ECRS Rolls Out LogicSync

Following five years of extensive development, in-field testing, and collaborative research on behalf of ECRS by students from the Department of Computer Science at Boone, N.C.-based Appalachian State University (ASU), ECRS Software Corp. is formally introducing LogicSync, a proprietary business logic and methodology that connects current EDI (electronic data interchange) technologies with in-store retail systems. The innovative, cloud-centric technology considerably extends the EDI standard beyond electronic document transmission, to a transformational store-level automation tool for small to midsize (SMB) retailers, according to ECRS, which is also based in Boone.

Using the technology, these retailers can completely automate and streamline 15 high-labor touch-points, among them inventory replenishment, item receiving, price management, supplier promotions, direct store delivery and new-item onboarding.

“The key to LogicSync is that it fulfills what has been the promising but elusive goal of EDI within the SMB retail sector,” noted ECRS president Pete Catoe. “LogicSync dramatically reduces the need for human interaction with common data, both mundane and complex. It does so in part by eliminating redundant labor that exists between supplier and retailer, and by providing the essential infrastructure for a well-organized and consistently profitable store operation. Our field results are extraordinary and strongly indicate that LogicSync is no ordinary advancement, but instead a tool to dramatically transform how SMB retailers will do business for years to come.”

LogicSync powers ECRS solutions such as Supplier Gateway to enable optimal functionality and user benefit. Supplier Gateway offers a portal through which retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and brokers can freely exchange EDI and other electronic document transmissions. It then intuitively routes documents and performs automated functions at the store level. LogicSync intelligence transforms everyday supplier data into an automation performance tool, according to the vendor.

“We have had great success with Logic-Sync,” said National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) board member and Berkshire Co-op Market GM Art Ames of a field implementation of the technology. “When we transitioned, our inventory commitment decreased and our sales turns increased. We now carry less back stock and enjoy more on-time ordering.”