AFMA IT Division To Continue Work Of E-Business Task Force

Furniture World Magazine

An E-Business Task Force created by the American Furniture Manufacturers Association (AFMA) to analyze the industry's information technology needs and provide recommendations on e-business initiatives has been dissolved. An Information Technology Division, also formed by the AFMA last year, will resume the work of the task force. "The task force joined several industry organizations in the support and endorsement of data standards that must form the foundation for potential e-business applications," explained E-Business Task Force Chairman Talmage Fish of Hooker Furniture. These data standards include the ANSI EDI standards, the UCC Bar Coded 128 Shipping Label, and the emerging UCC/GCI XML standards, among others. "The new IT Division is better positioned to track the progress of emerging standards and initiatives and to further develop and finalize the essential business requirements. The IT Division also can collaborate with representatives from AFMA's other divisions to address specialized supply chain issues such as transportation and logistics, manufacturing systems, and so on," said Fish, who has been named president of the IT Division to help provide continuity. The E-Business Task Force was formed last May. In addition to its work on data standards, the task force developed a list of "business requirements" that could be used to evaluate the viability of e-business applications. The group also invited retailers and suppliers to compile a complete inventory of business requirements to satisfy the needs of the industry supply chain as a whole. The task force researched various e-business initiatives within the home furnishings industry to determine their viability. The group concluded that a viable solution does not currently exist. An industry portal that incorporates both the endorsed standards and business requirements could be developed, but its cost would be too excessive for AFMA or any coalition of industry associations, the task force reported. However, a private entity or entities could potentially develop such a portal. Following the recommendations of the task force, AFMA's IT Division will now assume responsibility for monitoring e-business initiatives and determining their feasibility.