commerce one : covisint-thread! - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[isaaacc]

http://www.covisint.com/
Welcome to Covisint

The automotive industry faces an unprecedented opportunity. Internet technology will speed the flow of material through the supply chain, increase response to consumer demand, and deliver new products to market faster than ever before. Covisint will harness the power of Internet technology to create visibility within a company`s supply chain -- transforming the linear chain into a far more productive and efficient networked model. Further, we will deliver build-to-order capability and do so with proven, scalable, and secure technologies that will reinforce our customers` individual competitiveness.

E-Business for your Business
Internet technology has radically changed the business landscape, but e-business is about much more than using a Web site for isolated tasks. The true value e-business offers occurs when it penetrates to the core of your business, making operations markedly more efficient, dramatically less expensive, and far more nimble than you ever imagined. E-business is not about incremental improvement; e-business is a fundamental redesign of the enterprise. Web sites that offer incremental solutions for isolated aspects of your business do not enable you to reap the full benefits. Covisint will address your entire business, link you to the entire industry, and provide a foundation to accelerate you into operating at Internet speed.


{url]http://www.plasticsnews.com/ebiz/news2.html?cat=24&id=970838…[/url]
Covisint trading gets under way
By Rhoda Miel
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF

SOUTHFIELD, MICH. (Oct. 6, 9:30 a.m. EDT) -- The first contract awarded on the new Covisint automotive purchasing portal is going to an unidentified injection molder.
Exactly who made the parts purchased by ArvinMeritor Inc. on Oct. 3 has not been released, but officials with the new e-business company confirmed the first auction over the system was for injection molded plastic components.

"It´s part of a series of activities ArvinMeritor is involved in," said Covisint spokesman Dan Jankowski.

Southfield-based Covisint won final government approval for operations late last month. The company combines the purchasing power of Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG, Renault SA and some of those companies´ participating suppliers.

ArvinMeritor produces a variety of modules for automakers, ranging from suspension systems to the plastic roof on DaimlerChrysler´s Smart Car. ArvinMeritor officials said they could not comment on the purchase.

The plastic parts were just the first of a series of purchases ArvinMeritor was to make through Covisint over the course of about a week, destined for an unspecified carmaker, Jankowski said.

The companies may disclose more information later this month, he said.

Picking the Troy, Mich.-based supplier as the first to do business does not imply it was any more prepared for Covisint than any other company, he said. ArvinMeritor was ready to go with a purchase when the exchange was ready to open for business.

"It was just a matter of timing," Jankowski said.
13.3.00


Collins & Aikman announces participation in Covisint exchange

October 10, 2000

TROY, Mich. -- Collins & Aikman Corporation (NYSE: CKC) today announced that it is officially participating with Covisint, the global Internet-based product exchange formed by General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan. In making the announcement, Thomas E. Evans, Chairman & CEO of Collins & Aikman, said, "Participating with Covisint underscores our commitment to be an industry leader in OEM business-to-business initiatives. We believe Covisint will provide benefits to the entire automotive industry by promoting innovative product solutions, following common standards and creating an infrastructure that reduces system inefficiencies through improved communications between suppliers and customers. Given Collins & Aikman`s unique position as both a key Tier One and major Tier Two supplier, participation in Covisint not only will enhance our own business opportunities but also will provide benefits for our customers and suppliers worldwide."

homepage





Company Profile

COVISINT is the planned automotive e-business trading exchange, supported by General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, joined by Renault/Nissan. COVISINT will allow OEMs and suppliers to reduce cost in their respective supply chains and bring efficiencies to their business operations. COVISINT planning continues at our temporary location in Southfield, Michigan. The planning team expects to also establish offices in Europe and Japan.

<< vision >>
There is no doubt that Internet technology has radically changed the business landscape. However, e-business is much more than simply using a Web site for an isolated task. The true value of e-business reaches the core of your business - making operations markedly more efficient, dramatically less expensive, and far more nimble than you could ever imagine.

E-business is not about incremental improvement; e-business will fundamentally redesign your enterprise. Web sites that offer incremental solutions to isolated aspects of your company do not enable you to reap the true benefits of e-business. COVISINT will address your entire business, link you to the entire industry, and provide the energy to accelerate your operations to the lightning speed of the Internet.

The vision for COVISINT is to build an online environment that will enable individual enterprises and the automotive industry to achieve the following goals:
12 -18 - month vehicle development cycle
Compressed order-to-delivery cycles
Increased shareholder valuations within the automotive industry
Greater asset efficiency and utilization
Higher profitability with direct impact to the bottom line
More integrated supply chain planning
Reduced business process variability

If COVISINT were to realize only one or two of these objectives, the marketplace and the automotive industry would consider this venture an overwhelming success. Get ready to participate in a truly breathtaking experience, as COVISINT is well on its way to begin meeting all of these goals and more!

<< locations >>
The COVISINT planning team is currently located in Southfield, Michigan, where it has been working since February. Over the next few months, COVISINT will also establish offices in Europe and Asia. Please check back here regularly for updates on our progress.

<< history/timeline >>
On February 25, 2000, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and DaimlerChrysler jointly announced that they were planning to combine their efforts to form COVISINT, a single global portal providing an integrated business-to-business supplier exchange.

Each company will bring together their individual e-business initiatives to avoid the burdens suppliers would endure if asked to interact with redundant systems. Their goal is integration and collaboration, and that promises lower cost, easier business practices, and a marked increase in efficiencies for the entire industry.

On April 14, 2000, we received even greater support as Nissan of Japan and Renault S.A. of France joined the COVISINT partnership. Currently, Nissan and Renault are helping plan the development of Asian and European operations.

Since early May, COVISINT has actively engaged many of the top global automotive suppliers to share our vision for a transformed and e-enabled automotive industry. Many of these companies have answered the call and joined in the development of COVISINT, including some of the major Blue Chip Automotive Suppliers.

The COVISINT team invites you to explore our press releases and partners sections of this site to learn more about how the automotive industry is embracing COVISINT

schoene gruesse!

[byhleguhre]

Hallo isaaacc,

warum nicht mit Übersetzung von der Page, ich kriegs irgendwie nicht kopiert.

PS. Was machen die OS, bist Du dringeblieben ? Ich habe meine langfristigen alle gehalten, Schwein gehabt, möchte nicht wissen was die am Montag kosten.


Gruß aus B.

[byhleguhre]

Hallo isaaacc,

warum nicht mit Übersetzung von der Page, ich kriegs irgendwie nicht kopiert.

PS. Was machen die OS, bist Du dringeblieben ? Ich habe meine langfristigen alle gehalten, Schwein gehabt, möchte nicht wissen was die am Montag kosten.


Gruß aus B.

[Harami]

Die genaue Übersetzung von Covisint lautet:

Cmrc, ohne viel zu investieren sind demnächst alle Aktionäre reich !

[byhleguhre]

Genau Harami !

und jetzt gute Nacht.

Gruß aus B.

PS. Wir sollten aber den Thread für Covisint sauberhalten - ab jetzt !

[isaaacc]

schaut euch doch mal http://www.covisint.de an. inhaltsleer, aber nett anzusehen!

[Eboerse]

isaaac
dann gehe mal auf:

http://www.covisint.com

oder
http://globaltradingweb.com
http://www.asia2B.com
http://www.exostar.com
http://www.enporium.com
http://traderanger.com
http://pantellos.com
http://artikos.com
u.s.w
Jede Plattform kann man sich im Internet anschauen.
Dort findet man auch alle Kunden und Technologie Partner.
Allerdings dauert es mit dem Aktualisieren der Websiten.
Gruß
eboerse

[Eboerse]

Covisint kannst Du sogar auf Deutsch umstellen,allerdings ist die Original Seite wesentlich umfangreicher.
eboerse

[Ottoeugen]

Du hast noch commerceone.net vergessen:

" Commerce One.net is a network of business services for buyers, suppliers and net market makers. In addition to a growing roster of buyers, suppliers and business services at Commerce One.net, it is also the on-ramp to the Global Trading Web, the world`s largest business-to-business trading community."

commerceone.net die Plattform von c1 für den US-Markt.

[Eboerse]

Hallo Ottoeugen
Die steht doch im GTW.
Danke übrigens wegen dem Login bei SSB,hat geklappt.
Hatte gelesen,das es ausschließlich für US-Bürger gilt und nicht weiter versucht.
Aber wenn wir schon einmal dabei sind,alles aus dem Global Trading Web:
Commerce One.Many Markets.
One Source.

Global Trading Web,
Commerce One.net,
BuySite(ist ausgelaufen und geht in die Enterprise buyer von Commerce One und SAP über)
MarketSite,
Global Trading Platform,
Common Business Library,
XML Development Kit,
XML Commerce Connector,
MarketSite Builder, and SupplyOrder are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Commerce One,

Commerce One und SAP-Markets:

Inc. Enterprise Buyer and MarketSet are trademarks of Commerce One, Inc and SAPMarkets. All other company, product, and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.

[isaaacc]

press release
Covisint Launches Worldwide Marketing Campaign
Accelerating the Pace of Business

October 30, 2000

DETROIT - Covisint, the global automotive business-to-business exchange, today launched a worldwide marketing campaign to introduce its brand identity to auto manufacturers and suppliers across the globe.

The campaign debuts with a global advertisement in business and trade publications throughout the United States, Canada, the U.K., France, Germany and Japan. In addition, Internet advertising will be posted on targeted automotive and financial web sites.

"Our marketing campaign is designed to tell our customers and partners about who we are and about our plans for a comprehensive and integrated product offering focusing on product development, procurement, and supply chain management," said Mick Koster, Covisint Marketing Lead. "The look and feel of our brand identity system will reflect Covisint`s ingenuity and flexibility."

Covisint`s brand outlines a place where people, products, information, and services come together to transform the automotive industry. To illustrate its brand positioning, Covisint has created the Connector, a graphic element that links images and ideas and communicates Covisint`s role as a facilitator and powerful new medium for collaboration.

Covisint will differentiate its brand by leveraging its rich expertise in the automotive industry, its product breadth and depth, its enormous reach and scale, and perhaps most importantly, its drive to create opportunity for the industry through speed, efficiency and collaboration. Covisint`s tagline, "Accelerating the Pace of Business," underscores this message.

Covisint`s marketing program is managed by an integrated team that is led by Alice Miles, Covisint Executive Planning Team and Ford Motor Company Lead. To meet the challenge of developing and launching its global brand, Covisint chose Young & Rubicam Inc. The global account is led by Y&R Group Detroit and includes work by Landor & Associates, Y&R Advertising, The Media Edge, and Impiric.

Announced in February 2000, Covisint is an automotive e-business trading exchange being formed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Renault/Nissan. Covisint will provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers the ability to reduce costs in their respective supply chains and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Covisint`s temporary headquarters are in Southfield, Mich., and it expects to establish offices in Europe and Asia. For more information, go to www.covisint.com.

Since being announced in February, a number of automotive suppliers have publicly expressed their support for Covisint. Those companies include: A.K. Steel, ArvinMeritor, Autoliv, BASF, Collins & Aikman, Dana Corporation, Delphi Automotive, Denso International America, Dura, Ernie Green Corporation, Federal Mogul, Flex-n-Gate, Freudenberg NOK, Johnson Controls, Inc., Lear Corporation, Magna International, Plastech, Tower Automotive, Visteon and Yazaki International.

Young & Rubicam Inc. is a world leader in commercial communications - a network of preeminent companies in advertising, perception management and public relations, brand identity and design consultancy, database marketing and customer relationship management and health care communications. Headquartered in New York, Young & Rubicam ranks among the world`s leading consolidated marketing communications companies, and is a member of the WPP Group.







press release
BorgWarner Joins Covisint Trade Exchange
Forms eBusiness Alliances

November 2, 2000

CHICAGO, Ill. / PRNewswire - BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA) has joined Covisint, the business-to-business Internet trade exchange created by several major automakers. In addition, the company has formed a number of partnerships to maximize the effectiveness of the company`s ebusiness strategy.

"BorgWarner is looking to eBusiness as a promising technology tool that will assist us in achieving our growth goals," said Jack Kalina, BorgWarner Chief Information Officer. "Joining Covisint is one of several steps we are taking to leverage potentially valuable forms of information technology across our organization for the benefit of our customers, suppliers and employees, in support of our business objectives."

Formed by Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG, Renault S.A., and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Covisint is being established as an independent company. It will utilize a single global portal to eliminate redundant investments by suppliers, with the objectives of lower costs, more streamlined business practices and increased efficiencies. The exchange is expected to be the world`s largest Internet marketplace, handling up to $750 billion in annual purchases by automakers and suppliers. Since May, roughly 25 suppliers have stated their intent to use the exchange. Launch is slated for late this month.

In addition, BorgWarner recently established a secure supplier extranet to enhance communication with its suppliers, and a global employee intranet to foster knowledge-sharing and the leveraging of expertise across the organization.

"We are committed to putting these tools to the best possible use as we continue to enhance our internal security, speed and efficiency, while adding value to our communication with customers, suppliers and employees," said Kalina. "We will be working closely with Cisco Corporation, International Internet Consulting Corporation and General Electric Information Systems to maximize the effectiveness of the company`s ebusiness strategy."

Chicago-based BorgWarner is a product leader in highly engineered components and systems for vehicle powertrain applications worldwide. The company operates 60 manufacturing and technical facilities in 13 countries. Customers include Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Toyota, Caterpillar, Navistar and VW Group. The Internet address for BorgWarner is http://www.bwauto.com








Wednesday November 1, 3:06 pm Eastern Time
ArvinMeritor says sees savings in Covisint exchange
LAS VEGAS, Nov 1 (Reuters) - ArvinMeritor Inc.`s (NYSE:ARM - news) top executives said on Wednesday they expect use of the online auto marketplace Covisint will allow parts makers to save 10 to 25 percent on supplier costs as well as improve efficiency by speeding the exchange of information.

However, automakers won`t be able to use Covisint`s online auctions for larger parts and systems like ArvinMeritor`s exhaust systems because there are only two or three suppliers when you get to that level, Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Yost and Vice Chairman and President Bill Hunt told reporters here.

``Covisint will be something the supplier community doesn`t have to fear,`` said Hunt, in Las Vegas for the Speciality Equipment Market Association auto aftermarket show. ``It`s another tool.``

Covisint was formed in February by General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news) and DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSECX - news) . Renault and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. later joined. Combined the five automakers spend $300 billion annually on supplies and materials.

The Internet marketplace began operations in the last month after receiving approval from U.S. and European regulators. Yost and Hunt said the technology is still developing as it is so new.

Troy, Mich.-based ArvinMeritor said it was the first supplier to join Covisint and two weeks ago ran the company`s first auction for three different plastic parts for sunroof and door modules.

The company wouldn`t say how much they saved by using the auction process, but added suppliers should save 10 to 25 percent through the marketplace.

Besides saving ArvinMeritor money, the auction, which lasted almost 30 minutes, also speeded the development process for the parts and doubled the number of suppliers with which the company typically deals.

While automakers said when they formed Covisint that it would allow them to drive down supplier costs, Hunt said that it deals mostly with items like paper or thumb tacks or commodities like steel. He said automakers estimate 40 percent of what they buy qualify as commodities.

``I don`t see it as a big issue for Tier 1 suppliers,`` he said of the larger suppliers like ArvinMeritor that make more engineered parts and systems.

ArvinMeritor officials also pointed out Covisint will still have to compete on price and service as suppliers will use other online marketplaces.

Yost said Covisint should help eliminate the ``Tower of Babel`` communications between companies, savings millions of dollars by simplifying the information exchange process.

For example, Ford or another auto customer will be able to post information for a part they want made for a new car, he said. Instead of sending that information to each supplier in language their computer systems can understand, Covisint will allow automakers to release the information all at once in one common language, improving speed and quality.

