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Atto
Abrasives Ltd
3 . Background to the eBusiness project
In 1958 the American Standards Association adopted an
international system for grading or specifying abrasives.
Due to the manner in which different abrasive manufacturers
present the grade it is not possible for the end-user
(customer) to cross-reference between one manufacturer
and another. Consequently, it is not possible for an
enduser to readily select an equivalent to the product
they currently use from a different manufacturer. åtto
looked at developing a system to overcome this dilemma,
thereby allowing an end-user to readily cross-reference
their current grade to the åtto equivalent. This
radical web based development was designed to enhance
the market potential for åtto products while establishing
the åtto grade as the industry norm.
In 1944 the Grinding Manufacturers Association adopted
a standard marking system to identify the characteristics
(grade) of a grinding wheel. In 1958 the American Standards
Association adopted this marking system as a standard.
In principle the marking system identifies the components
of a grinding wheel in terms of abrasive type, size,
density, bond type and bond structure.
All manufacturers of abrasives use the standard marking
system, worldwide. Each manufacturer complies with the
standard but introduces variations to distinguish their
product from that of a competitor. Individual producers
publish their marking system and reference their grade
to specific industrial applications. Therefore, in theory,
it is possible to cross specify between competitive
producers. In practice, it has not been feasible for
a customer to access the necessary information to allow
him to do so.
As part the evaluation of their Business-to-Business
eCommerce initiative åtto canvassed the customer
base and other abrasive manufacturers to evaluate the
potential in establishing an extranet where customers
could access information. Customers could:
| (e) |
Cross
reference current grades to an åtto standard, |
| (f) |
Enter
application details and obtain a recommended åtto grade |
| (g) |
Obtain
technical support for a particular application, |
| (h) |
Place
and track orders for åtto products. |
Many of the large producers within the industry have indicated that they
will be slow to introduce eCommerce solutions since it would undermine
their well established distribution network. The åtto business-to-business
link would allow them to promote their products on the Internet without
impacting on their present customer base.
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