Industry Standard Comes from NACS Collaboration
LAS VEGAS -- The Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS), NACS and 1SYNC will partner to pilot PCATS Gateway, a service offering that supports the synchronization of price book data between traders in the c-store channel.
The pilot, which will be conducted during the first quarter of 2007, includes retailers The Pantry, Inc., Town & Country Food Stores; and suppliers: Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, The Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. The results of these tests will be revealed at the NACStech trade show in 2007.
"The PCATS Gateway will create a pipeline that will allow retailers and suppliers of all sizes to exchange business transactions enabling critical mass for the industry," said Ann Dozier, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for the Coca-Cola Co.
The solution is approved by NACS and will use PCATS' eXtensible Markup Language (NAXML) standards. 1SYNC will serve as the technology solution provider.
"This project affirms our synergy with NACS and will further demonstrate the value of deploying PCATS' NAXML message standards within the convenience and petroleum retailing channel," said PCATS executive director and CEO John Hervey.
All parties expect a range of benefits from the collaboration, including improved efficiency in exchanging price information facilitated by a cost-effective solution that leverages a single petroleum/convenience industry standard; expansion and acceleration of the commercial value of data synchronization in the petroleum/convenience channel; elimination of technology barriers that have previously stalled implementations; and simplified integration to retailer back office solutions.
"We are excited about the pilot. It is a standards-based solution to electronically synchronize price book data and will provide great value to the convenience store industry," said NACS president and CEO Hank Armour. "We expect suppliers, particularly small- to mid-size companies, to benefit from having a cost-effective, single solution that lowers their overall supply chain costs. For back-office solution providers, this solution will create a gateway for the data they need to provide value-added solutions for retailers to run their businesses."
"Our objective is to assist retailers and suppliers in the convenience and petroleum retailing channel in achieving supply chain benefits associated with electronic price book synchronization, and the best way to achieve that is by partnering with NACS and PCATS," said 1SYNC CEO Bob Noe. "We are extremely excited about conducting this industry standard pilot and anticipate positive results through utilizing this cost-effective Gateway."
In other PCATS news, Wincor Nixdorf's NAMOS Compact convenience/petroleum software has been certified to PCATS standards. Wincor Nixdorf, a leading supplier of IT solutions for banking and retail industries, received the Conformance Validation Certificate, which certifies its compatibility with specific-use occasions with the PCATS-NAXML standards. Those standards are designed to ease the integration and communication between point of sale and back office systems.
NAMOS Compact is used by large petroleum retailers and can also work with small to mid-sized convenience stores. It also boasts a low total cost of ownership and adapts to new applications, brands and strategies. The software has a multi-layer architecture that allows retailers to integrate all point of sale functions, back office and pump system controls, along with additional or existing back office products and head office solutions.
"As one of the world's leading suppliers of retail technology solutions, Wincor Nixdorf is deeply committed to international and U.S. industry standards," said Doug Evans, vice president of retail for Wincor Nixdorf USA. "PCATS certification increases Wincor Nixdorf's market momentum in convenience and petroleum retailing, and it will give our customers confidence that NAMOS Compact complies with this vital industry standard."
PCATS was formed in September of 2003 to continue the development and maintenance standards that began in the NACS' Technology Standards project. It has more than 170 retailer and supplier members and represents more than 22,000 c-stores.
The pilot, which will be conducted during the first quarter of 2007, includes retailers The Pantry, Inc., Town & Country Food Stores; and suppliers: Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, The Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. The results of these tests will be revealed at the NACStech trade show in 2007.
"The PCATS Gateway will create a pipeline that will allow retailers and suppliers of all sizes to exchange business transactions enabling critical mass for the industry," said Ann Dozier, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for the Coca-Cola Co.
The solution is approved by NACS and will use PCATS' eXtensible Markup Language (NAXML) standards. 1SYNC will serve as the technology solution provider.
"This project affirms our synergy with NACS and will further demonstrate the value of deploying PCATS' NAXML message standards within the convenience and petroleum retailing channel," said PCATS executive director and CEO John Hervey.
All parties expect a range of benefits from the collaboration, including improved efficiency in exchanging price information facilitated by a cost-effective solution that leverages a single petroleum/convenience industry standard; expansion and acceleration of the commercial value of data synchronization in the petroleum/convenience channel; elimination of technology barriers that have previously stalled implementations; and simplified integration to retailer back office solutions.
"We are excited about the pilot. It is a standards-based solution to electronically synchronize price book data and will provide great value to the convenience store industry," said NACS president and CEO Hank Armour. "We expect suppliers, particularly small- to mid-size companies, to benefit from having a cost-effective, single solution that lowers their overall supply chain costs. For back-office solution providers, this solution will create a gateway for the data they need to provide value-added solutions for retailers to run their businesses."
"Our objective is to assist retailers and suppliers in the convenience and petroleum retailing channel in achieving supply chain benefits associated with electronic price book synchronization, and the best way to achieve that is by partnering with NACS and PCATS," said 1SYNC CEO Bob Noe. "We are extremely excited about conducting this industry standard pilot and anticipate positive results through utilizing this cost-effective Gateway."
In other PCATS news, Wincor Nixdorf's NAMOS Compact convenience/petroleum software has been certified to PCATS standards. Wincor Nixdorf, a leading supplier of IT solutions for banking and retail industries, received the Conformance Validation Certificate, which certifies its compatibility with specific-use occasions with the PCATS-NAXML standards. Those standards are designed to ease the integration and communication between point of sale and back office systems.
NAMOS Compact is used by large petroleum retailers and can also work with small to mid-sized convenience stores. It also boasts a low total cost of ownership and adapts to new applications, brands and strategies. The software has a multi-layer architecture that allows retailers to integrate all point of sale functions, back office and pump system controls, along with additional or existing back office products and head office solutions.
"As one of the world's leading suppliers of retail technology solutions, Wincor Nixdorf is deeply committed to international and U.S. industry standards," said Doug Evans, vice president of retail for Wincor Nixdorf USA. "PCATS certification increases Wincor Nixdorf's market momentum in convenience and petroleum retailing, and it will give our customers confidence that NAMOS Compact complies with this vital industry standard."
PCATS was formed in September of 2003 to continue the development and maintenance standards that began in the NACS' Technology Standards project. It has more than 170 retailer and supplier members and represents more than 22,000 c-stores.