tween companies becomes a most powerful asset.” 4Businesses have spent millions of dollars on computer technology to automate production processes. “Computer-assisted manufacturing systems, such as one might find in the grocery industry, have become commonplace. It is now possible for inventory consumption to be known immediately, and the impact of that consumption on purchasing requirements and master production scheduling can be recalculated continuously.”4Computers can now be used to simulate factory production, optimizing processes and allowing engineers to determine the best utilization of equipment and personnel. If there is a sudden shift in demand, what will be the impact of major changes to production schedules? However, it does very little good to alter a production schedule if the supply line cannot react to the changed demand.“As the automation processes inside the four walls of manufacturing plant reached maturity, it became apparent that to gain the full benefits of the increased speed and flexibility could not be achieved as long as the process of receiving raw materials, and distributing finished products remained unchanged.”5In applications of EDI, recalculating raw material requirements on an hourly basis offered little improvement as long as the ordering of raw materials was still based on traditional methods of placing purchase orders. The rapid shift in production frequently would mean hours on the phone obtaining material. While the manufacturing floor could operate on a "just in time" basis, the purchasing department would frequently have to operate on a "just in case" basis. In an emergency, obtaining material would have to rely on the "whatever it takes" methodology: premiums, surcharges, and special deliveries.Businesses began to push the boundaries of EDI. The initial performance of EDI looked at the documents used in business, and replaced them with electronic documents. However,...
