Bloomington, Minn. (August 25, 2003) – The American Supply Association (ASA) Center for Advancing Technology is working with Computer Pundits Corporation, publishers of Catalog Builder software, to provide in-house catalog creation capability of products from manufacturers found in the IDB Industry Database serving the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Piping (PHCP) industry, and soon to be in the Heating, Ventilation, Air-conditioning, Refrigeration (HVACR) sector.

ASA members—representing more than 80% of the wholesale sales volume in the United States PHCP industry—will be able to generate customized digital and print catalogs from the ASA’s IDB Industry Database using the Catalog Builder software.

The Industry Database (IDB) is a continuously updated data file of more than 1,000,000 products in the plumbing, heating, cooling, and industrial PVF industry. It also contains marketing content like product images and catalogs. Wholesalers use it to automate the process of updating their inventory management systems with manufacturers' information like product descriptions and ever changing list prices, an otherwise costly and time-consuming task since an average wholesaler carries hundreds of product lines.

Now with the addition of Catalog Builder, members can do even more with the same database, including generating professional paper catalogs, targeted mini-catalogs, and interactive CD-Rom catalogs without any manual graphic design or programming.

“Catalog Builder brings a lot of value to the table for our members who produce or want to produce catalogs. This is a great extension of the service we’ve provided over the last six years with the Submittal Builder utility in the Source e-catalog, but with the power and flexibility to be used in building large catalogs from the IDB.” states the ASA Center for Advancing Technology director Kevin Price. “Bringing such a method to our members fits right in with our mission of empowering distributors to reduce costs and improve customer service through better data management.”

A number of ASA members are already taking advantage of Catalog Builder, including Iowa-based Plumb Supply. A representative of that wholesaler stated, “We like the versatility and ease of use of Catalog Builder. It will save us a lot of time and make it much easier, for example, for us to create different catalogs for each of our various market segments.”

Computer Pundits president, Prashubh Batham, explains that in his experience, most players in the PHCP industry either produce a catalog or would produce a catalog if was affordable and easy to do so. “Catalog Builder together with the IDB Industry Database provides just that solution,” he states. “So now they can do more with the same database. Hence, more value for the buck!”

About Computer Pundits Corporation
Computer Pundits Corporation’s innovative digital cataloging software, Catalog Builder®, is revolutionizing the business to business cataloging industry and saving companies thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars by automating the process of generating print, CD-ROM, PDF, e-mail, and web-based catalogs. By merging today's technology with tried-and-true catalogs, Catalog Builder drives exciting new business opportunities and streamlines sales and purchasing activities. For more information, call 1-888-786-3487 or visit www.computerpundits.com.

About ASA’s Center for Advancing Technology
The ASA Center for Advancing Technology’s mission is to improve the productivity of ASA members and the industry by promoting technology standardization and solutions within the PHCP industry. The objectives of the Center include the facilitation of industry-wide technology development, education about state-of-the-art technology solutions and providing a central resource of information on technology. For more information, call 1-800-608-7308, or visit www.asa.net/tech.

Contacts:

Prashubh Batham
Computer Pundits Corporation
(952)854-2422x302

Kevin Price
ASA Center for Advancing Technology
800-608-7308