Nevertheless, Yost said ArvinMeritor still mostly provides its suppliers with drawings and gets price quotes off-line.







werde in mehr oder weniger regelmäßigen abstaenden news/press releases von der covisint seite hier reinkopieren. einfach nur, um auf dem laufenden zu bleiben. wenn ihr die idee doof findet, einfach nicht beachten.
mich wuerde auch aehnlicher thread zu exostar interessieren, einfach um zu sehen, ob die plattformen auch zunehmend kunden, transaktionen und damit umsaetze generieren koennen ( und somit das geschäftsmodell weiter bestaetigen).
wie gesagt, wenns euch nervt, nicht beachten oder meckern!
schoen gruesse.
isaaacc

[isaaacc]

wer lust hat, soll auf der homepage mal den demo link buyers auction ausprobieren.
bei mir laedt er nicht!
bei euch ?
(ich hasse unfertige webauftritte!)

[Eboerse]

Isaaac
Du hast aber gelesen,das Covisint tausende Supplier und Buyer ab dem 1. Jannuar Live schalten wird,oder?
Transaktionen laufen schon,die letzte die ich kenne war von Delphi Automotive.
Grüsse
eboerse

[isaaacc]

@eboerse:
nein, habe ich nicht gelesen. klingt interessant, auf der´covisintseite finde ich aber nichts dazu! poste doch mal was!
der demolink (bzw. die demolinks funktionieren jetzt. mir gefaellt, dass sie es schlicht gehalten haben (kein unnoetiger schnickschnack).

auch ueber schon erfolgte transaktionen gibt es bei covisint (abgesehn von der ersten) keine info, auch insofern wuerde mich deine quelle/info interessieren.
schoenen gruss
isaacc

[Eboerse]

Hallo Isaaacc
Du findest den Artikel auf der Covisint Website unter Covisint News,
Covisint is up and running.
http://www.covisint.com

oder über die Covisint Website zu dem direkten Link,

http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories/covisint1009.htm

Gruß
eboerse

[isaaacc]

@eboerse:

dachte, du haettest quelle fuer sichere freischaltung im sinne von angekuendigter teilnahme von bis zu tausend unternehmen.
in dem text heisst es aber:
After Jan. 1, Covisint will open to thousands of suppliers and other automakers, should they choose to participate.
also hoffnungsfrohe covisintleute, aber noch nicht unter dach und fach!

ueber weitere erfolgreiche transaktionen steht leider in dem artikel auch nichts!
insofern danke fuer die nachsuchmuehe, aber so ganz ist meine neugier noch nicht gestillt!
allerdings wuerde es mich auch wundern, wenn covisint alles gleich minutioes publik machen wuerde.


die demoauktionen kann ich nur empfehlen!

schoene gruesse!

[Eboerse]

Über die höhe der Transaktionen steht in dem Artikel ja auch nichts.
Ich könnte mir vorstellen,das es sich erst einmal um Testphasen handelt.Da Lieferanten ja auch nicht mit jedem Käufer Geschäfte tätigen dürfen,Wettberwerbsrechtlich.
In wie weit,und vor allem wie schnell die verschiedenen Anwenderpakete intergriert werden können bleibt abzuwarten.
Allerdings wenn Covisint aussagt,daß ab dem 1. Jannuar tausende Buyer und Supplier die Möglichkeit haben ihren Handel aufzunehmen und es an ihnen liegt dem zu folgen,dann scheint sich doch einiges zu bewegen.
Das der komplette Service aufgebaut und funktionsfähig ist denke ich wohl kaum.
Es wird wohl an dem Umfang des Services liegen ob sich die Käufer und Verkäufer schon dem Handel anschließen.
Na,ja darüber werden wir dann wohl im Jannuar mehr erfahren.
Ich denke immer noch,das bis ein kompletter Handel in vollem Umfang stattfindet 2-3 Jahre vergehen werden.

[isaaacc]

nochmal recherche in der sz, da bei covisint ueber transaktionen kaum was steht:Aufbruch ins Internet

DaimlerChrysler bündelt E-Business

Neue DCX Net Holding mit 550 Millionen Euro Grundkapital / Aktivitäten auf vier Feldern

xs. Stuttgart – Das Internet wird alle internen und externen Abläufe der Kfz-Industrie revolutionieren, erwartet DaimlerChrysler. Deshalb bündelt der Konzern seine E-Business-Aktivitäten in der DCX Net Holding. Vorstand Eckhard Cordes: „Wir wollen im E-Business zum führenden Automobilhersteller der Welt werden. “

Die neue DCX Net Holding, eine GmbH mit Sitz in Stuttgart, soll alle existierenden und künftigen Investitionen und Beteiligungen im Electronic-Business bündeln, erklärte Cordes, der im Vorstand der DaimlerChrysler AG für Konzernentwicklung und IT-Management zuständig ist. Die Holding ist mit einem Startkapital von 550 Millionen Euro ausgestattet. Ein Gang der DCX Net Holding an die Börse ist „kurzfristig kein Thema“, so Cordes. Mittel- und langfristig jedoch sei ein solcher Schritt „partiell“ nicht auszuschließen.

Die neue Holding soll der Kern der konzernweiten „DCX Net Initiative“ werden. Mit ihr will das deutsch-amerikanische Unternehmen über alle Bereiche hinweg, vom Einkauf bis zum Absatz, schneller und effizienter werden. Trotz des starken Einbruchs der so genannten Dot. Com-Unternehmen an den Börsen sieht Cordes jetzt die Ära des E-Business erst richtig beginnen. Die DCX Net Initiative hat vier Bausteine: B2C (Customer Connect: die Vernetzung zu den Kunden), B2B (Business Connect: die Vernetzung der Wertschöpfungskette) B2E (Workforce Connect: Vernetzung der Belegschaft) und Telematik (Vernetzung der Produkte).

Auf dem B2C-Feld will der DaimlerChrysler-Konzern seinen Kunden über das Internet einen einfacheren und schnelleren Zugang zu Produkten, Dienstleistungen und Informationen bieten. Cordes erwartet, dass das Web eine zusätzliche Vertriebsplattform wird; vor allem sei das Internet ein hervorragendes Instrument zur Kundenbindung. Schon jetzt sieht sich DaimlerChrysler in einer Pionierrolle. So war der Kleinwagen Smart laut Cordes der erste Fahrzeug weltweit, das (seit Dezember 1999) per Internet konfiguriert und bestellt werden konnte: Bis Ende September endeten etwa 15 Prozent der Anfragen mit einem Kauf.

Bei Mercedes-Benz-Gebrauchtwagen, die es seit einem Jahr online gibt, werden 15 Prozent der Verkäufe durch das Internet initiiert. In den USA hat der Konzern mit einer Vernetzung seiner besten Händler eine Infrastruktur geschaffen, die Händlern und Kunden den direkten Zugriff auf die relevanten Daten aller Produkte und Leistungen erlaubt. Bei B2B hat DaimlerChrysler mit Covisint – gemeinsam mit Ford, General Motors und Renault/Nissan – „den größten Internet-Marktplatz der Welt“ gestartet. Bei der Plattform Covisint geht es nach Cordes nicht darum, „Lieferanten auszuquetschen“, sondern die Prozesse zwischen Autoherstellern und Zulieferern zu verbessern. Bei DaimlerChrysler hätten sich damit bereits Bestellzeiten von einem Monat auf eine Woche verkürzt; erst vor kurzem habe man online vier Millionen Batterien gekauft. Cordes erwartet, dass mit B2B Einsparungen von 15 bis 30 Prozent möglich werden.

Als eine Grundvoraussetzung für einen Erfolg der DCX Net Initiative betrachtet DaimlerChrysler zudem die Vernetzung der Belegschaft. „Jeder Angestellte im Konzern ist bereits über das Internet erreichbar“, erklärt Cordes, und im konzerninternen Intranet kann jeder Mitarbeiter auf eine über eine Million Seiten umfassende Wissensbasis (Knowledge Base) zugreifen.

Einzug hält das Internet auch in die Fahrzeuge von DaimlerChrysler: In den USA wird vom kommenden Jahr an jeder Mercedes-Pkw serienmäßig mit einem Zugang zu ausgewählten Internet-Informationen geliefert.

----
bei geschaetztem einkausfspreis pro batterie 25 dm koennten das 100 millione dm umsatz sein, oder???
----

Bosch

Das Stuttgarter Unternehmen verhandelt mit führenden Autoherstellern über eine Beteiligung an der geplanten Online-Handelsplattform Covisint. Die Gespräche würden voraussichtlich bis Ende des Jahres abgeschlossen, sagte Bosch-Chef Hermann Scholl der Financial Times. Covisint wird unter anderem von General Motors, Ford und der DaimlerChrysler AG entwickelt.

---
bosch dabei? find ich gut!
---


SZ-Gespräch mit Wolfgang Reitzle

Internet-Plattform spart Ford viel Geld

Potenzial von 3,5 Milliarden Dollar im Jahr / Probleme bei Jaguar und Land Rover

Stockholm/London – Durch die gemeinsame Internet-Handelsplattform mehrerer Autokonzerne hat Ford bereits in den ersten Wochen nach Arbeitsaufnahme deutlich an Kosten gespart. Dies erfuhr die SZ im Gespräch mit Wolfgang Reitzle, dem Chef der Ford-Luxusdivision PAG.

Von Andreas Stockinger

Allein bei den ersten zehn „Auktionen“, die über den elektronischen Marktplatz für die Zulieferindustrie ausgeschrieben wurden, konnte der US-amerikanische Hersteller Ford dabei 17 Prozent an Kosten gegenüber der herkömmlichen Ausschreibung einsparen. Das erklärte Reitzle, nach Ford-Boss Jac Nasser wohl zweitmächtigster Mann des zweitgrößten Automobilkonzerns der Welt. PAG steht für Premium Automotive Group, ihr gehören neben dem schwedischen Hersteller Volvo und der US-Marke Lincoln die britischen Nobelschmieden Jaguar, Aston Martin und neuerdings Land Rover an.

Was dieses erste Einsparungspotenzial konkret bedeutet, rechnet der ständig gehetzt wirkende PAG-Chef am Beispiel eines durchschnittlichen Autos mit Materialkosten von 7000 Dollar grob vor. Rund 30 Prozent dieser Kosten würden über die neue Internetplattform ausgeschrieben, die Ersparnis liege bei rund 500 Dollar je Auto. Hochgerechnet auf rund sieben Millionen Fahrzeuge jährlich aus dem weltweiten Ford-Markenimperium wären das 3,5 Milliarden Dollar, die sich Detroit auf die Haben-Seite schreiben könne, sagte Reitzle. Und das sei erst der Anfang. So etwas könne nur ein Powerplayer machen, hier mache sich die Marktmacht der in großen Stückzahlen produzierenden Herstellern bezahlt und werde zum massiven Wettbewerbsvorteil. „Was da läuft, haben Kleinere wie BMW oder Porsche noch gar nicht begriffen. “

Die E-Commerce-Plattform, an der auch General Motors (GM) – die haben das selbst versucht, nicht hingekriegt und sind deshalb auf unser System aufgesprungen“ –, DaimlerChrysler und Renault/Nissan beteiligt sind, verkörpert bereits ein Handelsvolumen von geschätzten 800 Milliarden Dollar. Das ist, nur zur Veranschaulichung der Größenordnung, etwa dreieinhalb Mal so viel wie das österreichische Bruttosozialprodukt. Wenn die Plattform an die Börse ginge, hätte sie Reitzle zufolge jetzt schon Milliardenwert. Ob ein Börsengang geplant ist, will er allerdings nicht verraten. „Das sage ich jetzt nicht“, lächelt Reitzle hintergründig.

Die Vorteile dieses massiv vergünstigten Einkaufs könne natürlich auch Jaguar oder Volvo nutzen, schwenkt Reitzle zur PAG zurück. Jaguar habe dies auch bitter nötig, meinen Branchenkenner. Denn allein durch den hohen Kurs des britischen Pfund kämpfe der exklusive britische Hersteller mit Kostennachteilen von rund 20 Prozent gegenüber der kontinentaleuropäischen, sprich: deutschen Konkurrenz. Noch schwieriger dürfte sich die Sache mit dem von BMW

erworbenen Geländewagen-Spezialisten Land Rover gestalten. „Die arbeiten im Minus“, und bei manchen Baureihen gebe es Qualitätsprobleme, sagt der vor zwei Jahren über den Rover-Grundsatzstreit gestürzte Ex-BMW-Vizechef über diese „momentan härteste Aufgabe“ in der PAG. „Da liegt manches im Argen. Das müssen wir in den Griff bekommen. “

Volvo solide

Viel solider stellt sich die Situation von Volvo dar. Die profitable schwedische PAG-Marke hat soeben ihre neue mittlere Baureihe „S60“ präsentiert, mit der der Hersteller auf bisher ungeahnte Produktionsgipfel vorstoßen will. Hatte Volvo zuletzt 445 000 Autos jährlich gebaut, so sollen es künftig 550 000 bis 600 000 sein, von vier Modellen wird die Produktpalette auf bis zu zehn ausgeweitet. Parallel dazu, erläutert Reitzle, werde man die Produktionsstruktur straffen.

Das Nedcar-Werk in Holland, wo Volvo gemeinsam mit der nunmehrigen DaimlerChrysler-Tochter Mitsubishi Autos baut, wird in absehbarer Zeit wegfallen – „darüber bin ich ja froh“. Die Kapazitäten würden auf die beiden Werke in Schweden und Belgien aufgeteilt, die man dann nicht mehr zu 70 oder 80, sondern zu 105 Prozent auslasten werde, was wesentlich profitabler sei.

Volvo ist auch ein Beispiel dafür, wie Reitzle Synergien in seinem vernetzten Markenverbund nutzen will. Das Crash- und Sicherheitszentrum nahe Göteborg, das im April seinen Dienst aufnahm, will er nicht nur für die Sicherheitsoptimierung der schwedischen Autos nutzen. „Volvo ist bei diesem Thema führend. Durch deren neue Anlage schicke ich jeden neuen Jaguar, überhaupt jeden neuen Wagen, durch. “

Probleme in Europa

Während die PAG unter Reitzles Regie langsam Gestalt annimmt, tut sich die Marke Ford selbst in Europa derzeit extrem schwer. Mangels attraktiver Produkte ist der Massenhersteller in diesem Jahr auf weit unter acht Prozent Marktanteil abgesackt – in den 80er Jahren schnitt sich Ford noch satte 14, 15 Prozent vom europäischen Gesamtkuchen ab. Mit einer Produktoffensive will Detroit nun dagegenhalten und die Marke mit der Pflaume im Kühlergrill in Europa wieder auf Erfolgskurs bringen.

Dabei denkt man auch über eine neue, gehobenere Positionierung der Marke nach. Und zwar für den Fall, dass die Amerikaner den bankrotten koreanischen Hersteller Daewoo übernehmen. Gilt Ford in der Branche schon selbst als überaus kostengünstig produzierender Hersteller, so können das die Koreaner offenbar noch viel effizienter. Reitzle: „Da sind wir momentan sehr überrascht. Wenn das wirklich stimmt, werden wir Daewoo übernehmen. “ Dann werde man mit dieser Billigmarke im untersten Preissegment weltweit aggressiv die Konkurrenten herausfordern „und ihnen das Wasser abgraben“. Im Visier habe man vor allem die Hoffnungsmärkte China, Indien und Osteuropa.

---
nochmal das mir etwas raetselhafte reitzle interview. waren das schon transaktionen ueber covisint (=provision fuer c1). hatten wir zwar woanders schon mal diskutiert, waren aber glaube ich nicht zu eindeutiger antwort gekommen.
finde den thread natuerlich nicht mehr.
also, ueber covisint gelaufen oder nicht?

[isaaacc]

habs bei den reitzle interview das datum nicht mitkopiert.
es ist vom 14.8.2000. daher die verwunderung, da covisint zu diesem zeitpunkt noch nicht lief (oder doch?).

