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Dec. 26, 2005 – Powersports standard protocol moves ahead

Seven companies in the powersports industry have signed early adopter agreements and are testing to ensure that specifications for the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Powersports Standard Protocol (PSP) are accurate.
PSP is a forthcoming industry standard that allows any dealer to transact business with any other supplier entirely from within the dealer management system (DMS). With the implementation of PSP, dealers will no longer need to log into different supplier systems or phone or fax information that has to be keyed back into their business software. Data — things such as parts orders, product registrations and credit applications — will all be processed in a consistent manner within the DMS.
Companies currently taking part in testing are American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA; ADP Lightspeed; C-Systems Software; Global Motorsports Group; Southern Motorcycle Supply; and MIC Systems Software.
The initiative is supported by MIC staff and technology consultants, and receives counsel from the MIC’s Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) and Business Advisory Committee (BAC).
Co-chaired by Jack Gray, senior manager motorcycle sales at American Honda, and Mark Blackwell, vice president at Polaris, the recently formed BAC is charged with considering such matters as overall PSP policy direction, development priorities, support requirements, communications programs, funding issues and approaches, PSP business partnerships, and intellectual property issues.
The PSP is a unique concept. So unique, even computer giant Microsoft Corporation took an interest in learning more about it.
Scheduled to be published on Miscrosoft.com, Implementation of Electronic Orders for the Powersports Industry, a document co-authored by Microsoft, describes the effort to define and implement an open standard for electronic transactions in the powersports industry, examines the opportunities presented by such a capability, and analyzes the expected benefits of the approach.
The MIC says Microsoft learned of the PSP initiative through mutual industry contacts. psb

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