Product & Price Information Format (PPIF) Version
2.1 Incorporates New Optional Fields for Country of Origin
Chicago, Ill.—January 6,
2010— A joint task force of the Power Transmission
Distributors Association (PTDA) and the Bearing Specialists Association,
led by Carlos Ingram, Vice President of Business Systems for Kaman
Industrial Technologies Corporation, recently approved a revision
to the widely-used Product & Price Information Format (PPIF) to add
five optional fields for country of origin. With the support of
members and the Board of Directors of both associations, PPIF
version 2.1 was released on January 1, 2010 with an effective date
of March 31, 2010.
Since 1999, the Product & Price
Information Format (PPIF) has simplified the transmission of price and
product information from suppliers to distributors by eliminating the
patchwork of proprietary manufacturer pricing formats. This
universally accepted format has streamlined the cumbersome,
time-consuming process of updating database records to reflect current
information. The widespread use of PPIF among PTDA members is a
testament to its value. Distributor companies using PPIF account
for 87 percent of the sales volume of PTDA distributor members;
manufacturer companies using PPIF account for 94 percent of the sales
volume of PTDA manufacturer members.
Why add these fields?
Transacting business with government agencies requires the
distributor to certify the country of origin for each product (part)
number. This means flagging each part number with country code(s)
that identify the product's country of origin. As more
distributors do business with government agencies, this information
becomes an important part of the process. Specifying the fields
for this kind of information is in keeping with purpose of the format,
ensuring that distributors will be able to find this information in the
same fields every time the data is received. Five optional fields have been added, using the ISO
country codes to identify country of origin when mutually agreed upon
by the manufacturer and distributor for products requiring country of
origin identification by the end user.
The task force recognizes that
"country of origin" may be defined differently by various government
agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, GSA, NAFTA). In addition to
inclusion of the country of origin codes in the format, manufacturers
will need to notify their distributors as to the definition used when
specifying country of origin.
Learn more about PPIF Version 2.1 and
download the format by visiting www.ptda.org/PPIF.
Founded in 1960, the Power
Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) is the leading association
for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC)
distribution channel. A U.S.-based trade association, PTDA
represents 198 power transmission/motion control distribution firms that
generate more than $10 billion in sales and span 3,500 locations in
North America and 11 other
countries. PTDA members also include 187 manufacturers that supply
the PT/MC industry.
PTDA is dedicated to providing
exceptional networking, targeted education, relevant information and
leading-edge business tools to help distributors and manufacturers meet
marketplace demands competitively and profitably. For more
information, visit www.ptda.org.
|