[isaaacc]

mann, wo 5.0 hat echt noch bugs! wenn man von der vorschau zurueckgeht, um noch was zu verbessern, ist der text anchmal weg. great!

werde die texte nicht nochmal suchen.

obige umsaetze liefeb wohl ueber tradeXchange, also kein anteil fuer c1, nur positive zukunftsaussichten, wenn aehnliche trades ueber covisint gehen.

genug fuer heute!

[isaaacc]

endlich mal wieder neues auf der covisint seite:

Covisint Names Jacqui Dedo to Lead Sales and Customer Enablement Activities


November 29, 2000

Detroit - Covisint today named Jacqui Dedo, a highly-regarded automotive industry executive, to lead its Sales and Customer Enablement Activities. Dedo comes to Covisint from Robert Bosch Corporation, where she had been the president of their Ford Value Team, responsible for managing the company`s global business with Ford Motor Company, including the development of new business opportunities. She will join Covisint December 18.

"Jacqui`s appointment will speed our ability to enter 2001 fully prepared to engage our customers and potential customers," said Alice Miles, Covisint Executive Planning Team and Ford Motor Company Lead. "Our intent is to make Covisint available to the broader industry in the coming year. That means being responsive to the multitude of organizations interested in participating with us."

Previously, Dedo served as vice president, sales for Bosch Braking Systems - Americas, where she was responsible for sales of foundation brake, modulation (ABS) and actuation products to Bosch passenger-car and light-truck customers.

Dedo joined Bosch in 1986 and held sales management positions in the General Motors` and Ford accounts including two years with Bosch in Germany. From 1979 to 1986, she held various engineering and related positions with General Motors` Cadillac Division.

Dedo holds a bachelor`s degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute) in Flint, Michigan.

[isaaacc]

nach hinweis von ottoeugen ein artikel aus der mainspitze vom 2.12. gefunden unter www.main-spitze.de.Opel kauft jetzt online ein


Vom 02.12.2000
zel. MAINZ-KASTEL/RÜSSELSHEIM (Eig. Bericht) – Auf neue Vertriebswege müssen sich die rund 1800 Automobilzulieferer der Adam Opel AG einstellen: Das Unternehmen stellt seinen Einkauf auf E-Business um. Künftig können Mitarbeiter die Bestellungen via Internet auf einem virtuellen Marktplatz aufgeben, dessen Plattform der Mutterkonzern General Motors und das amerikanische Systemhaus Commerce One gemeinsam betreuen. Mit dem Online-Einkauf will Opel Kosten senken.
Als erster Standort wurde das Entwicklungszentrum für den Wasserstoffantrieb in Mainz-Kastel an das Netzwerk angeschlossen, wo 130 Beschäftigte arbeiten. Nach Angaben von Firmensprechern sollen das Stammwerk in Rüsselsheim sowie die Produktion in Bochum und Kaiserslautern folgen. Die Umrüstung gilt derweil nur als Zwischenschritt. Ab 2001 wollen General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, Nissan-Renault und Ford gemeinsam mit dem neuen Dienstleistungsunternehmen Covisint den größten virtuellen Markt für die Automobilindustrie mit einem Transaktionsvolumen von 500 Milliarden Dollar schaffen.


das klingt richtig gut. covisint scheint wirklich ins laufen zu kommen.

[Ottoeugen]

Es sind insgesamt zwei Artikel erschienen, die sich jeder unter www.main-rheiner.de, dort in Archiv klicken und commerce one als Suchwort eingeben anschauen kann.
Hier der zweite Artikel:

" Opel-Ingenieure auf dem elektronischen Marktplatz
Forschung in Kastel als erster Standort umgerüstet


Vom 02.12.2000
zel. KASTEL - Mit einem Mausklick revolutionierte das Entwicklungszentrum der Adam Opel AG für den Wasserstoffantrieb im Gewerbegebiet Petersweg gestern seinen Einkauf. Der erste Artikel, der nicht auf konventionelle Art bestellt, sondern elektronisch auf einem virtuellen Marktplatz im Internet beschafft wurde, waren Ersatzteile für eine numerische Steuerung bei Siemens im Wert von 162,22 Euro. Kastel ist der erste Opel-Standort in der Bundesrepublik, dessen Geschäftsbetrieb auf E-Commerce umgestellt wurde.
Das Stammwerk in Rüsselsheim sowie Bochum und Kaiserslautern sollen folgen. Offenbar war das „Global Alternative Propulsion Center“ mit Bedacht für die neue Technik ausgewählt worden. Denn auch das, was 130 Wissenschaftler und Ingenieure am Petersweg leisten, gilt als überaus zukunftsträchtig. Mit Hilfe der Brennstoffzellen-Technologie werden dort alternative Antriebsformen entwickelt, die das Automobil nicht weiterhin als Synonym für Energieverschwendung und Umweltverschmutzung dastehen lassen.

Teil für Teil werden die Prototypen in einer kleinen Werkstatt von Hand zusammengebaut. „Hydrogen One“ heißen die Vorläufer des künftigen Wasserstoff-Autos des General Motors-Konzerns. Auf der Basis des Modells Zafira kommen sie bereits bei ausgewählten Ereignisen zum Einsatz. So fuhr bei den Olympischen Spielen in Sydney den Marathonläufern ein „Hydrogen One“ voraus, das gerade nur ein Wölkchen Wasserdampf emittierte. In Kastel steht schon die Rohkarosserie für eine zweite Entwicklungsgeneration bereit. „Wasserstoff ist der Kraftstoff der Zukunft, da geht es hin“, sagte der Leiter der Abteilung Fahrzeugintegration und Chefingenieur, Jochen Jakowski.

Dass der Einkauf auf das E-Commerce umgestellt wurde, ist nur ein erster Schritt, um in Zukunft auch Ingenieuren und Wissenschaftlern die Arbeit. zu erleichtern. Denn bald sollen nicht nur Teile von den Zulieferern auf dem elektronischen Marktplatz eingekauft werden, der noch vom Mutterkonzern General Motors sowie dem amerikanischen Systemanbieter Commerce One organisiert und über einen Server im kalifornischen San Diego bedient wird. Sondern auch Informationen, um mit dem technischen Fortschritt Schritt halten zu können, bis hin zum „Real Time-Engineering“, bei dem Hersteller und Zulieferer in einem über das Internet zusammengeschalteten Verbund ihre Entwicklungen aufeinander abstimmen. Die Plattform für diese Verzahnung soll das neue Unternehmen Covisint bieten, zu dem sich General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, Ford sowie Nissan-Renault zusammenschließen, um nicht nur den Einkauf gemeinschaftlich zu organisieren, sondern auch andere Dienstleistungen anzubieten. In der Opel-Forschungseinrichtung in Kastel treffe somit „die Old Economy auf die New Economy“, so fasste Pressesprecherin Dr. Birgit Overwiening die Bedeutung des Augenblicks zusammen, als es nach einigen Versuchen endlich gelang, die erste Bestellung in die Wege zu leiten. Durch den Materialeinkauf via Internet, so wurde vorgerechnet, sinken die Beschaffungskosten auf ein Zehntel der konventionellen Marge. Der elektronische Markt funktioniere nach einem festen Regelwerk: Entweder stellen die Zulieferer einen Katalog in den elektronischen Marktplatz, in dem sich der Automobilhersteller bedienen kann, oder sie bewerben sich auf Auktionen um Aufträge, die von Opel ausgeschrieben werden. Nicht immer, so hieß es bei der Präsentation, entscheide der niedrigste Preis, sondern die beste Qualität.

Und dieser Aspekt spielt bei der Entwicklung des Wasserstoff-Antriebs auf der Basis der Brennstoffzellen-Technologie in Kastel offenbar eine nicht unerhebliche Rolle. Die Labors sind explosionsgeschützt, die Brennstoffzellen von der energetischen Mächtigkeit nicht ohne. Ziel der Opel-Entwickler ist es, ein Fahrzeug vom Format eines Zafira mit 200 Brennstoffzellen auszustatten, die im Zusammenwirken von Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff durch „kalte Verbrennung“ 80 Kilowatt Leistung Strom erzeugen, die einen 55 Kilowatt starken Motor antreiben und das Fahrzeug bei einer Reichweite von 400 Kilometer auf 140 Stundenkilometer beschleunigen. "

Gruß Ottoeugten

[Eboerse]

Ottoeugen
Sehr guter Artikel.Ich habe den auch in anderen Boards verewigt.
Danke Dir,

[DimStar]

Folgendes von Salomon Smith Barney (eigentlich wie erwartet, die North American International Auto Show findet übrigens am 11.01.2001 statt)

December 6, 2000 SUMMARY

* We are getting increasing comfort that some favorable
news regarding CMRC`s involvement in Covisint will be
coming out in fairly short order. Recall that there
have been concerns about when Covisint will be
announced and what role CMRC will play in light of the
fact that Oracle is also competing for a portion of the
technology requirements.
* Industry sources tell us that CMRC will have a
favorable role in Covisint potentially being the
transaction engine underneath the entire exchange - we
also have reason to believe that CMRC will receive
recurring revenue potentially from auctions, indirect
goods procurement, as well as catalog content.
* We suspect that since CMRC will probably get a large
portion of the technology requirements for Covisint,
possibly ORCL will get a portion of the ERP assignment
for Covisint`s internal ERP system.

Timing of the announcement
We have discovered that Covisint is presenting at the auto show in January of
`01 which leads us to believe that an announcement regarding the details will
be made prior to that date.

CMRC`s role in Covisint
Industry sources tell us that CMRC will have a favorable role in Covisint
potentially being the transaction engine underneath the entire exchange - we
also have reason to believe that CMRC will receive recurring revenue
potentially from auctions, indirect goods procurement, as well as catalog
content.

ORCL`s role in Covisint
We suspect that since CMRC will probably get a large portion of the
technology requirements for Covisint - possibly ORCL (2H, $31.50) will get a
portion of the ERP assignment for Covisint`s internal ERP system. The
remaining question is ... who will get the Supply Chain Management piece? We
think ORCL could potentially have a role here, but it is still up in the air
and there could possibility be new vendors introduced for a portion of the
SCM assignment.

[isaaacc]

neues auf der covisint seite:

Study: B2B Marketplaces Coming To Life
By Lori Enos
E-Commerce Times
December 4, 2000


Advantages for industry-sponsored marketplaces include built-in reservoirs of talent and funding.

In This Story:

At an Advantage

Competitive Streaks

Regulatory Approval

Covisint Breaks Ground

Related Stories


Online industry-sponsored marketplaces (ISMs) are going live faster than expected, according to a study released Friday by Jupiter Research.

Jupiter found that 41 percent of the 58 business-to-business (B2B) ISMs launched this year are able to conduct transactions online and another 33 percent are expected to go live before the end of the year.

"From this vantage point, ISMs stand out as a bright spot in a disappointing digital landscape," said Tim Clark, senior analyst for Jupiter`s business-to-business research. "However the real test will be for these businesses to create real value and functionality for marketplace users."

Major marketplaces launched this year include the auto industry`s Covisint, the aerospace industry`s Aerospan and the retail industry`s Worldwide Retail Exchange.

At an Advantage

According to Jupiter, ISMs have an advantage over independent marketplaces because of the deep pockets of their corporate sponsors. Other advantages for ISMs include built-in reservoirs of talent and transaction liquidity.

The research firm said that there are five major milestones that an ISM must achieve before going live: establishing leadership, choosing a technology vendor, forming a separate legal entity, establishing a capital structure, and creating business and revenue models.

ISMs have made "remarkable progress" toward achieving these milestones, Jupiter said, and have "overcome the early perception that industry leaders would focus on the relatively simple processes of forming a legal entity or choosing a technology vendor, instead of establishing ways to share business processes that are slowing down their industries."

Competitive Streaks

Despite the advantages ISMs have, however, industry competitors have had some amount of struggle as they strive to become collaborators.

"Competitors often have a lot of trouble agreeing on business model priorities that lead to a valuable marketplace," Clark said, "especially when one of the ultimate goals of the ISM is to eventually go public and cede control over the rules of operation to outsiders."

There is plenty of incentive for ISM sponsors to work through their issues. Credit Suisse First Boston estimates that B2Bs will control US$3 trillion in purchases a year if all evolve as planned.

In order to track the emergence of B2B marketplaces, Jupiter has established a searchable database of both independent and industry-sponsored marketplaces. The database can be accessed for free through the Net Market Maker Web site.

Regulatory Approval

B2B e-marketplaces have garnered the support of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Commenting on an October commission report, FTC chairman Robert Pitofsky said business-to-business marketplaces offer "great promise" in terms of cutting costs, better organizing business processes and improving competition.

B2B marketplaces that are formed through alliances by competing companies need to obtain regulatory approval from the FTC and, in some cases, foreign regulatory bodies.

"Successfully completing every phase of the ISM development process may prove an impossible task for some players, but the rewards of going beyond basic squabbles to reach the finish line will be worth it," Clark said.

Covisint Breaks Ground

One of the first ISMs to gain approval was Covisint, the automotive B2B formed by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, Renault SA and Nissan, together with technology partners Commerce One, Inc. and Oracle.

Although approved by both the FTC and its German counterpart, Covisint`s approval was not unconditional. The FTC said that it could not determine whether Covisint would cause competitive concerns because it has not yet adopted rules or terms.

The FTC also said in its report that competitive concerns raised by collaborations between competitors could be addressed by existing antitrust laws as well as "well-crafted B2B operating rules."

[isaaacc]

http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB976229899480665274.htm

Auto Makers` Online Parts Exchange
To Become Legally Incorporated
By KAREN LUNDEGAARD
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


Covisint, the Big Three auto makers` online parts exchange, is expected to jump an important hurdle Friday as it becomes a legally incorporated entity, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Once incorporated, Covisint, set up in February by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, will be able to charge fees for the online-auction and catalog services it is now running as part of a pilot program. It also will proceed with hiring a permanent staff. Currently, it is operating with more than 350 employees on loan from the auto makers, technology concerns and consulting firms.

Firms to Create One-Stop Service for Auto-Repair Parts on the Web (Feb. 9)

Online Exchange of Auto Makers Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle (Sept. 27)

The seemingly mundane task of incorporating has taken weeks longer than officials had originally predicted, in part because of the pure complexity, said Rico Digirolamo, one of three co-chief executives running Covisint.

With seven major companies involved -- including auto makers Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA, which also have joined the exchange, and Commerce One Inc. and Oracle Corp., the founding technology partners -- and all their attorneys, it been a cumbersome process.

The signing "is going to be like [at] a 200-foot table with hundreds of documents that everyone has to sign," Mr. Digirolamo said.

Covisint, which has been expected to be the largest of the so-called business-to-business exchanges handling global purchasing of as much as $300 billion at just the five auto makers, has been fraught with delays almost from the beginning. The Federal Trade Commission began investigating the exchange weeks after it was announced Feb. 25. The commission ended that inquiry in September, the same month German antitrust regulators also cleared the exchange.

But Covisint`s own timetable for incorporating and hiring a CEO -- within 30 days -- came and went. The company still doesn`t have a chief executive. Harold Kutner, GM`s group vice president of global purchasing and an executive on the hiring board, said last week in Chicago that a CEO would be named by Christmas.

That forecast is still "pretty optimistic," said one person close to the situation. The search could be wrapped up just before the Christmas holiday "if they go after one of the guys that`s unencumbered" by a job, this person added. Otherwise, the decision seems unlikely to be made until early January.

Among the sticking points: the prospects and the auto makers disagree over Covisint`s current valuation -- a critical issue when you are wrangling for a sizable piece of equity.

Since the product launch in late September, Covisint, operating out of temporary headquarters in Southfield, Mich., has run more than 80 auctions with about seven clients, representing $300 million of goods, Mr. Digirolamo said. The exchange also has posted eight catalogs, with 40 customers buying $3 million in products to date.


----------------------
vielleicht kostensenkung bei chrysler verstaerkt ueber covisint?

