IDEA Announces Strategic Partnership with Canals to Revolutionize Order Entry Automation

Arlington, VA – January 31, 2024 – IDEA, the industry-owned technology company, and a leading provider of electrical product data, announces a groundbreaking partnership with Canals, an AI-based order entry automation tool. This collaboration is poised to usher in a new era of efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced operational precision for sales and order management processes.

The integration of Canals with IDEA’s flagship data syndication tool, IDEA Connector, signifies a strategic move to further streamline and elevate the order entry experience. Canals, known for its AI prowess, offers a suite of features designed to maximize the value of IDEA Connector data. These include seamless ERP system integration, natural language interpretation for unstructured data extraction, and the ability to handle repetitive tasks, freeing human resources for more strategic endeavors.

David Oldfather, President & CEO of IDEA, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “IDEA is committed to exploring collaborations with best-in-class service providers, and our partnership with Canals aligns perfectly with this vision. Together, we aim to redefine order entry automation, setting new benchmarks for efficiency and accuracy.”

Key Features of Canals Include:

• Seamless Integration: Canals seamlessly integrates with ERP systems, ensuring a cohesive and interconnected order entry workflow.
• Language Interpretation: The tool interprets human language, extracting order-related information from unstructured data sources like emails and handwritten notes.
• Machine Learning-powered Task Automation: Canals automatically learns and handles repetitive and rule-based tasks in order entry, allowing human workers to focus on complex and strategic aspects of their roles.
• Error Reduction: Through automated data validation, Canals minimizes errors, ensuring orders adhere to specified criteria.
• Predictive Analysis: Canals analyzes historical and real-time data to prioritize products based on customer preferences, business rules, and other predefined criteria.
• Adaptability: The tool adjusts to changing circumstances, adapting order processing workflows based on evolving business needs or market conditions.

“Canals automatically gets smarter as it’s used for order entry, learning your business rules and becoming a repository of critical institutional knowledge,” said Michael Delgado, Co-Founder & CEO of Canals. “So, it creates enormous productivity gains and really helps with the demographic challenges faced by the industry.”

For More Information

For more information, visit idea4industry.com/canals 

About Canals

Canals is an AI-based order entry automation tool designed to streamline and optimize order processing. With features such as language interpretation, task automation, and adaptability, Canals offers a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking enhanced efficiency and accuracy in their order management processes. Visit Canals at canals.ai.

About IDEA

The Industry Data Exchange Association, Inc. (IDEA) was founded in 1998 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) to serve as a single source of data for the electrical industry. Now, through flagship products IDEA Connector and IDEA Exchange, as well as a growing partner ecosystem, IDEA is the leading provider of complete, high-quality transactional and eCommerce-ready product content for the electrical industry and other industrial verticals. As the electrical industry’s standards body, IDEA sets, facilitates, normalizes, and monitors data standards via initiatives such as the Harmonized Data Model (HDM). Visit IDEA at idea4industry.com.

Media Contacts

Laurie McElroy
IDEA Marketing Director

Sonia Coleman
IDEA Public Relations