In 1989 software engineers built applications allowing Boeing to securely transmit CATIA datasets to its parts suppliers and design partners using the internet. The goals: reduce cost and the time it takes to distribute digital data to suppliers, ensure data integrity and security all while using the very public internet. Industry recognizes this process as Technical Data Interchange (TDI). Here at Boeing it is more commonly known as SNET, the Supplier Network.

SNET was designed to support BCAG SM&P's requirement for electronic data transmission but it wasn't long before Wichita, Propulsions Systems, Business Jet, Defense and Space and others were requesting CATIA datasets be sent to suppliers via SNET as well. Today 80% of CATIA datasets distributed to BCA suppliers are transmitted over the internet at an annual savings to the company of $10.7 million.

What makes SNET a cost effective business process is the ability to

• transmit large files (upwards of 10GB)
• transmit any type of file from anywhere in the company
• use strong encryption to ensure security of sensitive data
• transmit data to a variety of supplier communications platforms

In 1993 BCAG SM&P used SNET to send 3.6Gb of data to our 4 largest suppliers. Today Boeing sends 40Gb of data a month to over 600 suppliers around the world and the number of suppliers using SNET keeps increasing.

In 1994 BCAG SM&P Division published a directive establishing Supplier Network "...as the preferred method to communicate electronically with BCAG SM&P suppliers." In 1997, SM&P senior managers included SNET as one of their Extended Enterprise Initiative key strategy elements for reducing cycle time and cost.