Chrysler seeks cost cuts
Plans to cut its cost of materials from suppliers 15% over 2 years to save $6B
December 7, 2000: 10:52 p.m. ET


AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler AG`s struggling Chrysler group unveiled on Thursday a plan to cut material costs by $6 billion or 15 percent over the next two years.

The move, described as the first element of a comprehensive restructuring plan aimed at lowering overall spending, comes nearly three weeks after the German automaker installed new management at Chrysler. The U.S. division spends about $40 billion annually with about 900 direct suppliers.



We see a potential storm coming.



Peter Rosenfeld
Vice president of procurement and sourcing strategy
Chrysler
The plan calls for suppliers to cut the prices they charge for materials and all general services by 5 percent, or $2 billion, effective Jan. 1, instead of the traditional 3-4 percent annual cuts Chrysler had previously sought. Those cost cuts cover the periods from 2001-2003.

The second phase of the initiative calls for Chrysler engineers and procurement managers, along with suppliers, to identify an additional 10 percent cost improvement over the two-year period, saving another $4 billion.

"We see a potential storm coming," Peter Rosenfeld, Chrysler`s vice president of procurement and sourcing strategy, told reporters at the unit`s suburban Detroit headquarters. "We have two choices: we can put our heads in the sand and wait for the storm to be upon us or we can try to act now.

"We`d rather share that information with our suppliers," he added.

DaimlerChrysler`s stock closed off 35 cents at $41.91 a share in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, just above its all-time low of $32.90 and far off its all-time January 1999 high of slightly above $108.

Some suppliers remained upbeat despite the news. "We`ll work closely with DaimlerChrysler through our preexisting relationships to find a solution that is in the best interests of both companies," Delphi spokesman Steve Gaut said.


Some suppliers remain wary

Chrysler officials said they told 20 of the automaker`s largest suppliers of the decision on Thursday and they will meet with another 150 suppliers before the end of the month. Other suppliers remain wary of simply paying for Chrysler`s improved profits.

"In light of the intensely competitive industry, it will be very difficult to cut margins, particularly in certain product areas," said one supplier official who asked not to be identified.

Analysts also remain skeptical that suppliers, already struggling in the slowing economy, won`t feel the bite.

"I have a tough time believing that any supplier out there can reduce apples-to-apples 5 percent costs by next year," Lehman Brothers analyst Darren Kimball said.



This is a major cornerstone of the turnaround. We need results fast. We cannot wait forever.



Wolfgang Bernhard
Chief operating officer
Chrysler
"It`s bad news in an environment where volumes are going down, so suppliers are not going to be able to cover up the price concessions with economies of scale. There`s a lot going on right now that`s onerous for supplier profits," he added.

Chrysler officials are trying to cut costs to get the once-profitable unit back on track. Chrysler has gone from being the most profitable carmaker to one of the worst, losing $512 million in the third quarter with expectation for a repeat of that or worse in the fourth quarter.

"This is a major cornerstone of the turnaround," said Wolfgang Bernhard, Chrysler`s new chief operating officer. "We need results fast. We cannot wait forever."

Making a turnaround more difficult, the economy as well as the auto industry seem to be slowing. Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. (F: Research, Estimates) last week announced production cuts at their North American vehicle assembly plants for the fourth quarter and General Motors Corp. (GM: Research, Estimates) followed suit on Thursday.

About 78 percent of Chrysler`s total costs come from material costs, said Tom Sidlik, Chrysler`s worldwide purchasing chief. "To get quick cost reductions, materials is the way to go," he said.

Chrysler officials dismissed suggestions they have overpaid their suppliers for years, resulting in the current problems.

"I don`t think we`re overpaying at all. It`s a reaction to our business situation," Rosenfeld said.

Officials said the second-phase 10-percent cut will be "margin-neutral" for suppliers.

Chrysler officials said suppliers who refuse or fail to hit the price-cut targets may not necessarily lose their business. Each case will be weighed separately, with other factors like delivery, quality and technology also coming into play.

The 15-percent cut over the next two years also will apply to parts made by Chrysler itself, officials said. Chrysler relies on outside suppliers for 65 percent of its parts, with the rest being made by the automaker.

[Forsyth]

Hier ein toller artikel von chrisie aus dem suntrade Board:


COVISINT, eine Wortzusammensetzung aus COoperation, VISion und INTegration, ist eine gemeinsame B2B Plattform, welche die BIG3 der USA GM, Ford und Daimler -Chrysler, in Zusammenarbeit mit CMRC und Oracle aus der Taufe gehoben haben. Seit Oktober ist COVISINT Online.

Die Kostenerspamis durch eine so1che Plattt- form, welche hilft, bestimmte Bestellvorgänge zu automatisieren und günstigere Angebote zu finden, könnte laut den Analysten der Gartner Group in einer Endstufe mehr als 10 Prozent des Preises eines PKWs ausmachen. Denn über diese Internet-PIottform alle Einkäufe von den Autoherstellern ablaufen - vom Bürobedarf bis zu Benzin. Im Vergleich zu Covisints reinen Umsatzzahlen erscheinen selbst Intemet-Giganten wie eBay winzig. Covisint gilt als das große Vorzeigeprojekt im B2B- Bereich. Bei keinem anderen Projekt trifft man auf solche finanziellen Größenord- nungen und eine solch gewaltige Komple- xität.
Die Grundlage von Covisint liegt zurück im Februor diesen Jahres. Damals haben sich Harald Kutner von GM, Brian Kelley von Ford, Ray Lane von Oracle und Mark
Hoffmann von Commerce One geheim in einem Hotel getroffen. Oracle-Commerce One und Ford - GM sind paarweise Kon- kurrenten und insofern stellte dieses Tref- fen an sich schon eine besondere Situation dar. Angesichts der oben genannten Per- spektiven war der Wille der Teilnehmer je- doch stark genug, endlich auch vom Internet im großen Rahmen zu profitieren. Das Tref- fen brachte eine grobe Vorstellung danüber, wie eine B2B Plattform für mehr als 40.000 Unternehmen mit mehr als 750 Mrd. Dol- lar Umsatz aussehen könnte. Außerdem erkannten die Manager im Februar und März die Gelegenheit, Teile von Covisint für gutes Geld an die Börse zu bringen. Covisint sollte allgemein die IT-Strukturen der Unternehmen verschlanken und opti-mieren helfen - Stichwort E-Procurement und Supply Chain Management - und so in einer über hundert Jahre alte Industrie alte Zöpfe beseitigen helfen.
Auf dem Papier war das Projekt makellos. Jedoch hat sich die Etablierung dieser Intemetplattform als ein schwieriges Kind erwiesen. Sie hat die Vielzahl an Schwä- chen und Schwierigkeiten aufgezeigt, auf die man bei der Erstellung einer solchen B2B-Plattform stoßen kann. So kämpft Covisint momentan an den Fronten Tech- nologie und vor allem Kultur: Kleinere Zu- lieferbetriebe stehen Covisint sehr skep- tisch gegenüber. Sie sind mit dem Internet nicht vertraut und wollen ihre Preispolitik und Technologie-Details nicht in die für sie unsicher erscheinende Online-Welt stellen. Außerdem befürchten sie, in einem globalen Wettbewerb mit den größeren Automobilzulieferem unterzugehen. Aber
auch größere Zulieferer wollen sich nicht durch eine Online-Börse in einen größe- ren Konkurrenzdruck begeben. In den 80er Jahren, als die großen US-K Z-Hersteller große Teile ihrer Produktion mit dem Vor- bild und der Konkurrenz aus Japan an Zu- lieferer ausgelagert haben, konnten sich die Zulieferer in eine strategisch bessere Posi- tion gegenüber ihren Auftraggebern brin- gen. Die "BIG3" waren abhängig von ih- ren Automobilzulieferern und nur durch eine sehr gute Zusammenarbeit konnte das Systemlieferanten-System funktionieren. Die Automobilzulieferer in den USA wie- derum besitzen nur eine durchschnittliche Gewinnmarge von 2 Prozent. Ein B2B Marktplatz jedoch könnte auch diese ver- bleibenden Gewinnmöglichkeiten zunich-te machen, befürchten viele. Des weiteren gibt es Proteste von Seiten der Gewerk- schaften und vieler Mitarbeiter der K Z- Unternehmen, welche um ihre Jobs ban- gen.
Kurz vor offiziellen Bekanntgabe des Joint- Ventures Covisint stieg noch Daimler- Chrysler ein und wollte SAP ebenfalls als Technologiepartner miteinbringen. Die hier- durch erzeugten Spannungen wurden durch die Aufstockung der SAP Beteiligung an Commerce-One wieder bereinigt.

Dennoch spricht zuviel für das Projekt, als dass sich die beteiligten Unternehmen er- lauben können, es scheitern zu lassen. Covisint wird wie ein Start-Up unabhängig von den Gründern geführt und besitzt eine Menge finanzieller und personeller Res- sourcen, um seine Aufgabe zu meistern. Viele größere Zulieferer sind zudem über die einheitliche E-Plattform glücklich, welche viele heterogene Bestellsysteme ablö- sen wird, welche sie bisher für die einzel- nen Automobil-Hersteller unterstützen mussten. Dies wird auf Seiten der Zuliefe- rer vor allem bei der IT-Infrastruktur lang- fristig zu großen Kosteneinsparungen füh- ren.
Wenn im Jahr 2005, wie das Marktforschungsinstitut Gartner prognostiziert, 42 Prozent aller Unternehmenseinkäufe über das Internet laufen sollen, nach 3 Prozent in diesem Jahr; könnten mehr als 6000 DM pro Fahrzeug oder 174 Mrd. Dollar insge- samt eingespart werden. Dieses Potential gilt es zu nutzen.

Vielleicht könnte schon im nächsten Jahr das IPO von Covisint stattfinden.

(aus finance-online per e-mail erhalten)

Chrissie

[isaaacc]

Und was schenkt uns commerce 1 zu weihnachten? einen covisint ceo:



Report: Covisint Incorporates
by Richard Brown, Line56
Friday, December 08, 2000


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Electronic versions of The Wall Street Journal reported today that Covisint, the online auto parts exchange formed by U.S. Big Three automakers, overseas partners Renault and Nissan and technology firms Oracle and Commerce One, is set to become a legally incorporated entity. A source familiar with Covisint also indicated the change would take place today.
Rico Digirolamo, one of three co-chief executives running Covisint, told the Journal the incorporation process took weeks longer than initially expected due to the complexity of the exchange.

The new legal standing also means Covisint can hire permanent staff, instead of relying on 350 employees it currently borrows from its founders and partners. The move would also confer fee-charging rights on Covisint’s pilot program of online auctions and catalog services.

Operating out of temporary headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, Covisint has conducted over 80 auctions with seven clients, representing $300 million of goods, according to Digirolamo. The exchange also has posted eight catalogs, with 40 customers buying $3 million in products to date.

Kevin Prouty, research director of auto strategy at AMR Research, said the rite of incorporation shows Covisint has achieved independence from its founding members. ‘But I’m still wary of its strategy, which smacks of an IPO mentality. There is also an identity issue. Is Covisint trying to be a procurement specialist or a supply chain optimizer?”

Covisint has yet to appoint a CEO. Harold Kutner, General Motor`s group vice president of global purchasing and an executive on Covisint’s hiring board, said last week in Chicago that a CEO would be named by Christmas.


--------------http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=1822&ml=2

[isaaacc]

USA: Carmakers to launch Internet parts venture
8 Dec 2000
Source: Reuters
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By Michael Ellis

DETROIT, Dec 7 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. , Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG Thursday said they planned to form an Internet portal to connect all the companies serving the estimated $550 billion global market for automotive parts and services.


The first product for the as-yet-to-be-named venture will be CollisionLink, which will connect automotive dealership service centers with collision repair shops over the Internet, helping to eliminate wrong orders and cutting costs and time.


The automakers partnered with imaging and information management company Bell & Howell Co. to create the venture. Each partner will own 25 percent of the company, which will be headed by Chuck Rotuno, formerly general manager of global automotive publishing with Bell & Howell`s publishing services division.


The venture will initially focus on the United States and Canada, but eventually expand globally, Rotuno said. The three automakers have held talks with other major automakers and would consider offering them an equity stake if they join the venture, said John Smith, GM vice president of service parts operations.


CollisionLink, currently in testing with less than 10 major dealerships, will ramp up in the first quarter next year and begin generating revenues in the second quarter, Rotuno said.


"We believe our new company`s capabilities will make a significant dent in overall collision, mechanical and fleet repair costs, while improving customer satisfaction," he told reporters at a news conference in Detroit.


The automakers currently capture about 70 percent of the parts used in collision repairs, but CollisionLink could help take business away from independent parts manufacturers, the automakers said.


Dealerships, which derive about half of their profits from parts and services, will be able to cut costs, trim their parts inventories and speed up the repair time, Smith said.


The venture will operate initially from Bell & Howell`s publishing services division headquarters in Richfield, Ohio, with a staff of about 50 people, Rotuno said.


The joint venture, the latest between the "Big Three" automakers, follows an agreement in February this year to funnel their combined annual $240 billion spent on parts and supplies through a single Internet portal.


That new company, called Covisint, will initially have no connection to the new venture, but they could share some business in the future, Smith said.
Renault SA , Nissan Motor Co. have since also joined Covisint.

-------------
vielleicht gibt das dann das erste funktionieren etoe-business!

[CooolBoy]

Datum: 11.12. 22:03

Covisint - offzieller Start

Der Marktplatz für Automobilteile Covisint, welcher von Ford, DaimlerChrysler und General Motors unter Mithilfe von Commerce One aufgebaut wurde, begann heute seinen offziellen Betrieb. Nachdem alle Themen rund um die Preistruktur und um andere Dinge geklärt wurden, so Ford, gehe man nun in den produktiven Betrieb über. Covisint wurde seit September als eine Art Pilotprojekt betrieben, welches frei für alle Lieferanten war. Nun müssen die Teileherteller Gebühren entrichten, um ihre Produkte auf dem Onlinemarktplatz verkaufen zu dürfen. Der Marktplatz wird Teilekataloge, Werkzeuge und Auktionen enthalten, die es den Autobauern und Lieferanten erleichtern beim Entwurf neuer Teile zusammen zu arbeiten.

powered by BörseGo.de

[deutschmann]

!

Dieser Beitrag wurde vom System automatisch gesperrt. Bei Fragen wenden Sie sich bitte an [e-mail]

[isaaacc]

corporate identity: offiz. statement auf covsisint-seite:

Covisint Establishes Corporate Entity
Automotive e-business exchange becomes LLC

December 11, 2000

DETROIT - Covisint announced today its official transformation from a planning organization to a Delaware LLC (limited liability company.) Effective immediately Covisint becomes a multi-member joint venture known officially as Covisint, LLC with DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One and Oracle as members.

This is another milestone for Covisint, following its clearance by the Federal Trade Commission and German Bundeskartellamt and its successful launch of the exchange at the end of September. Announced in February 2000, Covisint is an e-business exchange developed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Renault.

Today, Covisint has more than 250 customers on two continents engaged in activities on the exchange including catalogs, auctions, quote management and collaborative design. Its current product and service offering is focused on procurement, supply chain and product development solutions.

"Covisint has gone from a vision to a planning organization to a company in less than 12 months," said Dan Jankowski, Covisint spokesperson. "This unprecedented partnership is history-making on many levels and Covisint is poised to assume a leading role in providing services to customers in the global automotive marketplace."

-------------------
noch was zur neuen teileboerse:




Exchange Could “Freeze” Auto Parts Market
by Richard Brown, Line56
Monday, December 11, 2000


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An online aftermarket auto parts exchange formed by Covisint co-founders DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors could have a chilling effect on the multi-billion dollar spare parts market for cars for up to six months - but will need greater functionality if it is to attract and retain dealer members, according to a report released today.
AMR Research says that the as-yet-unnamed exchange, which is due to launch in 2001 but has had difficulty finding a suitable url, will face competition from independent auto parts exchanges and OEM tier one suppliers Parts.com, Carparts.com and Partsbay.com.

