consultant On Lines to install what is said to be Bermuda's first international Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) link.

The news comes shortly after a local computer expert Mr. Peter Frese, director of management services at Kempe & Whittle Consulting, called on local businesses to take a more proactive stance to EDI.

"This is a prime example of Bermuda's ability to become a major software developer and high tech computer centre,'' said Mr. Lines.

EDI is the electronic communication of commonly used documents between companies.

The two local companies -- Gorham's and On Lines -- will work together to develop the necessary EDI links and procedures to communicate with Gorham's 900-plus trading partners worldwide.

Mr. Grenville Lines, president of On Lines said: "Gorham's is making a big commitment in time and resources to technology.

"They were one of the first firms in Bermuda to successfully use bar codes for inventory identification.'' The procedures, developed in conjunction with On Lines, will be implemented by stores similar to Gorham's in all four time zones, and are expected to be up and running in less than a month.

True Value, the brand name for the 7,000 stores that own the co-operative Cotter & Co., have chosen Gorham's, a True Value store, as one of two sites for all their new computer systems.

Cotter and Co. uses EDI to communicate between their 15 distribution centres and their manufacturers in the US.

On Lines will set up EDI links between the retailers and the manufacturers.

Thirteen people at Gorham's are involved with corresponding with more than 900 trading partners.

Typically, a business transaction between Gorham's and their trading partners may involve ten steps.

Gorham's will request a quote, the manufacturer will send a quote, Gorham's will issue a purchase order, the manufacturer will send an invoice, and so the process continues.

With EDI, these transactions can be done with little or no human intervention.

Whenever a document is received by mail or by fax that document must be re-keyed into the computer.

With EDI, they can eliminate this rekeying process and the human error.

Currently, Cotter & Co. mails out information packers to each store every week. The EDI implementation would make this process unnecessary.

ELECTRONIC SPEED -- Gorham's has picked On Lines to install Bermuda's first international EDI link. Pictured from the left are On Lines consultant Mr.

Barry Simmons, On Lines president Mr. Grenville Lines, Gorham's director and general manager Mr. Rod Ferguson and Gorham's systems manager Mr. Rodney Farrington.