(Vancouver, B.C.) CANARIE, Inc. and BuildDirect announce a $2.5-million research project in e-commerce technology that will aid international lumber sales for Canadian small and medium sized mills. This innovation is underway with a 50/50 cost sharing agreement between CANARIE and BuildDirect.
“BuildDirect’s project is an excellent example of public-private partnering that will help us achieve the objectives of our national innovation strategy,” said Industry Minister Allan Rock. “With innovative developments in e-commerce such as this, we are able to help Canadian small and medium sized enterprises reach their full potential and also improve our national competitiveness in global markets.”
The research project will lead to a new lumber-pricing component developed by BuildDirect for its online sales system in building materials. The new component, called a Lumber Pricing Engine, will make it possible for Canadian small and medium sized lumber mills to expand worldwide sales via the Internet. This has not yet been possible because the lumber industry’s existing supply chain, and its commodity pricing system, has been too complex for smaller suppliers. BuildDirect’s business model is based on a brand-new sales system, which is able to completely eliminate existing inefficiencies and pass the resulting savings on to its buyers.
“We’re proud that our technology and expertise can serve to enhance Canadian competitiveness, said BuildDirect President and CEO Jeff Booth. “BuildDirect has experienced explosive growth to become Canada’s leading online building materials wholesaler. We have large volume buyers around the world awaiting this important development.”
CANARIE Inc. President and CEO Andrew Bjerring said, “This is precisely the kind of project that the CANARIE E-business Program is designed to support because it increases efficiency and improves productivity for small and medium sized enterprises.”
CANARIE Inc., Canada’s advanced Internet organization is a not-for-profit corporation supported by its members, project partners, and the federal government. CANARIE’s mission is to accelerate Canada’s advanced Internet development and use by facilitating the widespread adoption of faster, more efficient networks and by enabling the next generation of advanced products, applications and services to run on them. Following a funding agreement with Industry Canada, CANARIE. Inc. designed, developed and is operating CA*net 4, Canada’s National Research and Innovation Network.
BuildDirect, founded in 1999, is a comprehensive online destination for quality construction materials. The Company strives to be the building industry’s ultimate source for volume buyers worldwide by providing customers the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices. BuildDirect’s complete end-to-end solution for the purchase and delivery of products includes full customer service, product expertise, warranty support, worldwide delivery with shipment monitoring, and an integrated logistics platform supplying all transportation costs before ordering.
For more information contact:
CANARIE Inc.
Stéphane Poirier Defoy,
Project Analyst
E-business Program
Tel: (613) 943-5431
Web: www.canarie.ca
BuildDirect
Jeff Booth
President and CEO
BuildDirect
Phone: 604-662-8100
Web: www.BuildDirect.com