The author of the report, AMR auto strategy research director Kevin Prouty, thinks that the new OEM-controlled exchange will sow confusion among independent exchanges as they balk at its size and strength. "Since OEM`s control so much warranty work, these independent exchanges may be forced to close down or join the new venture," Prouty believes.

According to the report, the OEM-led initiative will need to offer a broad array of functionality to cement dealer participation and loyalty. This includes real-time view of order status, real-time inventory, excess inventory auctioning, industry-wide parts cross-reference, and unified cataloging.

“These functions will take years to develop and penetrate,” claimed Prouty. “From a publicity standpoint, the automakers have ignored the aftermarket exchange business. Tier 1 suppliers and independent exchanges, like Parts.com, Carparts.com, and Partsbay.com, have had time to develop their own strategy with minimal concern for the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) plans.

“Ford, General Motors (GM), and Daimler-Chrysler’s formation of a consortium to develop a dealer-focused parts exchange changes everything. Just as Covisint did, this new consortium exchange will freeze the entire parts market for three to six months until the OEMs make clear the exact details of the new initiative.”

However Jeff Leestma, senior manager of e-business at DaimlerChrysler, said the venture’s CollisionLink service from Bell & Howell will offer sufficient intuitive functions from the outset to facilitate transactions between dealers and autobody shops. “If an independent repair shop needs a fender for a crash-damaged car, his application will be based on the history of that part and the exchange will automatically suggest the brackets, nuts and bolts needed to effect the repair. Just like being offered gardening accessories when you order a book on gardening from Amazon.com,” he explained.

Prouty added that, while many parallels can be drawn to Covisint, the auto parts exchange starts out in a market with completely different dynamics. He said: “Most dealerships operate with multiple OEM products, so dealers are happy to see a common interface developed to the parts ordering and tracking process for OEM parts. The initial goals of the exchange are to not only improve information flow between OEM and the dealer, but also between the dealer and wholesaler.”

Prouty pointed to iStarXchange, Toyota’s joint venture with i2 Technologies, as having the same goals as DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM’s venture, but which is “out of the gate faster with the infrastructure”. AMR Research believes that as OEMs jump into the auto parts fray, many of the small independent exchanges will get “crushed under the feet of the battling behemoths”.

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=1824&ml=2

[isaaacc]

dementi des negativen netbusiness-artikel:

DaimlerChrysler räumt Probleme bei Covisint ein

Praktische Probleme bei der Autoeinkaufsplattform Covisint hat DaimlerChrysler-Sprecher Wolfgang Scheunemann in einem Gespräch mit der Nachrichtenagentur dpa-AFX eingeräumt. Diese seien beim Aufbau einer Plattform immer vorhanden. »Die Plattform ist planmäßig im Aufbau«, sagte Scheunemann. Erste Transaktionen würden bereits über sie abgewickelt. Der Sprecher dementierte einen Bericht der Wochenzeitung »Net-Business«, die Plattform werde frühestens im Jahr 2002 gestartet. Die Meldung stimme nicht, sagte er.

Nach Informationen der Zeitschrift könnten praktische Probleme das Gemeinschaftsvorhaben der Automobilkonzerne DaimlerChrysler, Ford und General Motors womöglich ganz zu Fall bringen




-----


hier nochmal der urspruengliche:

B2B-Autoeinkaufsplattform Covisint startet erst im Jahr 2002
von Günther Heismann

Die Einkaufsplattform Covisint, die eigentlich bereits in diesem Herbst starten sollte, wird ihren vollen Betrieb frühestens 2002 aufnehmen. Das sagt die amerikanische Beratungsfirma Gartner Group voraus. Praktische Probleme könnten das Gemeinschaftsvorhaben der Autokonzerne Daimler Chrysler, Ford und General Motors womöglich ganz zu Fall bringen. Die eingesetzte Technologie ist hochkomplex. 70 Prozent der teilnehmenden Autozulieferer haben noch keine geeignete Kommunikationstechnik. Das Gemeinschaftsunternehmen hat Mühe, ausreichend Fachkräfte und Topmanager zu finden. Schließlich ist unklar, inwieweit Covisint wirklich die Produktionskosten senken hilft.

[isaaacc]

a bisserl kritik:

A completely new kind of car company
11 Dec 2000
Author: Automotive World
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Sue Brown interviews George Kim, Chief Business Development Officer of Model E

When the now failed Daewoo first entered the UK market it declared itself as a completely new kind of car company. It did break a few long-held car distribution rules but as a manufacturing organisation it followed the traditional heavy manufacturing business model - there was nothing very new about it at all. While few of us have yet heard of it, the California-based company Model E can, however, be described as exactly that - "a completely new kind of car company"- and George Kim, chief business development office of the company, thinks it cannot fail.

At the moment Model E is a small company based in northern California with around 60 employees. From the outside it looks like an AMG-style customising company, taking existing vehicles - mainly luxury import makes, and customising them for rich Californian clients. In addition, for these same clients, Model E takes customer service to an extreme, supplying all of their car running needs, from completing registration documents, to sourcing insurance and providing all aftercare.

This, however, is just a starting point. In the long run Model E wants to build its own vehicle designs and last month at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas it unveiled its first such vehicle, codenamed Ironman.

Longer term still Model E aims to be a fully-fledged vehicle manufacturer and compete with the likes of Ford and GM. This may seem like a pipe dream and initial concerns would be that it will be very difficult to amass the scale needed to be a major force in this industry. Nevertheless this is exactly what Model E aims to do. It aims to have the same impact on the automotive industry as Dell did on the computer industry.

As a business model, the Dell model has gained wide respect and admiration from the automotive industry and many manufacturers are trying to adapt their business to incorporate more of Dell`s methods in the future. With a legacy of traditional heavy manufacturing methods this is difficult. Model E does not have this legacy so may have an advantage. "For us there are many analogies with Dell", explains Kim, "however we want to collaborate with the vehicle manufacturers. […]. In this industry which already suffers from over-capacity we do not want to build new capacity. Our goal is work with the vehicle manufacturers and the Tier 1 suppliers, which have the capability to build entire vehicles. - Our role will be to outsource and coordinate."

Indeed Tier 1s do now have the expertise to build substantial parts of vehicles or even whole vehicles. The only thing stopping them from doing this is the lack of a brand and a distribution channel. "Model E is the brand and the distribution channel for Tier 1s with the capability to build cars," confirms Kim.

The essence of the Dell model is customer focus. Vehicle manufacturers are now turning towards a more customer-focused business, as study after study shows how dissatisfied people are with the car buying experience. Model E, starting from scratch, has the chance to put the customer right at the centre of their business. "The traditional manufacturing model has little or no input from the customer. We want a life long relationship with the consumer so that any time they need anything they come to us."

Model E is looking to the hotel industry for inspiration here.

With so many people involved in the car buying and owning experience "no-one really owns the relationship" argues Kim. "The different parties are incentivised to maximise profit at their particular moment of intervention. Meanwhile busy people are trying to manage their own automotive experience."

With none of these parties accepting responsibility for any negative experiences Model E, and its backers Softbank Ltd. sees a business opportunity. "We want to take responsibility and in so doing we can also capture the entire revenue stream".

Model E is modeling itself on three existing business models: Dell; Cisco Systems; and the hotel industry. Dell is the pioneer of build-to-order, while Cisco Systems has shown how to be a zero-asset manufacturer, and the hotel industry offers the ultimate one-stop shop in service. "The hotel industry is focused on delivering a complete holistic experience - that is what we want to do," says Kim.

Finally Model E is focusing on selling "mobility". Vehicle manufacturers have been talking about this for some time - not least of all Ford. Model E is doing this already. A customer tells Model E what he/she wants to drive and has it personalised while Model E organises financing, insurance, and looks after the vehicle while it is in use. Customers pay a monthly fee for the whole package.

Project Ironman

As a start-up company Model E has also been able to take a radical new approach to new product development. "We did a totally radical thing. We took all our engineers and planners and put them in a room at the same time," explains Kim, with more than a hint of irony. The concept was literally sketched out on the bag of an envelope, defined by a clear set of criteria. In this case the vehicle should be easy to manufacture, in a segment in which there is virtually no competition, and different i.e. not something that would be desired by the masses. Ex-vehicle manufacturer planners knew there was a gap in the market for a serious off-road vehicle and the concept was delivered in less than 90 days. This compares with an industry average of 12-18 months. Kim attributes this achievement to two main factors - a) accelerated decision-making thanks to all the engineers and planners working together at the same time, and b) a lot of computer-aided industrial design (CAID).

Key to this process is having designers who can do the design work and the maths modeling, explains Kim. He estimates that there are only a handful of engineers in the world - Project E has six or so on its payroll.

Bought-in skills are another key. Model E decided to work closely with off-road race driver Rod Millen during the design process, tapping into his military and racing experience to influence the design, functionality, materials and construction.

The vehicle frame is an exoskeletal construction made from stainless steel using Autokinetics patented technology which combines strength and lightweight features and has good crash characteristics. A modular construction is essential for future variations and an innovative latching system is used to fix door and body panels so that they can be easily removed and exchanged for a different body design. The radical design also incorporates a three-seat configuration which allows for the engine to be positioned centrally with the driver sitting forward of the engine.

Now the company is waiting to receive the public`s reaction. If enough people put deposits down the car will be built - if not it won`t. Priced at US$82,500 (for orders placed before 10th November) Model E is looking at building around 500-1,000 units.

Longer-term Model E is planning to build products which are more mainstream priced but at the moment the company is proving the concepts of its business to its partners. The Ironman vehicle allows them to do this.

Virtual Design Centre

One of the key concepts is getting feedback from consumers at an early stage of the product`s conception. To do this Model E has set up a Virtual Design Centre. "The Virtual Design Centre is an open window to the world through which we can talk to consumers." To this end Model E started posting designs on the website and getting feedback early on. This is in direct contrast to what Kim sees as one of the major woes of the traditional vehicle manufacturing industry. "The industry does not consult on vehicle designs; they remain in the design studio which is one of the most sacred places of the vehicle industry - here they hide everything from everyone."

Model E also expects to have an "open window" relationship with its suppliers. If component manufacturers want to develop components for a car in development then they can do that. Model E publishes the exact parameters of the vehicle and uses an open source code architecture. Kim describes this degree of openness as a major shift in philosophy. He criticises Covisint, the industry`s equivalent "open window" equivalent because it just is not open enough. While he hopes it will be successful because its intentions are right and will be of some benefit to everyone, it could take years to have any real impact because of the levels of bureacuracy and degrees of secrecy that will be built into the infrastructure.

The Internet is the critical enabler of Model E`s business concept. "The traditional vehicle manufacturing industry has reams of duplicative information. Thousands of pages of documentation is input and output and nobody has a master file. Model E uses the Internet to avoid all this by acting as a central repository of all the vehicle`s information."

Competition

So is Model E open to competition from other new entrants? At the moment Kim thinks Model E is unique. It is a dot.com company in that it is backed by Softbank, an Internet venture capitalist, but unlike other automotive Internet companies which are mainly just on-line dealers, Model E`s business is more sustainable, says Kim. "We use the Internet as a tool but we are also a real business with value added."

Kim realises that Model E will have to take its time. "We are not unrealistic" he says. "The customisation work we are doing now allows us to start achieving real customer satisfaction. When we have learnt to do that we can work up. It is a procedural stepping stone." Customisation will remain a long-term part of the business - whether it be extensive customisation or minimal. "The philosophy of customisation and build-to-order is the same." As Model E learns it is also building its brand. When it has learnt all the lessons it can, and only then, it will expand geographically.



Project Ironman goes some way to proving the Model E business concept


Sue Brown edits Automotive World`s monthly subscription title `World Automotive Manufacturing` from where this article has been taken. For further details click on this link:
http://www.just-auto.com/store/products_detail.asp?art=10297

Project E people

Project E employs around 60 people drawing on a wide range of backgrounds, not just from the automotive industry. These include Kevin Burkhardt, Chief Technology Officer, who was director of engineering at Disney Online and Matthew Ospeck, Chief Customisation Officer, who developed a mass customisation plan for Magna Symantec. The company`s president and CEO, William Santana Li founded GreenLeaf LLC, an internal Ford startup and now a leading automotive recycler. George Kim comes from the financial and consultancy world. Most recently he was an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and he has held positions at Bain & Company and J.P. Morgan. Other employees come from the retail and service sector; companies such as Sheraton, Walmart and Procter & Gamble, the automotive industry; from car manufacturers to leasing and rental companies, and from silicon valley; from companies such as Netscape and AOL.

[Eboerse]

Covisint - Gebührenerhebung in Kürze
-------------------------------------------
Der Marktplatz für die Autoindustrie, Covisint, wird ab nächster Woche in eine eigenständige Gesellschaft ausgegliedert. Durch diesen Schritt ist es dem Unternehmen dann auch möglich Gebühren für seine Services (Auktionen und Katalog-Tools und Services) zu erheben. Der im Februar diesen Jahres von DaimlerChrysler, Ford und General Motors ins Leben gerufene Marktplatz ermöglicht rund 40.000 Firmen aus der Zulieferbranche den Handel über eine einheitlich Plattform. Durch die Gründung einer eigenständigen Gesellschaft rückt auch der Börsengang für Covisint in greifbare Nähe. Dieser ist für das erste Quartal des kommenden Jahres geplant. Zu den Entwicklern des Marktplatzes zählen Oracle und Commerce One.

[Eboerse]

Covisint Beteiligung von 14% an Commerce One.
Das sind ca. 28 Millionen Aktien:

Tuesday December 12 1:07am
Source: Dow Jones


Covisint, the Big Three auto makers` online-parts exchange, has finalized a deal that is expected to give General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. a share of technology supplier Commerce One Inc. valued at $1.26 billion, Tuesday`s Wall Street Journal reported.

The agreement, to be announced today, makes Commerce One (CMRC) a key technology partner in the exchange, and leaves the two auto makers with a combined 14% share of the Pleasanton, Calif., concern. GM (GM) and Ford (F) each are receiving 14.4 million Commerce One shares, valued about $630 million apiece at yesterday`s 4 p.m. price for its stock.

Half the shares for each company will be held in escrow until 2002, releasable to Ford and GM upon satisfaction of certain conditions.

In addition, Commerce One will provide many of the technologies to run the Covisint exchange in return for undisclosed cash for consulting services and a share of the exchange`s recurring revenue.

As of 4 p.m. in Nasdaq Stock Market trading, Commerce One shares climbed $3, or 7.4%, to $43.75.

Although neither side would provide estimates, people in the industry say the revenue could prove substantial since Covisint, which also includes DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX), Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY) and Renault SA, is expected to handle as much as $300 billion in purchasing clout from the five auto concerns.

The transaction volume has grown to about $1.5 billion in the past few months since the car makers began testing the exchange, both through Covisint and on their own.

The exchange`s products will include online auctions and catalogs as well as collaborative design and supply-chain management tools.

Copyright (c) 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.

[isaaacc]

neu auf der c1-seite:
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=cmrc&…


Commerce One and Covisint Reach Definitive Agreement

PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000--

Commerce One Selected to Provide Core Procurement Transaction

Infrastructure Supporting the Trade of Direct and Indirect Goods for

the Leading Automotive E-Marketplace

Commerce One, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMRC) has reached a definitive agreement to provide the core e-marketplace procurement infrastructure for Covisint, the automotive e-marketplace.

Covisint has licensed and is using Commerce One MarketSite(TM), the company`s e-marketplace infrastructure solution, as the procurement transaction engine for the trading of all kinds of goods and services, including indirect and direct (planned) materials.

Covisint has licensed and is hosting the Enterprise Buyer(TM) Desktop Edition e-procurement application for use by participants in the e-marketplace. Covisint will also use Commerce One auction and catalog content solutions. Commerce One Global Services is providing Covisint with both strategic and technical consulting resources.

Commerce One has powered more than $1.5 billion to date in transactions for Covisint and its trading partners General Motors and Daimler Chrysler.

