Kewill to Develop E-Fulfillment Solution for Siemens Automation and Drives

Business Wire, June 8, 2000

Business Editors

MARLBOROUGH, Mass--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 2000

Kewill Solution To Use Kewill.Trade and Microsoft BizTalk

Server Technology

Kewill Systems plc, a leading provider of business-to-business e-commerce supply chain management solutions, announced today that its E Commerce Division will develop an e-commerce management system using Kewill technology and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000 for the Automation & Drives division of Siemens.

The system will augment and extend Siemens' already extensive electronic trading capability. The new system will be accessed by Siemens and its trading partners through Kewill.Net, a B2B supply chain portal that brings together buyers, suppliers, customers and transportation carriers into the global trading community.

The e-fulfillment solution will link Siemens Automation and Drives division to their distributors and OEMs by using Kewill's Kewill.Trade Demand application and the Kewill.Net business portal which uses Microsoft's BizTalk Server 2000 technology. Kewill's solution will help improve the timely delivery of orders to Siemens and increase the accuracy of the orders they receive. This, in turn, will help Siemens meet the growing demand for faster order fulfillment.

According to Robin Phillips, finance director of Siemens Automation and Drives, "Kewill's next generation of e-commerce solutions are designed with the needs of our customers in mind. We are investing a significant amount of resources to this project so we can better serve our partners and customers."

"This solution will provide Siemens with many efficiency benefits in order fulfillment and allow them to redirect resources into further enhancing customer services," said Bob Malley, president of Kewill E Commerce. "Kewill is pleased to bring many years of expertise to assist Siemens with their Electronic Commerce strategy."

The e-fulfillment solution for Siemens is based on the Kewill.Trade Demand application that allows buyers, such as wholesalers, distributors, and OEMs, to gather quotes, check order lead times, make purchases, monitor order status and view delivery schedules through a common communications channel.

John Noakes, business manager for BizTalk at Microsoft Limited, commented on the announcement, "We are delighted to see such a major implementation of BizTalk in the business-to-business sector, particularly with a customer of Siemens' stature. Kewill Systems have built upon their early BizTalk leadership and I am confident this project will project Siemens Automation and Drives into a class-leading position in the field of B2B E-Commerce."

About Siemens

Siemens Automation and Drives is a major part of the worldwide Siemens organization. With over 53,000 employees worldwide and 750 in the U.K., Automation & Drives can provide the local and global support needed by manufacturing organizations today.

Siemens Automation & Drives in the U.K. has its headquarters in the North West with manufacturing operations at Congleton in Cheshire. Through its U.K. organization, Automation & Drives provides local sales, and technical and field service support to its U.K. and global customers. Siemens employs 15,000 people in the U.K. and over 400,000 people around the world.

About Kewill Systems plc

Kewill Systems plc, the leading business-to-business provider of e-commerce supply chain management solutions, has been delivering software and services globally for 27 years. The company is organized into three core operating divisions, Electronic Commerce, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and Logistics. It employs over 800 people worldwide and has more than 47,000 customers, of which 37,000 are customers of Kewill's E Commerce division. Its U.K. corporate headquarters are in Walton on Thames, Surrey, U.K. and its U.S. headquarters in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Online visibility is critical to managing business relationships, executing business transactions, and promoting collaboration between customers, suppliers and carriers. Kewill's business portal, Kewill.Net(TM) gives trading communities access to a suite of applications and services enabling them to View, Transact, Trace and Control their goods as they move through the supply chain. All that is needed is a PC and web browser. Users will have access to a range of applications including:

Kewill.Trade(TM)-- A suite of web-based applications providing procurement, fulfillment and visibility between buyers and suppliers by enabling them to electronically exchange business-critical information such as online quotations, purchase orders, order confirmations and invoices via Kewill.Net.

Kewill.Trace(TM) -- A suite of web-based applications that trace, monitor and control the flow of merchandise through the supply chain by utilizing multiple message delivery mechanisms including email, fax, EDI and Web.

Kewill.Ship(TM)-- A suite of applications providing customers and suppliers with the functionality to rate, route, track and collect carton level detail (CLD).

Kewill.Receive(TM) -- Provides users with the ability to integrate CLD on delivery notification (from suppliers) in order to automate the receiving process.