The Beer Industry Electronic Commerce Coalition (BIECC), managed by NBWA and established in 1994, is a working group that strives to maximize the beer industrys role and common interest pertaining to the implementation and utilization of electronic commerce within the three-tier system.
About the BIECC
In carrying out its mission, the BIECC objectives include the following:
-
encourage the utilization of state-of-the-art applications
-
enhance the value of the three-tier system
-
educate the brewer and the distribution tiers on electronic data interchange (EDI)
-
represent the beer industrys interests to selected electronic commerce committees
-
monitor electronic commerce developments that impact the beer industry
Additionally, there are four areas in which the BIECC is concentrating to advance the issue of electronic commerce:
1. Education Inform suppliers, distributors and retailers about relevant electronic commerce related issues;
2. Standards Work to enhance existing industry standards and promote standard business transactions;
3. Regulatory Ensure that state and federal laws are upheld and that the playing field is level; and
4. Research Investigate and review emerging technology for use in the beverage industry and to formulate common approaches to implementation.
Current BIECC Membership
| Co-Chairs |
|
Robert Archer
Blue Ridge Beverage Co, Inc. - Salem |
Randy Stanford
Miller Brewing Company |
Brewer Contacts |
|
Chuck Frizzell
Anheuser-Busch, Inc. |
Jeff Wheeler
Coors Brewing Company |
Importer Contacts |
|
Bart Zuurdeeg
Crown Imports, LLC |
|
Brewers Association |
|
Sally Rosauer
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. |
Jay Richardson
New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc. |
Distributor Contacts |
|
John Ross
Andrews Distributing
|
Donna Spagnola
Central Beverage Co.
|
Terry Toennies
Grey Eagle Distributors
|
Dr. Jeff Gower
Wil Fischer Distributing
|
Bruce Whitely
J.J. Taylor Cos. Inc.
|
Fred Dufour
Monarch Beverage Co., Inc.
|
Brian Mullaly
Elyxir Distributing |
|
State Association Liaison |
|
Dean Plunkett
North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association |
|
Executive Secretary |
|
David Christman
National Beer Wholesalers Association |
|
Legal Counsel |
|
William H. Howe
Howe, Anderson & Steyer, P.C. |
|
About BIECC Membership
BIECC members are familiar with many challenges confronting your business today. Members of the coalition affect the future of the beer industry by expressing their views and opinions on electronic commerce issues and by introducing industry solutions.
BIECC membership criteria and dues levels can be found in the BIECC's Operations Guide
. Membership is open to any brewer, importer or beer related association. If you would like mroe information on membership in the BIECC, please contact NBWA Senior Manager of Industry Affairs, Dave Christman at dchristman@nbwa.org.
BIECC Publications
BIECC Activities
Members of the BIECC meet on a regular basis to discuss relevant issues to the beer industry. Each year the coalition presents an education seminar at NBWA's Annual Convention. In non-trade show convention years, the BIECC also sponsors the very popular, Beer & Bytes luncheon, which allows convention attendees to enjoy lunch and at the same time learn about a new technology in the indusry from leading technology providers.
The coalition has developed industry standards and positions on electronic commerce and other related issues affecting distributors and their trading partners. These have been communicated to standards setting bodies, beer industry professionals and other industry groups. Coalition members have also addressed a variety of challenges facing beer distributors. They investigated tools utilized to maximise productivity and automate the beer industry's sales force, including hand-held devices such as pagers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable data collection terminals, truck/car based personal computers (PCs) and global positioning systems (GPS).
The BIECC is currently preparing an updated version of the Route Accout System (RAS) Checklist, first produced in 2001. The finished checklist should be made available in the first quarter of 2007.
Additionally, the BIECC, along with the NBWA Technology Committee, has engaged in a beer distribution system data synchronization readiness assessment being conducted by the 1Sync Retail Center of Expertise (RCE). This engagement, scheduled to be completed in early 2007, will provide a business plan for the implementation of Global Data Synchronization (GDS) in the beer industry properly recognizing the roles of suppliers, distributors and retailers in the system.
In August of 2006, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) with the assistance of the Beer Industry Electronic Commerce Coalition (BIECC) contracted 1SYNC, the leading implementer of supply chain data synchronization, to conduct a Beer Industry Readiness Assessment in regards to Global Data Synchronization (GDS). The objective of this engagement was to support the proactive planning of GDS solutions by evaluating beer suppliers, importers, distributors, and retailers regarding logistics, item and price/promotion data collection, invoicing, and other relevant business processes, and to provide a prescriptive implementation roadmap that may be used for a Beer Industry GDS pilot. Below are the executive summaries from interviews conducted with Suppliers, Distributors and Retailers as well as the final Presentation which was presented to both the BIECC and the NBWA Technology Committee.