Under the terms of the agreement, Commerce One will receive consideration in keeping with its typical e-marketplace customer relationships, including cash compensation, a share of the e-marketplace revenue and an equity interest in Covisint. Commerce One is the only technology partner with revenue share in Covisint.

"We look forward to continuing our efforts with Covisint to deliver a global e-marketplace platform for the automotive industry," said Mark Hoffman, Chairman and CEO of Commerce One. "Covisint is an excellent example of Commerce One`s business model and reflects our commitment to moving the world`s business commerce onto the Web."

"Commerce One is a key partner in making Covisint a cornerstone for e-commerce in the automotive industry," said Rico Digirolamo, Covisint interim CEO. "Commerce One`s technology and experience are a vital asset in our efforts, and we look forward to continuing our success together."

Details of the Definitive Agreement

Commerce One will be entitled to share in the revenues generated by the Covisint exchange for an anticipated ten-year term. Commerce One also received a two percent equity interest in Covisint. This equity interest will be held in escrow and released to Commerce One only upon the successful completion of its restructuring into a holding company as described below. Commerce One will also receive cash compensation for the consulting services that it will provide to Covisint.

In connection with the Covisint transactions, Commerce One will undergo a corporate restructuring into a holding company. Once the restructuring occurs, all of Commerce One`s outstanding shares of common stock will automatically be converted into shares of the holding company common stock at a one-for-one conversion rate. As a result, Commerce One, Inc. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the new holding company. The holding company will continue the business of Commerce One and will become the new "Commerce One."

Upon the signing of the Covisint agreements on Friday, December 8th, the Commerce One holding company issued 14.4 million shares of its common stock to Ford and 14.4 million shares of its common stock to GM. Half of each of Ford`s and GM`s shares will be held in escrow and will be released to Ford and GM in December 2002 upon the satisfaction of certain conditions under the Covisint agreement. Otherwise, the shares will not be released to these companies until June 2004.

All of the shares of stock issued to Ford and GM will be subject to transfer restrictions for three years and will be entitled to registration rights beginning after three years, subject in each case to limited exceptions. Ford and GM have also agreed to certain "standstill" restrictions that will limit their ability to acquire additional shares of Commerce One`s outstanding stock.

The proposed corporate restructuring is subject to the approval of Commerce One`s existing stockholders and is expected to take place in the spring or summer of 2001. In the event this approval is not obtained, the Covisint agreements will remain in place. Commerce One will in that case issue a total 28.8 million shares of its stock directly to Ford and GM in exchange for the 28.8 million shares of holding company stock currently held by them. In either event, these shares of Commerce One common stock will be subject to similar escrow, standstill and transfer provisions, and will be entitled to the same registration rights described above whether or not the corporate restructuring takes place.

Further information about the corporate restructuring will be available in documents to be provided to Commerce One`s stockholders in the spring or summer of 2001. Commerce One`s stockholders are encouraged to read these documents carefully because they will contain important information about the restructuring. Copies of these documents will be available on the SEC`s website at www.sec.gov or at no charge from Commerce One`s investor relations department at 4440 Rosewood Drive, Pleasanton, California 94588, [phone].

About Covisint

Covisint is an e-business exchange announced by DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors, and joined by Renault/Nissan, to meet the needs of the automotive industry. Covisint will provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers the ability to drive costs from their respective supply chains and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Covisint`s temporary headquarters are located in Southfield, Michigan. The organization expects to establish offices in Europe and Asia.

About Commerce One

Commerce One(R) (Nasdaq:CMRC) is the leader in global e-commerce solutions for business. Through its products and services, Commerce One creates access to worldwide markets, allowing anyone to buy from anyone, anytime, anywhere. The Global Trading Web(TM) is the world`s largest business-to-business trading community. Composed of many open e-marketplaces, the Global Trading Web provides unprecedented economies of scale for buying organizations, suppliers, and service providers worldwide. Through its alliance with SAP AG and SAPMarkets, Commerce One enables enterprises and communities of all sizes and industries to more efficiently conduct collaborative business on the Internet. Commerce One is located in Pleasanton, Calif., and can be reached by phone at [phone] or [phone] or via the Internet at www.commerceone.com.

Commerce One, Many Markets. One Source. Global Trading Web, Commerce One.net, BuySite, MarketSite, Global Trading Platform, Common Business Library, XML Development Kit, XML Commerce Connector, MarketSite Builder, and SupplyOrder are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Commerce One, Inc. Enterprise Buyer and MarketSet are trademarks of Commerce One, Inc and SAPMarkets. All other company, product, and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking" statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include statements about Covisint`s marketplace, future market share, revenues, and overall success, Commerce One`s share of Covisint`s revenues and the duration of the revenue sharing, and the anticipated approval and timing of the corporate restructuring of Commerce One into a holding company. Actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including Covisint`s successful development and implementation of its exchange, the success and timeliness of the implementation of the software necessary to operate the exchange, the integration of the exchange with the existing information systems of the exchange participants, unexpected operational difficulties, the extent to which the automakers and their suppliers utilize the exchange, Covisint`s ability to attract executive management, competition from other existing or new business-to-business exchanges, and antitrust and other regulatory issues. In addition to the information set forth above, additional information regarding these factors and other factors are contained in Commerce One`s SEC filings, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2000 and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 1999.

--30--jb/sf*

[silberfuchs]

"WSJ": GM und Ford erhalten 14 Prozent der Commerce-One-Aktien

New York (vwd) - Die beiden US-Automobilhersteller
General Motors Corp GM), Detroit, und Ford Motor
Co, Dearborn, schließen für die Online-Plattform
Covisint eine technologische Partnerschaft mit
dem Softwarehaus Commerce One Inc, Pleasaton.
Wie das "Wall Street Journal" (Dienstagausgabe)
berichtet, soll das Geschäft, bei dem die beiden
Automobilkonzerne Commerce-One-Aktien im Wert
von 1,26 Mrd USD erhalten, am Berichtstag
bekannt gegeben werden. Dies entspricht einem
Anteil an Commerce One von 14 Prozent.

GM und Ford sollen demzufolge je 14,4 Mio
Anteilsscheine bekommen, wobei je eine Hälfe der
Aktien bis 2002 bei einem Treuhänder hinterlegt
werden. Im Gegenzug liefere Commerce One
Technologie für Covisint, über die die drei
großen Automobilhersteller in den USA ihren
Austausch von Ersatzteilen organisieren wollen.
Dafür erhält Commerce One eine nicht genannte
Summe in bar sowie eine Beteiligung am Umsatz
von Covisint.

An der Online-Plattform nehmen neben GM und
Ford auch DaimlerChrysler AG, Stuttart, Nissan
Motor Co Ltd, Yokohama, und Renault SA, Boulogne
Billancourt, teil. Das künftig umgesetzte
Volumen wird auf bis zu 300 Mrd USD geschätzt.
vwd/DJ/12.12.2000/apo/ces

[isaaacc]

nochmal in der berichterstattung bei line56:

Covisint Settles on Commerce One
by Demir Barlas, Line56
Tuesday, December 12, 2000



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Though it was long expected, after months of waiting Commerce One has been designated as the procurement infrastructure provider for Covisint. The automotive marketplace (formed by GM, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler in February, with Renault and Nissan joining in April) worked with Commerce One from the beginning, but hadn`t cemented the relationship until now.
Covisint has licensed Commerce One`s MarketSite and Enterprise Buyer, products developed by Commerce One in close partnership with ERP giant SAP. Covisint will also continue to employ Commerce One auction technology, catalog content, and consulting from Commerce One Global Services. For its software and services, Commerce One received a cash fee, a 2 percent equity stake in the newly-incorporated Covisint, and a share of Covisint`s marketplace revenue over a ten-year term.

Commerce One has also agreed to a corporate restructuring that will allow it to issue several million shares of stock to Covisint members Ford and GM, who will jointly receive a 14 percent stake in Commerce One.

Commerce One CEO Mark Hoffman and Covisint interim CEO Rico Digirolamo characterized the arrangement as a way for both companies to increase profitability together. For Hoffman, the deal was a validation of Commerce One`s focus on diversifying its revenue stream through revenue sharing. ``Covisint is an excellent example of Commerce One`s business model and reflects our commitment to moving the world`s business commerce onto the Web,`` he said.

With the active participation of some of the world`s largest automakers, the revenue moving through Covisint could be huge. Robertson Stephens Managing Director Eric Upin called Covisint a "mega-exchange" whose success could help Commerce One achieve the premium valuations achieved by B2B competitors Ariba and i2.

Commerce One estimates that it has already powered $1.5 billion in transactions through Covisint. Oracle, Covisint`s other major tech partner, has also received a 2 percent equity stake in Covisint

[Joshua2112]

Die Institutionellen scheinen ja nicht von dem Deal begeistert zu sein.
Heavy selling, würde ich sagen.

http://iw.thomsoninvest.net/iwatch/cgi-bin/iw_page?ticker=CM…




Außerdem noch ein negativer Komentar aus dem Raging-bull-Board:It Lacks a CEO and an IPO, Yet Covisant Still Garners a Big Valuation
By Adam Lashinsky
Silicon Valley Columnist
12/13/00 7:01 AM ET

A year ago it was an article of faith in the investment community that Covisant, the electronic parts-procurement exchange owned by the major auto companies, would go public shortly with a $50 billion valuation.

The nod to reality is that Covisant not only hasn`t gone public yet, it`s not even done picking all the technology it will use or a chief executive to run the thing. Where the dream state continues is that the automakers, shut out of much of the fun of the Internet-stock mania, still think their creation will be a big public company.

In fact, Covisant, which announced an expanded relationship Tuesday with software maker Commerce One (CMRC:Nasdaq - news - boards), thinks so highly of its valuation that it reckons its exchange will be worth about half the market value of the Big Three automakers combined.

That`s right. Based simply on what Commerce One is "giving" Covisant -- stock worth about $1.2 billion on Friday -- and what Covisant is giving Commerce One -- a 2% stake in the project -- Covisant is worth about $59 billion, which works out nicely to be half the combined $118 billion market value of Ford (F:NYSE - news - boards), Daimler Chrysler (DCX:NYSE - news - boards) and General Motors (GM:NYSE - news - boards), Covisant`s principal shareholders.

Does that valuation make any sense, given that all that value is predicated on Covisant making life more efficient for its shareholders and, more importantly, their suppliers?

"Well, that`s what the numbers tell you," says David Garrity, an analyst with Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York. "I give them full credit for finally getting this thing agreed to." Garrity rates Commerce One shares a buy. Remember, though, he`s the former thousand-dollar man -- he put a $1,000 price target on Commerce One, a stock that closed Tuesday at $40.38 -- or about $200 adjusted for splits to compare it with Garrity`s old price target.

Still, Garrity does point out accurately that the 28.8 million-share "investment" Covisant is making in Commerce One really is nothing more than the reassignment of 28.8 million warrants previously assigned to GM. He also notes that Covisant was supposed to have a CEO by now. In a conference call with reporters and analysts, GM executive and interim Covisant CEO Rico Digirolamo said Covisant is interviewing candidates and expects to have a CEO shortly. Digirolamo also said the company is aiming to have its IPO by the end of next year. Some time between now and then the fledgling company aims to choose supply-chain management software, a contract most expect to go to Commerce One partner SAP (SAP:NYSE ADR - news - boards)

Fledgling though it may be, Covisant packs plenty of punch. It has been responsible for $1.5 billion worth of transactions. The company itself can get a fee of between 1% and 5% for each transaction, so it`s recording real revenue already. Digirolamo predicts revenue in the hundreds of millions in two to three years and "into the billions" during the 10-year agreement it is crafting with Commerce One.

This is all good for Commerce One, which provides the software on which this and other exchanges run. Commerce One will take a piece of that revenue. Garrity forecasts that Covisant could have 2001 transaction volume of revenue of $60 billion, or 20% of worldwide auto procurement of $300 billion. If it got a 4% commission, revenue would be about $2.4 billion and Commerce One`s cut would be about 5%, or $120 million.

Commerce One`s stock declined 8% Tuesday, so Wall Street likely had baked the Covisant news into the stock. Business-to-business software has been dying a slow death on Wall Street but is alive and well in the auto world. Prediction: Covisant never will get a $50 billion valuation in the public market.


Ob das so gut durchdacht war? Die Quartalszahlen werden es wohl zeigen.

Jo2112

[CooolBoy]

Aus der Financial Times Deutschland vom 13.12.2000 www.ftd.de/marktplaetze


Online-Marktplätze vor ungelösten Problemen

von Martin Virtel, Hamburg


Mit Investitionen in Höhe von 1,23 Mrd. $ und einer fest zugesagten Umsatzbeteiligung greifen die Automobilkonzerne Ford und General Motors dem E-Commerce-Spezialisten Commerce One unter die Arme.

Die beiden Konzerne beteiligen sich mit 14 Prozent an ihrem Lieferanten, dessen Computerprogramme auf dem Internet-Marktplatz Covisint den Kauf von Autoteilen abwickeln sollen.

Zusätzlich wird der unprofitable kalifornische Software-Hersteller für die Beratung beim Aufbau des Marktplatzes bezahlt und mit zwei Prozent an Covisint beteiligt. Die Investition der Autohersteller ist an Erfolgsbedingungen für Covisint geknüpft - wie diese Bedingungen aussehen, wollte keiner der Beteiligten preisgeben.

Ein gigantischer Markt

Diese enge und komplizierte Verflechtung zwischen Software-Hersteller und Kunde ist symptomatisch für die noch unerprobten Geschäftsmodelle in der gesamten Branche der so genannten Business-to-Business (B2B)-Marktplätze.

Hinter diesen Marktplätzen verbergen sich spezialisierte Websites, auf denen Firmen in Zukunft einen Teil des Einkaufes von Waren und Dienstleistungen erledigen können. Das US-Marktforschungsunternehmen Gartner Group prognostiziert, dass bis zum Jahr 2004 etwa 37 Prozent des elektronischen Handels zwischen Unternehmen auf solchen Marktplätzen stattfinden - ein gigantischer Markt, der in den vergangenen 18 Monaten durch eine Lawine von neu gegründeten Marktplätzen überschwemmt wurde.

Bernward Niederwestberg von Andersen Consulting in Düsseldorf schätzt, dass allein in der Chemiebranche über 1100 Marktplätze in Vorbereitung oder bereits eröffnet sind. "Bedeutung für die chemische Industrie haben aber nur 40 bis 50. Wir glauben, dass höchstens eine Hand voll der Plattformen profitabel sein kann", so Niederwestberg.

Andere Insider sind da noch vorsichtiger: Pro Branche werden kaum mehr als zwei bis drei Marktplätze überleben, glaubt Peter Bernard, Marketingchef Europa bei der US-Software-Firma Ariba, dem schärfsten Konkurrenten von Commerce One.

Ariba prüft seit einiger Zeit genauer, ob Ariba einen geplanten Marktplatz mit Software beliefern möchte oder nicht. "Eine Pleite fällt auf uns zurück, finanziell und vom Image her", sagt Bernard. Ariba beteiligt sich nicht am Umsatz von Marktplätzen, der Preis der Software hängt allerdings von der Anzahl der Transaktionen auf einem Marktplatz ab.

Vorsicht ist geboten

Aber auch Marktplätze mit guten Zukunftsprognosen wie Covisint beruhen auf einem Geschäftsmodell, für deren Funktionieren es wenig praktische Beispiele gibt.

Ariba hat etwa in der vergangenen Woche die Pleite eines lange Zeit als beispielhaft gehandelten Kunden hinnehmen müssen: Chemdex, ein bereits 1998 von einem Harvard-Absolventen gestarteter Marktplatz für Laborbedarf in der Biochemie, wird ersatzlos eingestellt.

