o you gomputer tothe talk cho

wenl to a communrcations company to bring all the locations on line. Networks, Inc., designed and installed a spocialized syst€m so data would be sent by computer from the vehicles to the plants and to the mainfrarne at the district offices and then on to the mainframe at the main office.

"We do the translation of day-today information each night, so we can do the invoicing the next day," said Rinker's computer system manager Bill Gearhart.

And now Rinker can look at a computer monitor and, via radios integfated with the computer system, instantly know where every Rinker truck is located. This means on time anival of materials to keep jobs moving smoothly.

"The system tracks daily driver infornation in eight stages, from the time each truck arrives at the plant through the time it returns," Gearhart said. 'We can improve efficiency by analyzing that dat4 including loading times, slump times, in-plant times." aa EIIIY Canadian" is not a comlJmon slogan in the U.S., but with the tightening domestic timber supply, more American companies are looking to establish relationships with Canadian supplien.

The fint step to getting computers to communicate with each other is finding software tailored to the requirements of your business. "It used to b you bought the computer, then the software," said Networks president Bob Toombs. "But nowadays you first buy the software."

After acquiring the software, you will have to find someone to design, install, maintain and nanage the system. Sometimes companies hire their own in-house staff, but increasingly are finding it more practical to contract network management companies like Networks, Inc., to get them uP and running.

"A building materials company shouldn't be running a technical commrmications company," said Toombs. "During the recession people are learning how to do more with fewer people, contracting part-time people for part-time jobs. And there are a lot more people who know comPuters than know communications. We already have the people in place, so we can provide the service at a considerably lower cost. We leave others free to do their core business."

Networks, Inc., remotely monitors every Rinker comput€r - and those at about 375 other sites for other companies from Seacle to Miani - 24 hours a day to ensure every system component is operational. They are available on a daily basis for "troubleshooting." Any problems can be diagnosed by remote and, if necessary, a local technician sent in.

But a firm's computers needn't be located miles apart to need to communicate with each other. Networks, Inc., linked all the computers at one retail chain's headquarters, joining a half-dozen buildings via a fiber optics system.

'With lumber, there's no difference at all (between dealing with American or Canadian suppliers)," explains retailer Ken Marson, Marson & Marson Lumber Inc., kavenworth, Wa. "'We've been buying Canadian lumber for about five, six years now, and if there wasn't a border there, you wouldn't be able to tell the differgnce."

Marson recently made a special trip through Alberta, Canada, representing the Western Building Materid Association, at the request of the province's trade commission. He met with vendors to investigate new sources of supply and develop relationships with secondary wood products manufacturers.

"Alberta really hasn't been able to crack into our market, at least with secondary wood products - cabinetry, windows, millwork," he explains. 'We had a little trouble in some cases with metric dimensions and conversions to English. It will take some time and a little bit of give and take."

Story at a Glance

Timber supply forcing U.S. to look nonh ... differences between Canadian and U.S. suppliers.