Trade-Ranger Drives the Openness Of e-Business Platforms in the Energy Industry

Business Wire, Dec 12, 2000

Business & Energy Editors

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000

Leading the drive to optimize e-supply chain efficiencies, Trade-Ranger today announced the integration of yet another buying tool, iPlanet(TM) BuyerXpert software (a), offering the energy industry a marketplace committed to eliminating barriers to entry and furthering its status as the industry's premiere, open exchange. Since achieving incorporated status in August 2000, Trade-Ranger has integrated Oracle's iProcurement and Commerce One's e-procurement solutions into its marketplace, which is powered by Commerce One.

Trade-Ranger's best-of-breed strategy blends a platform based upon Commerce One's e-marketplace solutions -- the most commonly used software for leading B2B marketplaces -- with i2 Technologies' strength in and distinctive approach to content creation within its Infinite Content division. This combination of expertise provides the ability to create portable e-catalogs that can be translated for use with multiple buying tools and with other electronic marketplaces. This open approach can result in substantial cost savings for sellers, since sellers can avoid the need to create multiple catalogs in multiple formats. Trade-Ranger is the first e-marketplace in the energy and petrochemicals industry to offer this breadth of technology options, creating a truly open marketplace for buyers and sellers alike while making transactions easier and more efficient.

E-procurement professionals use buying tools to facilitate their procurement processes from an initial e-catalog search to the creation of a digital purchase order. Trade-Ranger members can search and shop from standardized e-catalogs, automate the approval process and build digital purchase orders. Future services to be added include electronic notification of shipping and electronic payment capabilities.

"The activity around our marketplace has increased dramatically since completing the regulatory procedures required by the FTC and European Union, and since announcing our incorporation in August," said interim co-CEOs Peter Lamell and Allen May. "Our members are transacting, we have integrated multiple buying tools to the Commerce One platform, and we are continuing our effort to build the most efficient content hub in the industry. With each of these actions, Trade-Ranger demonstrates momentum in building a marketplace that will change the way our industry conducts business."

The first e-catalog transaction was conducted on Trade-Ranger's marketplace in September 2000, followed by a number of other transactions. Equipment traded to date includes hoses and pumps, safety equipment and apparel and electrical equipment.

About Trade-Ranger

Trade-Ranger is a truly global, premier Internet-based marketplace dedicated to buying and selling materials and services used by the energy industry, including those in upstream, downstream, retail and petrochemical sectors. Trade-Ranger is an independent, neutral and secure marketplace, leading the development of e-supply chain management. Trade-Ranger has been built with the support and feedback of 14 of the world's leading energy and petrochemical companies -- representing an annual procurement spend of more than $125 billion. Additionally, Trade-Ranger conducts forums with leading product and services suppliers on an on-going basis to ensure marketplace neutrality. For additional information, please visit www.trade-ranger.com.

All rights reserved. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo and iPlanet are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc. in the United States and other countries. Netscape and the Netscape N logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries.

Note to Editors: Trade-Ranger's original 14 founding partners are:

Royal Dutch/Shell

BP

TotalFinaElf

The Dow Chemical Company

Conoco

Motiva Enterprises

Occidental Petroleum

Equilon Enterprises

Phillips Petroleum

Mitsubishi Corporation

Repsol YPF

Statoil

Unocal

Tosco

(a) iPlanet BuyerXpert is a product of iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions, a Sun-Netscape Alliance.