I think this points out an important element of the EDI/XML question.
Patrick's points on why XML is a useful technology seem to aim mainly at
areas that EDI doesn't touch, such as web-sites and email documents. It
looks a lot like an apples-and-oranges kind of thing. If you have no
existing EDI infrastructure, and EDI functionality isn't a requirement to
work with your trading partners, then XML makes a tremendous amount of
sense. Problem is, the "800 lb. gorillas" that so many of us have to work
with do require EDI functionality, so to work with them you have to have it
too, plain and simple. I would be interested in finding out if Patrick's
company does much business with the big companies in the automotive sector,
and whether they are cool with email invoices and such?
Kirk Hole
NIKE
EDI Services Analyst
phone: 503.532.6100
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Sczypiorski [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 9:26 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: E-Commerce Prophets
Paul,
For the large scale manufacturer, and other large companies whith
large volume sales, I would have to agree with you assessment of the status
of XML implementation. However, I can see a trend towards XML in the smaller
companies (i.e.: gross revenues under $100,000,000 annually) in an effort to
get more trading partners electronically enabled. This needs to be done not
only to remain competitive on an overall market basis (Name recognition),
but also to reduce costs and to increase customer service in order to remain
a viable part of the business sector.
The company for which I work is by no means a large scale
manufacturer, but a small to mid-size manufacturer of goods for the
automotive industry. As such, in an effort to maintain viability, we are in
the process of developing an e-commerce site and have actually had requests
from customers to e-mail invoices and other business documents. Correct me
if I'm mistaken, but isn't that precisely what XML is intended to do?!
I think that the move toward XML implementations will move forward
at a much quicker pace and that within the next 5 years the only companies
that will be doing stricly traditional EDI is the large scale companies that
have the ability to mandate that vendors who want to do busoness with the do
what they say. (There is that 800 lb. gorilla throwing his weight arounnd
again!!)
Patrick F. Sczypiorski
Manager of Application Systems
Velvac, Inc
Phone (262) 786-0700 x371
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Krikke [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 10:51 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: E-Commerce Prophets
Kevin Benedict asked "Which of you EDI and B2B e-Commerce gurus are willing
to make prophecies concerning the migration pace from traditional EDI to
XML/Internet based technologies?".
Well, I'm no prophet or guru, but from a manufacturer's perspective I
predict that companies with an existing investment in traditional EDI will
rush to XML just as fast as our trading partners force us to. The old
saying of "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" applies. Traditional EDI
continues to work extremely well for us, as I'm willing to wager it does for
most of the other manufacturers out there who use it. For us, there just
isn't ANY discernable business case to migrate from X.12 and EDIFACT to XML.
And (on a different note), I continue to wince whenever I read "these new
XML/Internet technologies", as though traditional EDI has some inherent
quality that prevents it from using the Internet as a communication medium.
Cheers!
Paul Krikke
Manager,
Information Systems -- Business Technology
Taylor Steel Inc.
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