Industry develops 'B2B Standard'

At Surfaces 2002, the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) announced the development of the Floor Covering Industry B2B Standard, an initiative that is sponsored and endorsed by nearly every major company in the floor covering industry.

In 2001, a committee representing major manufacturers, distributors and software systems suppliers in the floor covering industry negotiated a standard language for the electronic exchange of product and order information between any two buyers and sellers across the Internet. Using computer systems that comply with the standard, dealers and distributors can simplify their business dealings with vendors. The standard allows vendors to automatically send all product and price changes to dealers direct via the Internet into the vendor's pricing file. The standard also allows dealers to automate the procurement process, receive advance notification of vendor shipments and enable electronic billing.

Many manufacturers and distributors expect their systems to fully support the standard within the next few months. Upon implementation of the standard, suppliers will notify dealers. With support from CRI, the standard's creators have launched a website at www.flooringb2bstandard.com to provide additional information about the standard.