Ventro, die Betreiberfirma von Chemdex, hatte am vergangenen Mittwoch die Schließung von Chemdex und einem anderen Marktplatz bekannt gegeben, obwohl es einen Käufer gegeben hätte. "Wenn die Angebote hoch genug gewesen wären, dann hätten wir sie angenommen", sagte Ventro-Chef David Perry. So muss die Firma in den nächsten neun Monaten 410 Mio. $ für die Schließung abschreiben.

Stattdessen will Ventro in Zukunft in Konkurrenz zu Ariba und Commerce One nur mehr Software und Dienstleistungen für fremde Marktplätze anbieten. Der Aktienkurs von Ventro hat die branchenübliche Achterbahnfahrt hinter sich: Von einem Ausgabekurs bei 15 $ im Sommer 1999 über das Jahreshoch von 243,50 $ im Frühjahr bis hin zu einem Preis von 1,80 $, zu dem die Aktie am Dienstag an der Nasdaq gehandelt wurde.

Nach der Analyse von Ariba ist Chemdex an einem zu geringen Umsatz gescheitert - eine Folge des aussichtslosen Wettlaufs mit anderen Marktplätzen, die von Unternehmen aus der Biotechnologie-Branche unterstützt wurden.


© 2000 Financial Times Deutschland

[CooolBoy]

@Joshua

zu Deiner Frage hinsichtlich der CMRC-Beteiligungen "Ob das so gut durchdacht war?" darf ich an die SAP-Kooperation erinnern.

Als diese im Juni publik wurde, waren hier im Board zumeist sehr negative Kommentare zu lesen.

Dasselbe zuvor bei dem Appnet-Deal.

Ich vertraue dem Visionär Mark Hoffman, dass er - wie mit den beiden zuvor genannten Deals - nunmehr einen weiteren ausserordentlich sinnvollen strategischen Schachzug gemacht hat, dessen positive Auswirkungen für einen Outsider wie mich heute noch gar nicht erkannt wird.

CooolBoy

[CrazyBroker]

Besser kann man doch seine Kunden garnicht an sich binden!

Was mich nur stört ist die kleine Beteiligung von c1 an covisint von lediglich 2%.
Das sind ja nur 1/50 der Transaktionsgebühren.
Bisher bin ich immer von einer 5% Beteiligung aus gegangen.

Bye Hansi

[isaaacc]

COMMERCE ONE (NASDAQ: CMRC)
Commerce One and Covisint: Is This the Moment We’ve Been Waiting For?



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Company Description: Commerce One is a provider of business-to-business E-commerce solutions that link buyers and suppliers of goods and services into trading communities over the Internet. The Company was founded in 1994 under the name DistriVision Development Corporation, which was changed to Commerce One in 1997. Headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, Commerce One’s products include the Commerce One BuySite E-procurement application and the Commerce One MarketSite Solution, the technology that allows Internet market makers to build open marketplaces and link them to Commerce One’s Global Trading Web. Commerce One’s B2B E-commerce and E-procurement solutions help users facilitate trade over the Internet, consolidate procurement cycles, shorten response times and reduce costs. The Company has sales offices around the globe and currently has over 3,000 employees. The Company’s website is www.commerceone.com.

Investment Conclusion
We are reiterating our Strong Buy recommendation and maintaining our $150 12-month price target. On December 8, 2000, Covisint became incorporated, allowing the automotive e-marketplace to recognize revenues following months of regulatory delays. Yesterday, December 12, 2000, Covisint issued a press release and held a subsequent press conference, which announced Commerce One as its E-procurement technology vendor. We view these two developments as a positive for Commerce One, which will not only gain revenues from the licensing of its E-procurement product suite, but has also entered into a revenue sharing agreement with Covisint. Highlights include the following:

Covisint will license numerous products from Commerce One, including Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition and MarketSite. In addition, Commerce One has a revenue sharing agreement and based on previous CMRC guidance, we believe should be 5%-10% of the total gross revenues.

To date, Covisint is up and running and has conducted auctions for over $300 million worth of goods. However, questions still remain. Covisint has yet to reveal its business model as well as give any guidance as to the amount of revenues that Covisint could generate. In addition, Covisint is operating without the benefit of a full time CEO and permanent headquarters.

Recurring revenues generated as a result of a revenue sharing agreement with Covisint, should help investors gain more confidence in the long-term sustainability of CMRC’s business model.

The Deal
On December 12, 2000, Covisint announced that it selected Commerce One as its exclusive E-procurement provider. Since Oracle and Commerce One were both brought to the table at the beginning of CY2000, investors had wondered the technology roles of each company.

The following points highlight the announcement:

Commerce One, upon shareholder approval, will restructure itself into a holding company. Upon approval of the restructuring, all of CMRC’s shares of common stock will convert into shares of the holding company on a one for one basis.

Commerce One will issue 14.4 million shares to both Ford and General Motors. Half of each allotment will be held in escrow and can be released December 2002 upon the satisfaction of undisclosed conditions. Otherwise, the shares will not be released until June 2004.

Commerce One will receive a 2% equity stake in Covsint.

Covisint will license numerous products from Commerce One, including Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition and MarketSite. In addition, Commerce One has a revenue sharing agreement and based on previous CMRC guidance, we believe should be 5%-10% of the total gross revenues.

Where is Covisint Now?
To date, Covisint is up and running and has conducted auctions for over $300 million worth of goods. However, questions still remain. Covisint has yet to reveal its business model as well as give any guidance as to the amount of revenues that Covisint could generate. In addition, Covisint is operating without the benefit of a full time CEO and permanent headquarters. During the press conference, Covisint management expressed their desire to hire a full time CEO by Christmas and stated that it is currently interviewing several candidates. However, previous promises regarding the emergence of a CEO have gone unfulfilled.

One of the last pieces of the Covisint puzzle is who will be selected as the supply chain management technology vendor. We believe the Commerce One/Sap alliance is currently competing for this business and we would not be surprised if i2 Technologies is competing for this business as well.

Commerce One vs. Oracle
The selection of Commerce One as the major provider for e-procurement software also brings into light the rivalry between Oracle and Commerce One. Covisint chose Commerce One to power their e-procurement platform over Oracle, emphasizing Commerce One’s role as a dominant e-procurement player. Though not at the forefront of the system, Oracle will still be heavily involved with Covisint as a major integrator of back end systems including its core database and e-business suite of applications.

Covisint and CMRC: Long Awaited Results
Supporters of Commerce One have long been in the waiting for signs of life from Covisint. Ever since the idea was proposed as a follow up to GM’s trade-exchange in December of 1999, regulatory matters kept the Covisint vision from becoming a reality. Previous skepticism existed concerning whether large corporations would ever be able to team up in order to buy and sell goods over the Internet, however the emergence of Covisint provides some evidence that the model is closer to becoming a reality.

Conclusion
The recent press releases regarding the incorporation of Covisint, as well as Commerce One’s role as the main e-procurement vendor for the exchange demonstrate that Commerce One is a major player in the e-procurement market. Furthermore, recurring revenues generated as a result of revenue sharing with Covisint should help investors gain more confidence in the sustainability of CMRC’s business model.

CMRC vs. ARBA: The Battle Continues
Commerce One is currently trading at 9.5x our FY01 revenue estimate, while competitor Ariba is trading at 24.0x our FY01 revenue estimate. Shares of both companies have been hit hard since our country’s infamous election day; Commerce One is down approximately 43% and Ariba has lost 40% of its value. However, since we questioned the valuation discrepancy between Ariba and Commerce One on August 17, 2000, Ariba has fallen roughly 43% while Commerce One has dropped approximately 17%. The valuation gap between Ariba and Commerce One has narrowed slightly since August 17, 2000. In August, Ariba was trading, at a revenue multiple on FY01E that was 2.95x higher than CMRC and this gap has now narrowed to 2.52x, based on yesterday’s close. We continue to believe CommerceOne will close the valuation gap between itself and Ariba as investor’s continue to gain confidence in and further understand Commerce One’s business model. We are reiterating our Strong Buy recommendation and maintaining our $150 price target.

Additional information on these securities and companies is available upon request.

The following companies are mentioned in this report: Covisint (Privately Held), Ford (NYSE: F – no rating - $23 5/8), General Motors (NYSE: GM – no rating – $51 3/4), Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL – no rating - $30 3/4), Daimler Chrysler (NYSE: DCX – no rating -$44.95), i2 Technologies (NASDAQ: ITWO – Buy - $61 ½), SAP (NYSE ADR: SAP – no rating - $39 13/16) and Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA – Buy - $76 11/16).

This report has been prepared as a matter of general information, it is not intended to be a complete description of any security or company mentioned, and is not an offer to buy or sell any security. All facts and statistics are from sources believed reliable, but are not guaranteed to be accurate. The firm, its directors and employees and clients maintains a position in these securities and may at any time have a position in other securities mentioned in this report, which may increase or decrease over time. Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd. may have participated in the underwriting of this company’s securities in the past three years or more. Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd. makes a market in shares of Commerce One stock. Since registered representatives make individual investment recommendations in the accounts under their supervision, transactions may be effected which are inconsistent with research reports. Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd., member SIPC. This research report may not be issued or passed on to any person in the United Kingdom unless that person is of a kind described in Article 11(3) of the Financial Services Act of 1986 (Investment Advertisements) (Exemptions) or is a person to whom this document may otherwise lawfully be issued or passed on.


quelle:
http://www.cnetinvestor.com/yahoonews/newsitem-yahoo.asp?SYM…

[DimStar]

ich möchte nochmal eine eigene meinung diesem thread beisteuern, weil dieser punkt mir wichtig erscheint. Zitat Wit SV bei ihrem downgrade vom 27.11.00:

...

Vertical marketplaces will become non-profit cooperatives supported by industry participants – The primary
vertical marketplaces such as Covisint (automotive) and Transora (CPG) are those supported by a consortium of
major industry players. This was a strategic move by industry participants to maintain control of their industry and
its particular processes while at the same time eliminating the opportunity for a third party to control the
marketplace and be able to extract large profits from the users. We believe that this threat of outside control that
stimulated such rapid partnering between bitter rivals to create such marketplaces. The consortiums want to
leverage the marketplaces to lower their transaction costs and increase efficiencies so it is counterintuitive that they would want a highly profitable marketplace. Instead, they want a non-profit coop that facilitates their transactions
and processes at the lowest possible cost. As a result, we believe few if any of the large vertical marketplaces are
likely to be candidates for IPO’s or even lucrative cash flow vehicles.

...

Über die Höhe der Einnahmemöglichkeiten einer Einkaufsplattform wie Covisint wurde ja auch hier zuletzt häufig spekuliert. Wit Soundview z.B. sagt, daß z.b. Covisint geschaffen wurde, um Produktions-, Prozess- und Lagerkosten u.a. möglichst schnell und möglichst ohne Gegenleistung an einen intermediary einzusparen. Das ist mit Sicherheit so, doch die Annahme, daß es unprofitable Marktplätze sein werden und dies unsere B2B-Aktien negativ betreffen würde, geht mir zu weit. Ariba und C1 gehen ja bekanntlich Umsatzbeteiligungen ein und sind daher weniger von einer fehlenden Profitabilität betroffen. Doch auch diese Annahme macht keinen Sinn, da den großen Herstellern wie GM oder Coca Cola ja die Plattformen gehören und somit alle entstehenden Gewinne wieder zurückfließen. Während eine Plattform wie FreeMarkets mit Sicherheit über kurz oder lang den Preisdruck großer Kunden zu spüren bekommen hätte, wird dies aus diesem Grund bei den industrie-geführten Mega Exchanges nicht so sein. Kommt ein IPO und was dann ? Der Erfolg einer Mega Exchange ist davon nicht unmittelbar abhängig. Die Grundlage der Gewinnabführung an die Großunternehmen verschmälert sich in diesem Falle zwar, doch erstens glaube ich, daß sie die Mehrheit behalten werden und zweitens erhalten die Großen bei guten Analystenprognosen nach Vorlage eines businessplans nicht unwesentliche Cash-Infusionen durch ein IPO. Das Fazit lautet für mich daher, daß Mega Exchanges wie Transora oder Covisint vom theoretischen Modell her die profitabelsten, meistbenutztesten, liquidesten und daher erfolgreichsten Plattformen im B2B-Bereich überhaupt darstellen müssen und ein Technologieprovider keine besseren Kunden gewinnen kann. Die Kunden werden von den Technologielieferanten immer wieder wg. des geschäftskritischen Charakters Verbesserungen und updates fordern und vernachlässigen den dafür zu zahlenden Preis nicht nur deshalb, weil die Kosteneinsparungen demgegenüber ein Vielfaches betragen. Ariba und C1 werden nun mit der Zeit mit Sicherheit nicht alle Lösungen allein liefern können, doch angesichts von z.b. 4000 Mitarbeitern bei C1 glaube ich schon, daß es diese sein werden, die Standards und Innovationen in diesem Bereich setzen werden.

[buckweiser]

[isaaacc]

Oracle Firms Covisint Deal
by Alicia Neumann, Line56
Wednesday, December 13, 2000


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Oracle Corp., an e-business software provider, today announced a licensing agreement with Covisint, an e-business exchange for the automotive industry. Covisint serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers, trying to allow them to drive costs from their respective supply chains and bring efficiencies to their business operations. According to the agreement, Oracle will provide the software necessary to support and manage Covisint’s infrastructure.
Several roles are being hammered out between at least five large technology providers to Covisint. Just yesterday, Covisint announced that Commerce One will provide Covisint’s procurement software. Commerce One is a partner of SAP, Oracle’s biggest competitor. Dan Jankowski, Covisint spokesperson, says that Covisint’s relationship with Commerce One is independent of SAP, and that Oracle and Commerce One have established a structure to support each other.

Jankowski says that Oracle will provide server warehousing, data mining and other infrastructure services, while customers will transact business via Commerce One. “We have to use the best of breed for our functionality needs,” he says. “Commerce One will provide the procurement elements and Oracle the infrastructure of Covisint itself. Covisint will not use Oracle’s procurement software.”

Stephanie Hess, Oracle spokesperson, says that procurement isn’t everything and Commerce One applications will essentially serve as a portal on Oracle’s Covisint grid, thanks to NexPrise, another e-business software provider that will provide a plug-in for customer collaboration. “We’re the foundation,” Hess says. “Covisint is not a Commerce One shop. Covisint is an Oracle shop.”

Covisint was founded by DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford and General Motors, and later joined by Nissan and Renault. Jankowski says that “Ford brought Oracle, and GM brought CommerceOne into the fold, and the exchange has been working with both players since February 2000.“

According to the agreement with Oracle, Covisint will implement the Oracle E-Business Suite, which includes HR, marketing, sales and service functionality; Oracle Exchange Marketplace which provides security, collaboration and registration; Oracle technology platform, which includes the Oracle database and application server; and Oracle Internet Developer Suite.

As part of the agreement, Oracle receives an equity position in Covisint, LLC. Oracle’s Hess says that details are not being disclosed, but the position is on par with CommerceOne’s position. Oracle reports that they will recognize the transaction as revenue in Oracle`s fiscal third quarter, which closes on February 28, 2001.
q: line56
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Sands Brothers Cover CMRC
By: Sands Brother
12/13/00 9:34:20 AM

Investment Research:
Visit the CNET Brokerage Center for daily reports from the top Wall Street analysts.

COMMERCE ONE (NASDAQ: CMRC)
Commerce One and Covisint: Is This the Moment We’ve Been Waiting For?



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Company Description: Commerce One is a provider of business-to-business E-commerce solutions that link buyers and suppliers of goods and services into trading communities over the Internet. The Company was founded in 1994 under the name DistriVision Development Corporation, which was changed to Commerce One in 1997. Headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, Commerce One’s products include the Commerce One BuySite E-procurement application and the Commerce One MarketSite Solution, the technology that allows Internet market makers to build open marketplaces and link them to Commerce One’s Global Trading Web. Commerce One’s B2B E-commerce and E-procurement solutions help users facilitate trade over the Internet, consolidate procurement cycles, shorten response times and reduce costs. The Company has sales offices around the globe and currently has over 3,000 employees. The Company’s website is www.commerceone.com.

