WEBM Webmediabrands (MM)

GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, today announced the launch of its new B2B Gateway software solutions specifically designed to provide large and medium-sized enterprises with a unified platform to streamline global trading partner integration. GXS Enterprise Gateway(TM) and GXS Partner Gateway(TM) blend award-winning software and services from GXS with industry-leading software from webMethods (NASDAQ:WEBM) and represent an important upgrade for GXS customers using GXS Enterprise System - GXS' former integration broker solution. Building upon the companies' strategic partnership announced in November 2004, GXS B2B Gateway solutions provide customers a powerful global business integration solution to automate and manage global trading communities. GXS Enterprise Gateway(TM) provides large enterprise customers with a single B2B integration platform for centralizing, monitoring, and optimizing real-time supply chain processes. The solution is powered, in part, by webMethods Fabric which leverages a service-oriented architecture to provide customers the flexibility to meet current and future integration needs. GXS Enterprise Gateway also includes the high performance B2B translation software, GXS Application Integrator, and is packaged with a pre-configured adapter to the GXS Trading Grid, instantly connecting customers to more than 40,000 business partners around the globe. GXS Enterprise Gateway is gaining adoption within some of the world's largest organizations, including Baosteel Group Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, Penske Logistics, Ricoh Logistics System, Sai Cheng and Sinotrans. Penske Logistics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Truck Leasing, a joint venture of Penske Corporation and General Electric. A leading global transportation services provider headquartered in Reading, Pa., the company operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from nearly 1,000 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe. Penske Truck Leasing's product lines include full-service leasing, contract maintenance and commercial and consumer rental. Penske Logistics offers solutions for transportation, warehousing and supply chain management. "As our business grows at Penske, the number of trading partners we do business with increases," said Patrick Jurkovic, systems manager for EDI and customer integration at Penske Logistics. "Having a single, global integration solution that improves the reach and effectiveness of our customers' supply chain network is essential. GXS Enterprise Gateway, a solution that combines the strengths of both the GXS Trading Grid and webMethods Fabric, into a single integrated B2B solution is very attractive to us as we work to maximize the effectiveness of this growing and more complex supply chain." Also launched today is GXS Partner Gateway(TM), a breakthrough pre-packaged B2B integration solution for the mid-market that combines the scalability, security and flexibility of enterprise-class integration and data translation software with a strong library of adapters, configured and packaged for use by mid-market companies. GXS Partner Gateway enables a medium-sized business to conduct electronic commerce with larger business partners, such as major retailers. In addition, pre-packaged implementation and testing services enable customers to achieve rapid time-to-value. Both Enterprise Gateway and Partner Gateway have an embedded link to GXS Trading Grid, giving customers tight integration to GXS' global integration services platform. "An effective, streamlined, and global supply chain network is no longer a value-added benefit for a business; it's a necessity. Today's global business environment in which businesses are outsourcing a great deal of their manufacturing and business processes, dictates that companies thoroughly integrate their trading partners in an efficient, cost-effective manner. Until now, achieving this was nearly impossible," said Nick Marchetti, vice president of Trading Grid Solutions for GXS. "Now, businesses of any size in nearly any vertical -- be they retailers, manufacturers, financial institutions, automotive or high tech -- can take advantage of GXS' B2B Gateway solutions to form a single integration platform to reduce operating costs, streamline productivity, and improve supply chain performance." According to Kosin Huang of the Yankee Group(1), "GXS' B2B gateway is widely used by buyers and suppliers across the globe, including companies in Asia and the Pacific Rim. New products for the Trading Grid support business process management and activity monitoring, which will only strengthen the installed base. The company's products are strong, particularly around integration with internal applications and trading communities outside of the firewall." GXS and webMethods have engaged in a strategic partnership to provide customers with best-in-class integration software and services. As a result of this partnership, companies around the world will be able to leverage GXS' Trading Grid(TM) and webMethods' integration software to seamlessly collaborate with vendors and partners and improve operating efficiencies and customer service. About GXS GXS is a leading global provider of B2B e-commerce solutions that simplify and enhance business process integration and collaboration. Organizations worldwide, including more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, leverage GXS Trading Grid(SM) to achieve balance between supply and demand. Active in the global standards arena, GXS solutions enable customers both large and small, to connect with global partners, synchronize product information, optimize inventory levels and demand forecasts, and accelerate the execution of supply chains. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., GXS provides sales and support to businesses and their partners worldwide. For more information visit our Web site at www.gxs.com. -0- *T (1) Yankee Group, "B2B Gateways Are Securing the Edge of the Enterprise" by Kosin Huang *T