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- 2011-01-17 00:00:00
2011 PCATS Annual Conference
NACStech
The Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS) develops workshops for NACStech. Be sure to attend PCATS-sponsored workshops at NACStech 2010, May 5-7, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
PCATS Fast Forwards Progress at NACStech 2009
PCATS sponsored “The PCATS Certification Process,” “New Ways of Improving Business Processes,” “Open Site Architecture: Delivering on the Promise” and “Win BIG with Lottery & Loyalty” workshops at NACStech 2009. The workshops are part of the PCATS Implementation Committee’s education program which also includes free webinars throughout the year for industry members.
NACStech attendees had the opportunity to learn about the PCATS certification program and much more. PCATS has a newly established independent lab which will validate whether or not industry software and hardware products adhere to the standards developed by PCATS and it will also test interoperability. The lab offers assurance to the industry that products existing within the c-store environment actually conform to the PCATS standards and will interoperate with other conforming products and services. The laboratory, located in Naperville, Illinois, is being managed by W. Capra Laboratories. Companies agreeing to provide equipment for lab purposes include Gilbarco Veeder-Root and VeriFone, Inc. while Hughes Network Systems, LLC is providing very small aperture terminal (VSAT) and domain-specific language (DSL) connectivity.
Significant technology standards advancements have been made by PCATS over the past five years which has led to improved efficiencies and profitability within the supply chain. Many retailers are already leveraging various PCATS standards to assist with device integration, electronic business-to-business (EB2B) connections, point-of-sale and back office assimilation and retail financial transactions.
The collaboration between PCATS the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) has increased the use of lottery invoicing and the number of states participating in the lottery pilot project presently underway. Members of the PCATS Loyalty Working Group finalized a loyalty specification offering retailers greater loyalty processor choices and solution providers with a single standard message format for loyalty data making the integration of these programs much easier. Similarly, the PCATS Open Site Architecture (POSA) benefits retailers because it provides a common messaging infrastructure for all devices and computer equipment existing within their convenience store.
In addition to the four PCATS workshops at NACStech, PCATS staff educated retailers about the benefits of automating pricebook related processes, along with representatives of 1SYNC, at the PCATS Gateway booth. The PCATS Gateway, Powered by 1SYNC™, Sponsored by NACS, is a secure data synchronization solution enabling trading partners of all sizes to synchronize an item’s price and promotion information electronically populating a retailer’s pricebook in a standardized format. There were over 70 visitors to the PCATS Gateway booth including the winner of the $100 gift card drawing Director of Store Technology Dion Crider of Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores. There is a definite interest and need for retailers to streamline and automate processes to stay competitive in today's competitive market. PCATS will continue to help educate members on the benefits of membership and standards adoption.