NAED Selects IDEA & Pull Logic for ProjectNexus E-Commerce Initiative

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), through its Digital Center of Excellence, announced that its board of directors has authorized a co-investment arrangement with the Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) and Pull Logic to build the first of its kind, industry-owned, ‘Where’s My Stuff?’ middleware solution. The initiative is intended to significantly improve transparency into equipment schedules and shipment status across the electrical supply chain, from manufacturers and representatives through distributors and contractor job sites.

The initiative will be called “ProjectNexus.” Working in close collaboration with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA), known as “The Alliance to Electrify America,” this effort brings together the largest electrical trade organizations to shape requirements, guide governance and encourage broad adoption across the channel.

Pull Logic contributes advanced technical expertise rooted in research conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Supply Chain & Logistics Institute. The joint venture will design and deliver the middleware that supports scalable participation, improves coordination across trading partners, and strengthens outcomes for customers.

Today, supply-chain visibility in the electrical industry remains highly manual, forcing frontline teams into constant “fire-fighting” as they chase updates through portals, spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls.
“Where’s My Stuff?”is being designed to shift that reality toward proactive execution by enabling trusted, system-to-system information sharing under NAED-led governance.

NAED comments

“It has taken considerable effort to be at this point, and we are now positioned to move ahead with purpose and confidence,” said Wes Smith, NAED’s president and CEO said in the press release. “Providing meaningful visibility of material — from manufacturing, through representatives and distributors, to contractor job sites — is now within reach.” 

“The ‘ProjectNexus’ effort creates a powerful product that will provide a long-term solution to a problem we have all experienced,” added Paul Kennedy, President and CEO of DSG and NAED Chair in the release. “Working with all associations to create this product builds on the historic alliance of our supply chain.”

IDEA comments

IDEA, founded in 1998 and jointly owned by NAED and NEMA, brings decades of standards leadership and industry-scale data exchange experience,” said Patrick Knight, president and CEO of IDEA, in the press release. “Right now, tracking material across the electrical supply chain means phone calls, emails, and spreadsheet chasing. Our partnership with NAED and Pull Logic on ProjectNexus changes that: enabling trusted visibility from manufacturers through distributors to end-user customers. Building industry-wide solutions is what IDEA has been doing for the past two decades.”

“Distributors need better tools to give customers accurate, timely answers about their orders. IDEA is positioned to build solutions the entire industry can trust and use. Graybar supports IDEA because tackling supply-chain visibility requires industry-wide collaboration,” said Danna Stone, IDEA board chair and senior VP of Marketing for Graybar.

NEMRA comments

"‘Where’s My Stuff?’ isn’t just a question — it’s the daily reality across our channel,” Jim Johnson, president and CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association added in the press release. “Across the electrical supply chain, success depends on having accurate, real-time information and access to that information at every handoff.

“This initiative is about eliminating uncertainty and giving the entire channel a unified, trusted view of material status so teams not only get products to the job site when they’re needed, but also have the visibility required to adjust plans, allocate resources, and manage expectations when disruptions or delays occur. NEMRA is proud to support an industry-led solution that strengthens collaboration, improves accountability, and ultimately helps our customers build faster and more efficiently.”

NEMA comments

NEMA President and CEO Debra Phillips said in the release,“This line-of-sight has never been more important to our industry as contractors, distributors, manufacturer representatives, and manufacturers are hard at work to meet the unprecedented demand for electrical products that are enhancing our grid, homes, businesses and transport systems.”

NECA comments

“For our electrical contractors, uncertainty in material delivery isn’t just an inconvenience, it directly impacts project schedules, workforce planning, and labor efficiencies,” said David Long, president and CEO of the National Electrical Contractors Association in the release. “’ProjectNexus’ is a critical step toward giving our members the real-time visibility they need to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive installation of electrical materials.

“By connecting information across the entire supply chain, from electrical manufacturers to the job site, we’re helping our contractors reduce delays, improve coordination, and deliver greater value to the customer. This kind of transparency strengthens not just individual contractors, but the performance of the entire electrical industry.”