Contact:
Ketchum for Tradeplace
Rebecca Jones, +44 (0) 20 7611 3586
David Thompson, +44 (0) 20 7611 3500
Or
Waggener Edstrom for Hubspan
Jamey Chown, 425/638-7005
Or
Hubspan
Jennifer Ruggiero, 206/838-5435
Amsterdam and Seattle, WA, (September 24, 2002) – Tradeplace, a joint service venture between Europe`s largest household appliance and consumer electronic companies, has joined forces with Hubspan, the leading global provider of outside-the-firewall integration solutions, to provide advanced connectivity between European manufacturers, distributors and retailers with the Tradeplace Message Hub (TMH).
Tradeplace – comprising BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerte GmbH, Electrolux Home Products Europe, Whirlpool Europe, Merloni Elettrodomestici and Philips Consumer Electronics – is the industry`s most successful business-to-business joint service venture, with more than 6,000 registered users since its launch in December 2001.
TMH is the first joint service platform founded by competing manufacturers to provide shared, direct integration with distributors` and retailers` business systems. With TMH, retailers can use their own business systems – as opposed to a web-based browser – to access the Tradeplace system. As such, TMH can help reduce supply chain inefficiencies and distribution costs while strengthening relationships with retailers and distributors.
“Ever since its founding, Tradeplace has provided European retailers with real time information from the industry`s leading manufacturers. With the introduction of TMH from Hubspan, our trading partners can access Tradeplace and its benefits leveraging their current systems infrastructure,” said Marc Bitzer, senior vice president, marketing sales and services, Whirlpool Europe.
The Hubspan technology platform drives value for manufacturers, distributors and retailers by enabling clear, fast and effective system-to-system integration. Manufacturers benefit by sharing the cost of the integration platform, improving efficiencies in distribution, and enhancing customer service. Trading partners win by gaining access to a broad range of manufacturers via a single connection to the TMH – with real-time information access, increased speed of order-to-cash processes, and reduced processing and integration costs.
Hubspan has deployed the latest in integration and XML technology to provide a secure, scalable and reliable hub that is compatible with Tradeplace users` systems. TMH will serve as a central location for the exchange of both real-time (synchronous) and store-and-forward (asynchronous) business processes between Tradeplace members and their customers – a broad range of retailers, independent resellers and distribution chains across Europe.
TMH automates time-consuming business processes including order placement, inventory availability inquiry, product price inquiry, product information inquiry and catalog distribution. In addition, Hubspan will provide a light-weight on-ramp kit that speeds integration and makes it easy for retailers and distributors of all sizes and levels of technical sophistication to participate in integration.
“Tradeplace offers a unique and revolutionary approach to trading partner collaboration, designed to diminish distribution costs, increase process efficiencies and strengthen relationships between the largest European appliance manufacturers and their retailers and distributors,” said Al Higginson, Hubspan CEO. “Hubspan is proud to be the selected integration solution for such a highly strategic business-to-business initiative. Hubspan`s integration tools, network services and world-class transaction processing infrastructure give Tradeplace the security, scalability, reliability and flexibility required to successfully integrate with every member of their trading community throughout all of Europe.”
“The robust and flexible nature of the Tradeplace Message Hub will build new levels of integration service for the industry, allowing us to better serve our trading partners and provide significant cost savings from the reduction of manual processes. We are very excited about the significant benefits the Trade Message Hub will bring to the distribution process of home appliances across Europe,” added Kurt-Ludwig Gutberlet, CEO and president, BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerte.
About Tradeplace
An industry-leading initiative comprising BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerte GmbH, Electrolux Home Products, Whirlpool Europe, Merloni Elettrodomestici and Philips Consumer Electronics, Tradeplace is an independent business-to-business (B2B) joint service venture in Europe for household appliance and consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers.
About Hubspan
Hubspan connects businesses with their trading partners. The Hubspan service is a comprehensive solution for managing all the complex and time-consuming tasks of trading partner integration – beginning with understanding individual business and technology requirements through configuration, deployment and on-going support. A single connection to the Hubspan service gives businesses the fastest and most convenient way to connect to multiple trading partners. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Hubspan`s growing list of valued customers and business partners includes companies such as PC Connection, Office Depot, and Graybar. Additional information can be found at www.hubspan.com.
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BSH
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerte GmbH is one of the world`s leading manufacturers of household appliances, and posts group sales of more than 6 billion euros. The company is headquartered in Munich, and manufactures at 41 production facilities in Europe, the USA, China and Latin America. Its products are marketed worldwide under the main brand names of Bosch and Siemens, plus five special brands and seven regional brands. Get more information about the company at www.bsh-group.com
ELECTROLUX
Electrolux is the world`s largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, such as refrigerators, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners, chain saws, lawn mowers, and garden tractors. In 2000, Group sales were SEK 124.5 billion and the Group had 87,000 employees. Every year, customers in more than 150 countries buy more than 55 million Electrolux Group products for both consumer and professional use. The Electrolux Group includes famous appliance brands such as AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Frigidaire, Eureka, and Husqvarna.
WHIRLPOOL EUROPE
Whirlpool Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation. Whirlpool Corporation is the world`s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, the company manufactures in 13 countries and markets products under 11 major brand names in more than 170 countries. Additional information about the company can be found on the Internet at www.WhirlpoolCorp.com.
MERLONI ELETTRODOMESTICI
Merloni Elettrodomestici, born in 1975 is the third European company in the large domestic appliances segment and the youngest company among leaders at a world-wide level. Thanks to the image of the two European Ariston and Indesit brands, to the dual strength of service-innovation, the Company has always been highly regarded by the market, growing by twenty times over the last twenty years. The Company`s industrial policy has always been based on a sustainable development idea, appropriately summarized by the founder`s father, Aristide Merloni: “There is no value in economic success in each industrial initiative unless there is also a commitment to social progress”.
PHILIPS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Philips Consumer Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world`s biggest electronics companies and Europe`s largest, with sales of EUR 32.3 billion in 2001. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 184,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.