My first horror story is about a company much like any other. A mid sized supplier; not at all out of the ordinary. The company had (or at least THOUGHT they had) a great EDI program that they had implemented, and things were going well. They were ahead of the game, using EDI when many other companies hadn't yet taken the leap. At first glance, things seemed to be going well. Customer demand was high, orders were coming in left and right, and shipments were up from the previous year. It was a time of great celebration, especially in such a rough economy. Things were looking good for these folks. Read more...

If you're reading this you already know that EDI is no longer an option, it is an integral part of doing business with your trading partners. Besides that, if it weren't practically required, I would have been out of work a long time ago. Even so, not every participant in the supply chain believes that the days of paper invoices, phone orders, and human interaction to complete daily tasks has been relegated to the 8-track tape days. In the best environments, everything is automated, and computer to computer transmission of information is commonplace. Read more...

Do you remember CommerceOne, Ariba, and viaLink?  They all had proprietary eCommerce systems created during fits of brilliance funded by "unbridled exuberance."  I think the venture cap companies are getting ants in their pants, and itching for the old days. Read more...