BSA and PTDA Partner with Blue Meteor to Transform How Industrial Product Information is Exchanged

Bearing Services Association (BSA) and the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) have partnered with Blue Meteor™ to launch the PIE Technology Platform™ to transform the way industrial manufacturers and distributors exchange rich content product information.

The PIE Technology Platform is powered by Blue Meteor’s Amaze Data Xchange platform, a turnkey, configurable, Cloud-based platform for member communities, ecosystems, and marketplaces to automate the exchange and governance of product content based on industry-developed standards.

Based on the industry standard, the PIE Template, the PIE Technology Platform simplifies the sharing of rich product content between industrial bearing and power transmission manufacturers and their authorized distributors. Rich product content includes the images and product attributes that will enable BSA and PTDA distributors to fuel their digital growth by offering more complete product stories on their digital channels.

BSA and PTDA member companies such as Applied Industrial Technologies, B&D Industrial, BDI, IBT Industrial Solutions, Bearing Service Inc., NSK Americas, IKO International, Inc., Schaeffler, and Scheerer have already adopted the PIE Template standard and the PIE Technology Platform. “Enriched product data is a necessity to compete in today’s digitized world,” says BSA and PTDA member Tracie Longpre, VP of Supply Chain at Applied Industrial Technologies. “This ensures the data content, including images and attributes used internally or presented to customers, is always robust and current.”

“The PIE platform provides a tremendous opportunity for manufacturers and distributors to deliver a new level of collaboration and alignment regarding product data, images, and ongoing data synchronization,” adds BSA and PTDA member, Bill Shepard, Vice President of BDI.

Industry associations, co-ops, and buying groups are beginning to recognize that another way to bring value to their membership and to their communities at large, is by facilitating the creation of a digital product catalog or data pool that can be shared across the community. Leveraging Blue Meteor’s Cloud based Amaze DATA Xchange, it is now possible for these member-based organizations to affordably automate, standardize, and govern the collection of product content from their manufacturer community and make it readily available to their membership with a simple download or API call.

“We have been extremely pleased with the Amaze Data Xchange platform,” says Jerilyn Church, Executive Secretary of BSA. “It has enabled us to very quickly get the PIE Technology Platform program off the ground and has allowed our communities of Bearings and Power Transmission product manufacturers and distributors to see the value of the initiative very early on,” Chuch adds, “What has been equally impressive has been the know-how and support that the Blue Meteor team has provided. They have made the entire process of launching an industry data exchange far easier and economical than if we had tried to go about it alone.”

“We have been honored to support these two great industry associations in their efforts to improve how their industries collaborate on and exchange product content,” says Sanjay Agarwal, Founder and CEO of Blue Meteor. “The investments that we have made and are continuing to make in data science, advanced automation, and Cloud technology are enabling companies, member communities, and ecosystems such as BSA and PTDA to build more meaningful product experiences at scale – which ultimately enables these organizations to have happier customers and sell more products.”

About Blue Meteor

Amaze Product Experience Cloud is transforming how B2B and B2B2C companies, member communities, and ecosystems acquire, manage, transform, deliver, and exchange product content. Developed by Blue Meteor, Amaze Product Experience Cloud is an end-to-end, integrated product data management solution powered by data science that enables the entire product data lifecycle – enabling these organizations to deliver amazing, relevant, in-context product experiences across all channels at scale. Blue Meteor’s commitment to customer success makes it the trusted choice for leading B2B and B2B2C organizations such as Grainger, Office Depot, AutoAnything, US Electrical, IBT Industrial, Sandvik, Bearing Services, and ISI. For more information, visit http://www.amazepxm.com

About Bearing Services Association (BSA)

BSA is the “must belong to organization for authorized bearing distributors.” The association’s mission states, “BSA builds meaningful and lasting relationships by connecting distributor and manufacturer leaders to move our industry forward”. BSA is an international service and educational organization of authorized distributors representing almost one hundred companies distributing factory-warranted, anti-friction bearings and invited manufacturers of bearings and related products. For more information on BSA contact the BSA office at (630) 858-3838; fax (630) 790-3095; email info@bsahome.org or visit the association website at http://www.bsahome.org

About Power Transmission Distribution Association (PTDA)

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) is the leading global association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel. Headquartered in Chicago, PTDA represents power transmission/motion control distribution firms that generate more than $19 billion in sales and span over 2,700 locations. PTDA members also include manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry. PTDA is dedicated to providing exceptional networking, targeted education, relevant information and leading-edge business tools to help distributors and manufacturers meet marketplace demands competitively and profitably. For more information, call +1.312.516.2100, visit ptda.org or follow on LinkedIn.
or Twitter at @PTDAorg.