National Press Release

MCLEAN, Va., March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR), a global information technology (IT) standards body for retail automotive and related industries, is continuing to address community and member needs with its latest draft.

Over the last year STAR has addressed a wide variety of member and community needs. Members representing the Marine, Heavy Duty Trucks, and Automotive industries have submitted change requests for existing STAR BODs as well as creating new BODs. STAR has addressed additional requirements in the data standards for Credit Contracts, Dealer Locator, Parts Inventory, Parts Shipment, Parts Invoice, Parts Order, Repair Order, Retail Delivery Reporting, Parts Price List, and Sales Lead. In addition, STAR members helped create a new Large File Handling BOD to address the transport needs of sending large files between trading partners.

The changes that have been implemented in the Draft Release 5.2.4 and 4.3.4, continue to address international requirements for data exchange. The changes included not only benefit the members, but the community as a whole. Helping implementers realize the benefits of STAR implementations. The implementation of STAR BODs and transports standards benefits all parties involved. STAR plans to continue to address the community's needs as we look to implement BOD enhancements for the coming year to make implementation easier and more inter-operable. STAR 5.2.4 and 4.3.4 are another step in this direction.

About STAR

The Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) organization is the information technology (IT) standards organization for retail automotive and related industries. STAR is leading the effort to implement voluntary IT standards throughout the automotive industry. These standards are designed to support business information needs and provide secure and reliable means for dealers, manufacturers, and retail system providers to communicate. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, STAR is a not-for-profit volunteer organization and its members include dealers, manufacturers and retail system providers. As members, these companies are interested in developing, promoting, and administering voluntary IT standards in the retail automotive industry and improving the effectiveness, timeliness and competitiveness of the IT solutions needed within the retail automotive industry.

For more information about STAR and a list of current members please visit www.starstandard.org.

For further information, contact Ghezal Khalili at 703-556-8584.

SOURCE STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail)