January Newsletter
Here’s what you’ll learn about in this month’s newsletter:
- Introducing Patrick Knight, IDEA’s New President
- Help us Celebrate an Amazing Year of Growth with IDEA OrdrTrak
- You’re Invited to a TradeTech Solutions & IDEA OrdrTrak Workshop at NEMRA25
- See What’s New in the IDEA Learning Portal
- We Want Your Input! Complete the IDEA EDI & Managed Services Survey
- Northern Cables: Welcome to IDEA OrdrTrak
- Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe on YouTube
IDEA Names Patrick Knight as New President
IDEA is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Knight as President, effective January 6, 2025, reporting to current CEO David Oldfather. Patrick joins IDEA with significant experience in driving transformative growth and operational excellence. Throughout his career, Patrick has been instrumental in helping organizations optimize performance, strengthen customer relationships, and expand into new markets. His proven track record in strategic leadership and innovation positions him well to guide IDEA into its next phase of growth and success.
Celebrating an Amazing Year of Growth with IDEA OrdrTrak
What an incredible year! Thanks to you, IDEA OrdrTrak reached new heights in 2024:
- 90+ companies and 220+ individuals now on board
- 3,500+ system logins this year
- Direct integration with Epicor Eclipse ERP completed and launched
- Nearly 50 electrical brands are now connected including Acuity Brands, Signify, RAB Lighting, Legrand, Green Creative, ILP, Pass & Seymour, Cree Lighting, Watt Stopper, and many others!
The best part? We’re just getting started! Know someone who could benefit from IDEA OrdrTrak? Help strengthen your supply chain by spreading the word! The more partners in your network who join, the more powerful the platform becomes for everyone.
TradeTech Solutions & IDEA OrdrTrak Workshop at NEMRA25
Join us for a hands-on workshop showcasing the latest TTS Platform updates and IDEA OrdrTrak enhancements at NEMRA25.
Workshop Details:
Dates: February 3 & 4, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Magnolia 23
Presented by: Matthew Scarborough
Discussion Topics:
- Real-time visibility into order status, inventory, and pricing
- How leading manufacturers like Acuity Brands, Cree Lighting, and Legrand use IDEA OrdrTrak℠ to improve operations
- Seamless integration with ERP systems like Eclipse, Salesforce, SAP, and TTS
- Enhanced analytics and third-party app integrations delivering actionable business insights
- Quick and easy setup
Both sessions cover the same agenda, so choose the time that works best for you.
What’s New in the IDEA Learning Portal?
Manufacturers & Distributors– Login to the IDEA Learning Portal and download the instructions for processing the User License Report. This report provides valuable insights into account users, including newly added users and license assignments. It also helps track IDEA Connector usage and user history, ensuring efficient account management. Review your user licenses today and send any changes to the IDEA Customer Success Team at: Ideacustomersuccess@idea4industry.com.
Manufacturers – Login to the IDEA Learning Portal. IDEA is pleased to announce enhancements to the Extraction Summary Report available in IDEA Connector. This report now contains an IC Extract Legend tab which provides greater details regarding the format and description of the data being downloaded by your authorized distributors.
Login to the IDEA Learning Portal and the Extractor Tool Custom Map now features Product Certification Agencies. Now you can easily map which Product Certifications you require for your business systems. Check out the entire list of Product Certification Agencies in the IDEA Connector Data Dictionary.
Harmonized Data Model Update – IDEA is pleased to announce the completion of 300 UNSPSC.IGCC taxonomy codes. Login to IDEA Connector and download an updated CAS or ETIM Data Typing Report for a complete listing of Harmonized Attribute Labels.
We Want Your Input
Share Your Feedback on the IDEA EDI & Managed Services Survey
IDEA is always looking for ways to better serve our industry, and your feedback would be invaluable. Could you take just a few minutes to complete this short survey? Your insights will help us understand existing market needs and how we can best provide support. By giving us a few minutes of your time, you’ll be entered into a drawing for mini power bank from IDEA.
New Manufacturer Added to IDEA OrdrTrak
