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Edward A. Guilbert

Biography

US Army Master Sargent Edward A. Guilbert. "Father of Electronic Data Interchange", the early form of business-to-business e-commerce that preceded the Web, Guilbert played a key role as head of the Transportation Data Coordinating Committee in helping create EDI standards that went into wide use by the late 70s and were required in supplier communications by many companies, including Wal-Mart, in the early 80s.

Career Development

But for e-commerce that links computers, one key requirement is standardized business documents, so computers on each end of the wire can understand each other. That has its roots in June 1948, when the Soviet Union - which controlled eastern Germany - cut off road, rail and barge access between western Germany and the parts of Berlin that were controlled by the U.S., England and France after World War II.

Early 1960s: Edward A. Guilbert develops EDI-like messages for sending cargo information between Du Pont and Chemical Leahman Tank Lines.

The result was the Berlin Airlift. During the next 13 months, more than 2 million tons of food and other supplies were flown into West Berlin by air. But tracking the cargo, which had to be loaded and unloaded at top speed, was next to impossible with shipping manifests in different forms and, sometimes, different languages.

To solve the problem, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Edward A. Guilbert and other logistics officers developed a standard manifest system that could be transmitted by telex, radio-teletype or telephone. They tracked thousands of tons of cargo per day until the roads to Berlin were reopened in 1949.

In the early 1960s, while working for Du Pont Co., he developed a standard set of electronic messages for sending cargo information between Du Pont and a carrier, Chemical Leahman Tank Lines. In 1965, Holland-America Steamship Line began sending trans-Atlantic shipping manifests as telex messages that were then converted into paper tape and input into the company's computers.

By 1968, so many railroads, airlines, truckers and ocean shipping companies were using electronic manifests that they formed the Transportation Data Coordinating Committee (TDCC) to create cross-industry standards - and in 1975, the TDCC published its first electronic data interchange (EDI) specifications.

Electronic Data Interchange Professional

With today’s cloud based EDI technology, EDI solutions are available to the masses and are no longer cost prohibitive. That candy bar that you just purchased at Walmart, got on the shelves through EDI technology which can trace its way back to the Berlin Airlift of 1948 and US Armey Master Sargent Edward A. Guilbert.

As a result of the Berlin airlift in 1948 US Army sergeant Edward A guilbert and other logistics officer developed a standard manifest system that could be transmitted by telex, radio or telephone. Thus, they tracked thousandsof tons of packages and cargo each day until the roads to Berlin were reopened.

Guilbert didn’t forget the value of standard manifests. In the early 1960’s, while working for Du Pont Co., he developed a standard set of electronic messages for sending cargo information between Du Pont and a carrier, Chemical Leahman Tank Lines. In 1965, the Holland-America Steamship Line began sending trans-Atlantic shipping manifests as telex messages that were then converted into paper tape and input into the company’s computers.

By 1968, so many railroads, airlines, truckers and ocean shipping companies were using electronic manifests that they formed the Transportation Data Coordinating Committee (TDCC) to create cross-industry standards – and in 1975, the TDCC published its first electronic data interchange (EDI) specifications.

The grocery and food industry began an EDI pilot project in 1977. By the early 1980s, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. required their suppliers to use EDI. Big retailers such as Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Kmart Corp. also demanded EDI.

But while EDI saved large customers money by doing away with all that paper, EDI was expensive for smaller suppliers. It required using costly software and value-added networks (VAN) – and often a different EDI system for each big customer, since no one used exactly the same subset of EDI standards. But if a large customer demanded EDI, the choice was simple: No EDI, no sale.

By 1991, about 12,000 U.S. businesses were using EDI. That was also the year the U.S. government lifted restrictions on commercial use of the Internet, and the year Tim Berners-Lee at the Swiss research lab CERN created the first Web browser. A new kind of e-commerce – business to consumer, on the World Wide Web – was about to explode.

Death Legacy

After the passing of Edward, A Guilbert the company x12 named a lifetime award after his name in honour of developing EDI. The X12 Guilbert Award recognizes outstanding long-term actions activities, and professional accomplishments related to development and implementation of X12 Standards.

The criteria for the Edward A Guilbert Lifetime achievement award:

This award is based on long-term actions and accomplishments. Candidates for the Edward A. Guilbert lifetime achievement award must meet the following criteria.

• Be a recognized EDI expert in an industry supported by X12 Standards.
• Be a long-term participant in the X12 development process.
• Be a long-term contributor to the success of the X12 organization.
• Exhibit long-term advocacy of implementation and use of X12 Standards.

Recipient of the Award:

2017	Rachel Foerster	2016	Robert Poiesz Thomas Deleandro	2015	Tom Bolling
2014	Merri-Lee Stine	2013	Pete Anderson	2012	Bob Miller Kim Santos
2011	Peter D. Pruyne Mike Rawlins	2010	Gale Carter	2009	R.T. Crowley
2008	Peter Randlev	2007	Lance Dailey Bob Lyttle Verna Schultz	2006	Dan Petrosky
2005	Harry Featherstone Pam Flaten	2004	Doug Anderson Dan Codman (posthumously) Jim Sykes	2003	Hank Lavery Paul Lemme
2002	Dr. Kepa Zubeldia John B. Hunter	2001	Jessie W. Alderson Klaus-Dieter Naujok	2000	Kendra Martin
1999	Lee Barrett	1998	Harriet J. Rusk	1997	James J. Muenz
1996	Hans Weiting	1995	Earl J. Bass Joseph G. Carley Ralph W. Notto	1994	Ken Hutcheson
1993	Burton F. Millard	1992	Clifford R. Buys	1991	Edward A. Guilbert David L. Torma

References

1. Christy, S. (1989). Getting out from under. The American Banker., 154(39), 12.

2. Rachel Foerester, (2018), Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/x12-edward-guilbert-lifetime-achievement-award-rachel-foerster‘x12 Edward A. Guilbert lifetime achievement award’

3. Ralp Notto ‘Persistent, dedicated and visionary’ pg225-226 Challenges and consequences

4. Frank Hayes, (2002), Computerwold.com: ‘The story so far’

5. Ellen Messmer, (2011), Network world ‘Shakers and mover pf yesteryear: Where are they now?

6. X12 (2019) http://www.x12.org/awards/guilbert/asc-x12-awards-guilbert.cfm