SAN DIEGO, CA – March 23, 2010 – Today, Trade Service unveiled for Canada its industry-leading, fully Internet-based TRA-SER® SX electronic product and pricing catalog, which it initially launched in 2009 in the U.S. For the first time, Canadian contractors can access critical business information online, eliminating the need to load software or store large amounts of data on a PC. TRA-SER SX delivers instantaneous access to a 1/2 million electrical items from over 230 manufacturers. With a simple Internet connection, this comprehensive content resource is within easy reach from any computer, and it’s always up-to-date with the latest manufacturer changes. TRA-SER SX works with virtually all the industry’s estimating and accounting software, allowing for seamless integration.

Trade Service has significantly expanded its content delivery platform with TRA-SER SX. In addition to product and pricing data, TRA-SER SX also offers productivity tools such as formulas, calculators, codes, and standards; daily copper pricing; timely industry news; manufacturer new product announcements; and even access to NECA labor rates that many electrical contractors find useful.

In the words of an early TRA-SER SX adopter, “Since I am in the field most of the time, it is wonderful to be able to access TRA-SER SX from any computer. I can create custom lists that stay updated, eliminating the time of looking up common items or the worry that a price is outdated. The ability to show or hide columns, apply discounts, see average market prices, and export to other programs, means that I can tailor each page to fit what I need to reference. This flexibility gives me access to my custom views no matter where I am, or what computer I am using.”

A prominent new feature of TRA-SER SX is Supplier Xchange™, a tool that speeds the bidding process by connecting the contractor to their preferred supplier’s pricing data in real time. The contractor electronically sends a list of items to their supplier from TRA-SER or their estimating software. This list is instantly matched to their supplier’s pricing file and within seconds, the list is returned with contractor-specific pricing, ready to apply within the bid or job estimate.

“TRA-SER SX has been remarkably well-received in the U.S. following its release just a year ago,” says Tod Moore, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We’ve seen it streamline our customers’ material pricing and job estimating process and even help build stronger relationships with their trading partners. We are very excited to be introducing this revolutionary online and multi-functional resource to our Canadian customers, with benefits extending to their suppliers, manufacturers, and the industry’s business system providers.”

About Trade Service
Trade Service is the leading provider of standardized product and price information to the electrical, plumbing/PVF, HVACR, industrial MRO, and office products industries. Since 1931, the company has been the leader in content acquisition, aggregation, management, publishing, and distribution, offering a variety of products, services, and systems to meet the content needs of over 20,000 distributors, contractors, and government agencies. The range of solutions provided includes printed directories, electronic catalogs, pricing data for business system updating, and robust attributed content to fuel full-functioning Internet storefronts.  For more information, visit www.tradeservice.com.