About the Service Most companies with a substantial supplier base already use EDI technology. EDI has often proved more suitable for larger suppliers. EDI tradefast from eircom net extends the reach of EDI to the smaller supplier. EDI tradefast provides smaller suppliers with a low cost, easy-to-use e-business solution that allows them to trade electronically with their trading partner over the Internet. EDI tradefast can be applied to most business information problems, from improving internal processes to communication with a whole supplier community exchanging business information securely. The types of information that can be exchanged include orders, invoices, shipping and sales documents. EDI tradefast

• provides smaller suppliers with a low cost, easy to use EDI-enabling solution
• is easy to use, cost effective and flexible
• improves frequency of payment to terms
• enhances your business cycle times by reducing the amount of time it takes to produce and deliver your business documents to your trading partners
• minimises administration overheads
• maximises sales opportunity

Principal facilities offered The principal facilities available for users of the service are:

• sending and receiving data between authorised trading partners
• ability to send data at a user's convenience and for recipients to collect the data at their convenience
• improves frequency of payment to terms
• password controlled access
• ability for authorised users to change passwords remotely
• selection of documents from the user’s site
• deletion of documents from the user’s site
• archiving of documents on the user’s site
• tax reporting
• automatic message deletion after 6 weeks
• audit trail information that provides confirmation of delivery or non-delivery of documents
• message validation
• access to the Service Desk "Helpline" within business hours
• implementation and set-up telephone assistance by eircom net consultants

Service access The Internet is used to access the eircom net EDI tradefast service. This will be either by a dial-up (PSTN), ISDN, DSL or leased line connection according to the data volumes to be transmitted and received and the frequency of use. How does EDI tradefast work? Your trading partner can send business documents through an EDI tradefast website at agreed times during the day. You can then log on to the site and print out or download these documents instantaneously. Users of the service basically transmit data via a computer connection made between their own computer and the EDI tradefast service. The service then acts as a clearing-house, sorting the transmitted data and delivering it to the address specified by the sender. The trading partners can then, via a similar computer connection to the service, collect the transmitted data at their convenience. The service supports the EDIFACT, TRADACOMS and ANSI X12 data standards. It also incorporates a high level of security to help ensure that transmitted data is available only to authorised users. Access to the service is via passwords, the generation and maintenance of which are within the user's control. Is this service suitable for you? The EDI tradefast service has been developed to facilitate a number of business units within Musgrave Group. Although it is feature rich, it may not be the appropriate solution for you. eircom net also offers other EDI solutions, and having read this if you are in any doubt regarding the appropriateness of the EDI tradefast service to your business please consult with your eircom net representative. It is important that you clarify the following information prior to processing your order for this service.

• Is your business with Musgrave Group Northern Ireland and/or Musgrave Group Republic of Ireland? EDI tradefast has been enabled for both Musgrave NI and Musgrave ROI. A discount is available to suppliers trading with both. The currency you use to trade with each trading partner can be different and can be determined when you sign up.
• Do you trade with multiple Musgrave business units or just one? EDI tradefast has been enabled for Chill, Ambient, Central Billing, Cash & Carry, and Cash & Carry central Billing (Day to Day) business areas .
• What volume of invoices do you send to Musgrave per month? If you process a high volume of Invoices i.e. greater than 50 per month, a web input solution may not be suitable. Data file upload or a traditional EDI solution may be more suitable.
• What is the value of your business with Musgrave per annum? EDI tradefast is a low cost solution for SME suppliers. If you have a high value of business with Musgrave a traditional EDI solution may be more suitable.
• What is the average number of lines on each invoice? If you process a large number of product lines per Invoice i.e. more than 100, and you do not receive an electronic Order (e.g. Central Billing business area), a web input solution may not be suitable. Data file upload or a traditional EDI solution may be more suitable.
• Do you have an Accounts package (e.g. Sage, Tas Books, Take 5 etc.)? If you wish to generate Invoices and receive Orders into your Accounts application, you will need to develop an interface with your application software. If you do not have experience in-house for developing an integration interface you will need to speak to a software development company to generate the required output/input formats for you. This will incur a cost.

Please contact your eircom net representative to discuss any of the above.