elements
• Hubbell—Raco; Hubbell—Wiegmann; Ilsco; Legrand—Cablofil; Southwire

Silver: 90-94% stock products in the IDW populated with all SAID elements
• Eaton—B-Line Business; EGS Electrical Group; Eiko; Federal Signal; ProSoft Technology; Universal Lighting Technologies

Bronze: 85-89% stock products in the IDW populated with all SAID elements
• Eaton Bussmann; EasyHeat; Hubbell—Bryant Electric; Pentair Technical Products—Hoffman Enclosures and McLean Cooling; Philips Lighting; Rab Lighting; R-K Electronics; Specified Technologies Inc. (STI)

“The 2013 banding criteria addresses the proliferation of eCommerce websites and associated demand from end users. This marketing content is essential for distributors to stay competitive, and will help us get the right products in front of buyers while they are searching online,” said Jeff Skiles, director of Information Technology and Shared Services, Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, and IDEA Innovation Advisory Council chair.