ThomasNet Goes Online On-Time With the Cohera E-Catalog System; Established Leader in Industrial Product Information Completes B2B Project for Excite Using Cohera Solution

Business Wire, August 16, 2000

Business Editors and High Tech Writers

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2000

Cohera(R)Corporation, the leading provider of e-catalog software for e-businesses, today announced that ThomasNet is using the Cohera E-Catalog System(TM) to provide an electronic catalog of industrial manufacturing and product information from multiple databases within the Thomas Publishing Company's family of products and services. The Cohera E-Catalog System was selected by ThomasNet to fulfill a service contract with Excite.com.

ThomasNet Incorporated is a division of Thomas Publishing, the leading provider of industrial product information for more than 100 years.

Cohera Solves ThomasNet's Cataloging Problem With Time to Spare

ThomasNet's challenge was to enhance the Excite business directory with new capabilities -- access to elements of Thomas Publishing's vast databases of supplier data -- within a very tight timeframe. This information technology problem required a solution that brought all of the disparate data together without requiring any changes to the data sources themselves.

ThomasNet chose the Cohera E-Catalog System after a thorough review of several online cataloging and data aggregation software products, citing Cohera's advanced technology and customer-oriented approach as key differentiators.

Using the Cohera E-Catalog System, ThomasNet was able to complete the task well in advance of Excite's deadline for going "live" to its site for its product data delivery. The majority of the project was completed within the first couple of days.

"Since Cohera has thoroughly considered the online cataloging problem that Internet companies face to an unparalleled degree, they were able to answer our questions with data and facts, not promises," said Scott Emerich, general manager of ThomasNet. "Cohera brought not only extremely sophisticated technology to solve our cataloging problem, but provided prompt, efficient and knowledgeable service, over-delivering at every step of the deployment."

"Cohera's solution for the ThomasNet infrastructure challenge demonstrates that we offer the Internet community a technology that cuts to the core of the data problems that high-traffic e-commerce sites face," said Michael Laven, president and CEO of Cohera Corporation. "This key customer's success also illustrates that it takes more than great technology to make it work -- it takes a service-oriented approach and the uncompromising drive to help our customers be more successful."

About the Cohera E-Catalog System

The Cohera E-Catalog System(TM) lets developers of B2B e-marketplaces retrieve product data on demand from multiple catalog sources -- that often exist in various locations and numerous formats -- and convert the information into a single, standards-based format. Buyers accessing a Cohera-powered e-marketplace are presented with a single view of the data. Unlike most e-catalog vendors that approach cataloging by either integrating data or managing content, Cohera is focused on both operations and is able to broker catalog data in real time from multiple suppliers. Thus, Cohera offers the most complete technology for retrieving and managing data within dynamic e-marketplaces.

About ThomasNet

Thomas Publishing Company is the acknowledged industry leader providing product information needed in the industrial marketplace, both in print and electronically. Thomas Publishing products and services include print and on-line industrial buying guides; magazines addressing product news, e-business, logistics and supply chain management and factory automation; industrial research and marketing services and supplier-side e-commerce solutions.

Founded in 1995, ThomasNet Incorporated represents Thomas Publishing Company's continuing commitment to serving industry through innovation. ThomasNet's flagship product is SoluSource(R) (www.solusource.com): an online subscription database tool, designed to provide complete and precise product information to engineers in manufacturing. SoluSource(R) enables efficiencies and inspires innovation throughout the entire design process, providing alternative solutions with its patent-pending "intelligent" search feature. In addition to SoluSource(R), ThomasNet also provides technical services to other Thomas Publishing Company units.

About Cohera Corporation

Headquartered in Hayward, Calif., the Cohera Corporation is dedicated to providing fast-growing B2B e-commerce firms with a scalable standards-based e-catalog infrastructure to drive dynamic e-markets. The company works closely with industry-leading corporations such as AltaVista (NASDAQ: ALTA), Sybase (NASDAQ: SYBS), Breakaway Solutions (NASDAQ:BWAY), RSA Security (NASDAQ:RSAS), and webMethods (NASDAQ:WEBM). Customers include Foodservice.com, AllBusiness.com and LiveListings.com. Cohera is privately held and backed by such industry-leading venture firms as Accel Partners, Sequoia Capital, Sippl/MacDonald Ventures, Merrill Lynch Partners, Ignite Ventures and Cambridge Technology Capital.