Washington, D.C., September 8, 2017 – AgGateway will hold a new “Seed Quick Connect” session on November 7, 1:00-5:00 pm, in San Diego, Calif., so that agricultural retailers, distributors and manufacturers can meet one-on-one to determine where and how they can better connect electronically to streamline their seed transactions – from booking, delivery and invoicing, to sales and inventory reporting. The 4-hour session, which will facilitate multiple interactions between trading partners, will be held during AgGateway’s Annual Conference, November 6-9 in San Diego. Companies’ software vendors are also encouraged to participate, to help determine next steps in making electronic connections.
“Thanks to work within AgGateway, the standards are well developed and ready for everyone to use. Now what we really need is for more trading partners to go electronic – and ditch the paper – so that companies and the industry can fully benefit,” said Ann Vande Lune, Agronomy Administrator at Key Cooperative and Chair of AgGateway’s Seed Council.
“If you’re an ag retailer or distributor that wants to take advantage of the benefits of streamlining your transactions with seed manufacturers in the next 12-24 months, this is a great session for you,” she added.
Several companies have already signed up for the session, including distributors/retailers Co-Alliance LLP, The Equity, Key Cooperative, Wilbur Ellis and WinField United; manufacturers Dow AgroSciences, Monsanto, Syngenta and WinField United; and software and service providers ACS, Elemica, Entira, Iteris, and SSI (Agvance).
Registration for the event is included in the Annual Conference registration – simply indicate your interest in Seed Quick Connect on the registration form. Registration is now open under “Events” at www.AgGateway.org. If your company is not an AgGateway member and you’re interested in connecting with AgGateway members, contact Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org for special rates to Annual Conference.
AgGateway members have found that moving from paper-based tracking systems into electronic connectivity – through standardized transactions – dramatically improves their efficiency, accuracy and customer service. Moreover, many companies say their investments in electronic data transfer quickly paid off, saving their companies time and money, and boosting customer service.
“By implementing AgGateway standards and going electronic, we’ve cut entry time by two-thirds in our business processes – push a button and it’s there accurately,” said Vande Lune. “Inventory control has doubled. The price sheet has eliminated mistakes. Sales people and management have confidence that they have the right price. Invoices are automatically entered into the system and prices are populated.”
Jeff Griffeth, Innovative Business Solutions Manager at Co-Alliance, LLP, agrees with the rapid pay-off, noting, “When you don’t track efficiently, it’s the equivalent of a significant hit to sales and profitability. It can take additional sales of 7 times or more just to make up for the number of units lost. On the flip side, going electronic gives your profitability a shot in the arm almost immediately – for us it has been very positive.
“There are still trading partners who rely on paper orders and re-typing data into systems,” Griffeth adds. “That slows us down and just doesn’t make much sense in this day and age.”
AgGateway has numerous resources to help agri-business of all sizes to adopt to electronic connectivity within their operations. More information is available at www.AgGateway.org.
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AgGateway is a non-profit organization that helps member companies improve their profitability and productivity by promoting, enabling and expanding eBusiness in agriculture. www.AgGateway.org
Contact:
Susan Ruland AgGateway (202) 742-5967, ext. 10 susan.ruland@AgGateway.org