Palliser kicks off B2B program
October 7, 2003

Home furniture manufacturer's Customer Experience Initiative speeds e-commerce transactions for their retailers with EDI and collaborative web-based services

Palliser, one of Canada's leading home furniture manufacturers, today announced a new initiative to enable their retail customers to use Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) and the Internet to streamline their supply chains and enhance the level of electronic services that Palliser provides to its furniture dealers.

As part of their ongoing Customer Experience Initiative, Palliser is developing their own B2B web-site, which will be exclusive to Palliser furniture dealers. It features secure access to order status and product information, photography and collateral materials, special promotions, and inventory availability.

Retailers who already have the necessary technical resources and EDI translation software can be set up to communicate directly with Palliser on EDI. All other retailers interested in automating their supply chain with Palliser are being encouraged to consider the outsourced services of FurnishNet, a leading provider of Internet-based supply chain solutions for retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers.

"By partnering with FurnishNet, we are making affordable, comprehensive electronic document exchange services available to all of our trading partners," said Roger Friesen, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Palliser. "FurnishNet's proven 'Any-to-Any' connectivity makes it easy for any retailer to reduce manual processes, faxing, duplicate data entry, associated errors, and follow-up phone calls, which reduces expenses and shortens our order cycle times."

FurnishNet's solution for Transaction Management speeds the accurate transmission of purchase orders, purchase order acknowledgements, advance ship notices, invoices, and many other transaction types. By integrating e-mail, web applications, electronic data interchange (EDI), and XML into a unique "Any-to-Any" exchange, FurnishNet is able to translate the information into the appropriate format, which allows the immediate electronic flow of information between business partners of any size, running on any corporate system.

"Our Customer Experience Initiative is designed to aid in communication and help us focus on delivering the best service experience possible for our retail customers," added Friesen. "We believe that Palliser's ability to offer a wide array of web-based services to our retailers enhances the level of communication to our customers and provides both Palliser and our dealer community with competitive advantages."

Representatives from Palliser and FurnishNet are looking forward to the upcoming October High Point Market, where they will demonstrate and discuss the solutions available to the Palliser furniture dealers in the Palliser showroom at 220 Elm.

About FurnishNet
With over 425 trading partners and over $1.8 billion in contracted purchase order volume, FurnishNet is a leading provider of Internet-based supply chain solutions for retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers. FurnishNet's solutions for Transaction Management, Parts Management, and Container Management provide a cost-effective alternative to EDI, and help trading partners to streamline communications, reduce errors, and save hard costs. For more information, call Alan Ayres at 1-800-854-2263, ext. 2469 or visit www.furnishnet.com.

About Palliser
Palliser Furniture, Canada's leading manufacturer of assembled household furniture, is a family-owned company with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Palliser employs over 4300 people in facilities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Indonesia.