CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS
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November 23-29, 2001
The fashion industry is still slow to embrace technology, and that
was evidence at the Nov. 13th EDI seminar at the New Mart sponsored by
the Apparel Information Management System (AIMS), Cherish
International and the Fashion Business Incubator (FBI).
So it was little surprise when AIMS Hotline president Scott Chaban
asked audience members if they were conversant with EDI, and about 10 percent of the
nearly 150 attendees - including representatives from James Perse, Isabelle
Fiore and
Frankie B. -raised their hands.
"Designers are still getting on the technology
bandwagon," said Frances Harder, FBI’s executive director.
To help dispel fears and educate industry members, representatives
from Macy’s West, AIMS, Innovative Systems
LLC, Continuous Forms Control and the Data Management
Center presented background information and the "how-tos" of
implementing and managing the format of EDI, or electronic data interchange-the method by
which most retail chains and manufacturers process orders.
"This is the bare minimum of what department stores
expect," said Mitzi Pon Murakami, manager of purchasing and vendor development for
Macy’s West. "We’re asking all resale vendors to have it".
If they don’t, the chances of dealing with preeminent chains
declines, Murakami said, and room for error increases. |
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"Why we do EDI is because of a
word everybody dreads: charge backs," said Matt Sperr, EDI directory at Innovative
Systems.
Sperr went on to describe potential violations that can lead to
charge backs, from improperly formatted purchase orders to incorrectly printed box labels.
Panelists suggested that smaller designers and manufacturers-those
with sales of $5 million or less-outsource EDI services and that others looking to grow
their business bring the operations in-house. Getting started can cost as little as $150 a
month coupled with a set-up fee of $1,000 to as much as $8000 for software packages, said
Henry Cherner, AIMS vice president.
The panel also fielded questions from the audience but the heat
started to rise when a question returned to the issue of charge backs, as one attendee
wondered how apparel designers can survive the imposed fines.
"You get a charge back when you’re not compliant,"
Murakami said. "We have a huge distribution center with millions of boxes sitting on
docks. Imagine finding a box if it’s improperly labeled."
After the session, Frankie B. general manager Laura Sherman said
her company plans to install EDI, given the line’s growth and sales in stores
including Nordstrom’s, Burdines and Neiman
Marcus.
I’d rather be prepared than forced to comply," Sherman
said. "We hope to be implemented in the two to three months." - Nola
Sarkisian-Miller |
