SurplusChannel.com partners with the Electrical Distributors Network.
SurplusChannel.com signed an exclusive agreement with EDN (Electrical Distributors Network), Concord, Ohio, to design, build and implement a total e-procurement system.
"We're working on an electronic procurement project that applies the technology to everyday purchases," said Doug Kinney, president of SurplusChannel.com.
SurplusChannel.com set up a surplus marketplace for EDN members to sell excess inventory to electrical professionals back in March. EDN partnered with SurplusChannel again to develop a Web-based solution that will link EDN Headquarters, member electrical distributors and the company's Preferred Vendors. Kinney said the system will expedite all procurement transactions.
"An electrical distributor will be able to basically write one purchase order to all manufacturers once a day or twice a day and the system will handle all that electronically," Kinney said. "All correspondence will come electronically so there are no phone calls or faxes."
Electrical distributors are interested in taking advantage of the procurement system, Kinney said.
"We asked them what they would want and how adaptable they would be," Kinney said. "Overall, electrical distributors were very favorable to the idea. I think that everybody realizes that this is probably going to be the wave of the future."
EDN has been and will continue to be a good partner, Kinney said.
"They're one of the fastest-growing buying groups," Kinney said. "Matt Roos (president of EDN) is very forward thinking and realizes that in two or three years, every buying group will be on some system like this. I think they're going to be our partner for quite a long time."
Launched in October of 1999, SurplusChannel.com uses a negotiation-based approach to actively match buyers with sellers of surplus equipment. This is different from other inventory management Web sites, which rely on an auction-based approach that simply loads items for sale and waits for multiple bidders to enter the market. It also is designed to replace the traditional paper-based surplus procurement and distribution process.
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