Investment Conclusion
We are reiterating our Strong Buy recommendation and maintaining our $150 12-month price target. On December 8, 2000, Covisint became incorporated, allowing the automotive e-marketplace to recognize revenues following months of regulatory delays. Yesterday, December 12, 2000, Covisint issued a press release and held a subsequent press conference, which announced Commerce One as its E-procurement technology vendor. We view these two developments as a positive for Commerce One, which will not only gain revenues from the licensing of its E-procurement product suite, but has also entered into a revenue sharing agreement with Covisint. Highlights include the following:

Covisint will license numerous products from Commerce One, including Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition and MarketSite. In addition, Commerce One has a revenue sharing agreement and based on previous CMRC guidance, we believe should be 5%-10% of the total gross revenues.

To date, Covisint is up and running and has conducted auctions for over $300 million worth of goods. However, questions still remain. Covisint has yet to reveal its business model as well as give any guidance as to the amount of revenues that Covisint could generate. In addition, Covisint is operating without the benefit of a full time CEO and permanent headquarters.

Recurring revenues generated as a result of a revenue sharing agreement with Covisint, should help investors gain more confidence in the long-term sustainability of CMRC’s business model.

The Deal
On December 12, 2000, Covisint announced that it selected Commerce One as its exclusive E-procurement provider. Since Oracle and Commerce One were both brought to the table at the beginning of CY2000, investors had wondered the technology roles of each company.

The following points highlight the announcement:

Commerce One, upon shareholder approval, will restructure itself into a holding company. Upon approval of the restructuring, all of CMRC’s shares of common stock will convert into shares of the holding company on a one for one basis.

Commerce One will issue 14.4 million shares to both Ford and General Motors. Half of each allotment will be held in escrow and can be released December 2002 upon the satisfaction of undisclosed conditions. Otherwise, the shares will not be released until June 2004.

Commerce One will receive a 2% equity stake in Covsint.

Covisint will license numerous products from Commerce One, including Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition and MarketSite. In addition, Commerce One has a revenue sharing agreement and based on previous CMRC guidance, we believe should be 5%-10% of the total gross revenues.

Where is Covisint Now?
To date, Covisint is up and running and has conducted auctions for over $300 million worth of goods. However, questions still remain. Covisint has yet to reveal its business model as well as give any guidance as to the amount of revenues that Covisint could generate. In addition, Covisint is operating without the benefit of a full time CEO and permanent headquarters. During the press conference, Covisint management expressed their desire to hire a full time CEO by Christmas and stated that it is currently interviewing several candidates. However, previous promises regarding the emergence of a CEO have gone unfulfilled.

One of the last pieces of the Covisint puzzle is who will be selected as the supply chain management technology vendor. We believe the Commerce One/Sap alliance is currently competing for this business and we would not be surprised if i2 Technologies is competing for this business as well.

Commerce One vs. Oracle
The selection of Commerce One as the major provider for e-procurement software also brings into light the rivalry between Oracle and Commerce One. Covisint chose Commerce One to power their e-procurement platform over Oracle, emphasizing Commerce One’s role as a dominant e-procurement player. Though not at the forefront of the system, Oracle will still be heavily involved with Covisint as a major integrator of back end systems including its core database and e-business suite of applications.

Covisint and CMRC: Long Awaited Results
Supporters of Commerce One have long been in the waiting for signs of life from Covisint. Ever since the idea was proposed as a follow up to GM’s trade-exchange in December of 1999, regulatory matters kept the Covisint vision from becoming a reality. Previous skepticism existed concerning whether large corporations would ever be able to team up in order to buy and sell goods over the Internet, however the emergence of Covisint provides some evidence that the model is closer to becoming a reality.

Conclusion
The recent press releases regarding the incorporation of Covisint, as well as Commerce One’s role as the main e-procurement vendor for the exchange demonstrate that Commerce One is a major player in the e-procurement market. Furthermore, recurring revenues generated as a result of revenue sharing with Covisint should help investors gain more confidence in the sustainability of CMRC’s business model.

CMRC vs. ARBA: The Battle Continues
Commerce One is currently trading at 9.5x our FY01 revenue estimate, while competitor Ariba is trading at 24.0x our FY01 revenue estimate. Shares of both companies have been hit hard since our country’s infamous election day; Commerce One is down approximately 43% and Ariba has lost 40% of its value. However, since we questioned the valuation discrepancy between Ariba and Commerce One on August 17, 2000, Ariba has fallen roughly 43% while Commerce One has dropped approximately 17%. The valuation gap between Ariba and Commerce One has narrowed slightly since August 17, 2000. In August, Ariba was trading, at a revenue multiple on FY01E that was 2.95x higher than CMRC and this gap has now narrowed to 2.52x, based on yesterday’s close. We continue to believe CommerceOne will close the valuation gap between itself and Ariba as investor’s continue to gain confidence in and further understand Commerce One’s business model. We are reiterating our Strong Buy recommendation and maintaining our $150 price target.

Additional information on these securities and companies is available upon request.

The following companies are mentioned in this report: Covisint (Privately Held), Ford (NYSE: F – no rating - $23 5/8), General Motors (NYSE: GM – no rating – $51 3/4), Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL – no rating - $30 3/4), Daimler Chrysler (NYSE: DCX – no rating -$44.95), i2 Technologies (NASDAQ: ITWO – Buy - $61 ½), SAP (NYSE ADR: SAP – no rating - $39 13/16) and Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA – Buy - $76 11/16).

This report has been prepared as a matter of general information, it is not intended to be a complete description of any security or company mentioned, and is not an offer to buy or sell any security. All facts and statistics are from sources believed reliable, but are not guaranteed to be accurate. The firm, its directors and employees and clients maintains a position in these securities and may at any time have a position in other securities mentioned in this report, which may increase or decrease over time. Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd. may have participated in the underwriting of this company’s securities in the past three years or more. Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd. makes a market in shares of Commerce One stock. Since registered representatives make individual investment recommendations in the accounts under their supervision, transactions may be effected which are inconsistent with research reports. Sands Brothers & Co., Ltd., member SIPC. This research report may not be issued or passed on to any person in the United Kingdom unless that person is of a kind described in Article 11(3) of the Financial Services Act of 1986 (Investment Advertisements) (Exemptions) or is a person to whom this document may otherwise lawfully be issued or passed on.

q:http://www.cnetinvestor.com/yahoonews/newsitem-yahoo.asp?SYM…

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von der oracle-site:

Covisint and Oracle Ink Landmark B2B Agreement
Oracle to Provide B2B Software for Covisint`s Marketplace


Covisint to Manage Internal Operations using Oracle(R) E-Business Suite
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. and DETROIT, Mich., Dec. 13, 2000 - (http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?524708) Oracle Corp., the largest provider of software for e-business, today announced that Covisint and Oracle have finalized a strategic technology and licensing agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Oracle will provide Covisint with the business-to-business (B2B) software necessary to support and manage the company`s B2B activities. Covisint will implement the Oracle(R) E-Business Suite, Oracle Exchange Marketplace, Oracle technology platform (including the Oracle database and application server) and Oracle Internet Developer Suite, following Oracle`s vision of building a complete B2B `e-hub` infrastructure. As part of the agreement, Oracle receives an equity position in Covisint, LLC. This transaction was closed in early December and will be recognized as revenue in Oracle`s fiscal third quarter, which closes on February 28, 2001.

Through the licensing agreement with Oracle, Covisint will have the applications and technology necessary to provide what is expected to be the premier B2B exchange for the automotive industry and one of the leading exchanges on the Internet. With today`s announcement, Oracle and Covisint are pushing the threshold of B2B commerce beyond the basic functions of auctioning to a comprehensive framework for business to business collaboration, transactions, communications and e-business intelligence. Notably, the Oracle Exchange Marketplace will provide critical functionality to Covisint`s marketplace, such as security, single sign-on capabilities, registration and pricing. Covisint will leverage the embedded security features of Oracle Exchange Marketplace to ensure secure transactions and collaboration for the entire exchange.

Covisint Standardizes on the Oracle E-Business Suite
In addition to implementing the Oracle Exchange Marketplace, Covisint has licensed and standardized on the Oracle E-Business Suite to run all internal business operations.

"Oracle`s comprehensive range of products and technology for business to business commerce on the web will be a key asset to Covisint," said Rico Digirolamo, acting CEO, Covisint. "We`re delighted to have Oracle as a key partner for this exciting venture which promises to raise the bar for how Internet commerce will be conducted."

"Covisint is one of the leaders in shaping the future of how business will be done on the Internet," said Sandy Sanderson, executive vice president, Oracle Corp. "After their extensive evaluation of the applications and technology available, we`re pleased that Covisint has chosen Oracle. We look forward to building on this license agreement with future opportunities for Oracle applications and technologies at Covisint."

The more than 55 Oracle products that Covisint has licensed to make this possible include:

Oracle E-Business Suite
Call Center
Financials
Human Resources
Marketing
Order Management
Procurement
Projects
Sales
Service


Oracle Exchange Marketplace

Oracle Application Server
Oracle 9i Application Server

Oracle Application Development Tools
Oracle Internet Developer Suite
Oracle Discoverer
SQL*Plus

Oracle Database and Options

Oracle 8i Database
· Advanced Security
· Change Management Pack
· Diagnostic Management Pack
· Parallel Server
· Partitioning
· Spatial
Oracle Internet Directory
Oracle Message Broker

Oracle e-Business Intelligence
Oracle Express Server
Oracle Warehouse Builder
Oracle Data Mining

About Covisint
Covisint, LLC is an e-business exchange announced by DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford and General Motors, and joined by Nissan and Renault, to meet the needs of the automotive industry. Covisint will provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers the ability to drive costs from their respective supply chains and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Covisint`s temporary headquarters are located in Southfield, Michigan. The organization expects to establish offices in Europe and Asia. For more information about Covisint, go to our website at www.covisint.com.

About Oracle
Oracle Corporation provides the software that powers the Internet.
For more information about Oracle, please call 650/506-7000.

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FTCs Give CoBAMS Room to Run, And Some Are Running, But Where They Will End Up Is Still A Question top


The B2B industry consortia, or CoBAMS as we like to call them (Consortia of Brick-And-Mortars) have passed through a few stages of evolution. First they launched their press releases and seemed to pose significant competitive threats for dot-com marketplaces and various B2B solutions providers. Then confidence in their ability to execute began to wane. While many of the press releases have faded in the distance, more recently a few consortia have shown some initiative and progress that might suggest some staying power. For example, the Covisint, the auto exchange signed a definitive agreement this week with Commerce One this week.

Covisint was the first major CoBAM to come on the scene and begin making a lot of noise. Suppliers, rival automakers, and competing technology companies were nervous and began quietly raising concerns over the potential antitrust effects such a marketplace could pose. Many suspected that the FTC would then come in and save the day, given the potential for anticompetitive behavior. Such a scenario never developed as the FTC gave Covisint its blessing on September 11, 2000, which was then followed by approval from the German Bundeskartellamt on September 26, 2000. While this approval was hedged with clauses indicating potential for further rulings depending on what the CoBAMS actually grow up to be. In any case, it would appear that in some form at least a few CoBAMS will survive and at least in the case of Covisint pose no immediate antitrust threat. Going forward, it will be important to understand what the FTC`s concerns are regarded B2B marketplaces.

At a recent conference, Thomas B. Leary (one of the five FTC commissioners) shared his views on antitrust in B2B marketplaces. In his remarks, he stated how the FTC does not view B2B marketplaces such as Covisint as the source of potential antitrust problems. He was very positive about the potential for efficiencies to be created by these B2B exchanges operating as technology enabled communication hubs. The FTC`s antitrust concerns are not with the hub, but more with how corporations (especially those that create exchanges) can potentially use that medium to collude, exclude, or exclusively lock partners into the exchange.

Collusion is a key concern as a B2B marketplace will, in many cases, transparently display price and terms as products are bought and sold in auction (or another) format. Similar to public project bidding were standard terms are disclosed suppliers have more information than they normally would and could potentially use that information to collude. Exclusion becomes an issue if a B2B marketplace becomes the standard in the industry and not having access to it puts competition at a disadvantage. A bridge built in the 1800s by a few industry participants that becomes the only way to cross the river puts competition at a disadvantage and violates antitrust law if others are excluded from using it. Along the lines of exclusivity, antitrust law is violated if partners are walled in and are forced to only deal inside the exchange. The FTC`s view is that if these three antitrust violations are not imminent, it is all systems go for B2B marketplaces.

Covisint took steps early on to address these issues and others as it was clear antitrust would be a concern. It will be important for other CoBAMs in planning to do the same. The FTC is not likely to investigate every CoBAM with a fine-tooth comb as it has with Covisint, but if members, nonmembers, or rival exchanges raise antitrust issues, state regulators and potentially the FTC are sure to take a more active role. From a regulatory standpoint, the CoBAMS are clearly going to get their day in the marketplace to prove what they can do. Whether or not they can execute and deliver on the lofty value propositions of their seminal press releases is far from certain. If they do, in fact, deliver on their promise, the next question is in what form will they do so -- private cooperative or public company. While not nearly as compelling as our recent election, the drama around the CoBAMS will certainly hold the interest of many observers for some time to come -- in particular the FTC.

The B2B Analyst by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray - Volume 1, Number 47

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4 neue newslinks auf der covisnt seite!

------Commerce One takes equity stake in Covisint


RALPH KISIEL
Automotive News

Commerce One Inc. has finalized an agreement with Covisint that gives the technology provider a 2 percent equity stake in the online automotive e-marketplace.

Index of Covisint stories



The agreement positions Commerce One, of Pleasanton, Calif., as Covisint`s leading technology provider. The company will get an undisclosed share of revenues generated by Covisint during the next 10 years. It also will receive cash for consulting services it provides.

"The revenue sharing applies to all gross revenues generated from Covisint regardless of the category," said Robert Tarkoff, senior vice president of worldwide business development at Commerce One. He would not divulge the percentage of revenues but said it was in line with other exchange deals it has made.

As part of the deal, both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors each get 14.4 million Commerce One shares valued at about $630 million apiece. That represents a 14 percent stake in the technology provider.

But these are not new shares. Rather, they are a reallocation of shares originally going to GM, Tarkoff said.

GM and Commerce One last year jointly developed the GM TradeXchange, before GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler agreed to jointly develop Covisint. As part of that deal, GM was to receive about 28 million Commerce One shares, Tarkoff said.

The Commerce One deal comes four days after Covisint became a legal entity. Covisint began operating Friday, Dec. 8 as a limited liability corporation.

Covisint has licensed and is using MarketSite, Commerce One`s e-marketplace infrastructure, for buying goods and services, including indirect and direct materials.

Covisint has licensed and his hosting the Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition, Commerce One`s e-procurement application for use by the automakers and suppliers who use the trade exchange. Covisint also will use Commerce One`s auction and catalog content software.

Since going live in October, more than $1.5 billion worth of transactions have gone through Covisint, said Charles Donchess, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Commerce One.

Under terms of the agreement, half of each of Ford`s and GM`s shares will be held in escrow and will be released to Ford and GM in December 2002.


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aus dem artikel geht hervor, dass c1 auch schon an den umsaetzen ueber tradexchange beteiligt war, wobei ich nicht sicher war. fuer mich also eine sehr gute nachricht!
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Commerce One Finalizes Covisint Stake
by Michelle Dennehy
December 12, 2000, 3 p.m. PT

Commerce One finalized its stake in Big Three automaker exchange Covisint today, announcing it would receive a 2 percent equity stake, licensing fees, and a portion of revenue for ten years in return for providing most of the exchange`s technology infrastructure.

Accompanying the announcement was news that the business-to-business technology provider would issue 14.4 million shares of its common stock to Covisint founders Ford and General Motors, for a total of 28.8 million shares estimated to be worth $126 billion.

A Commerce One spokeswoman declined to break down licensing fees or the B2B company`s revenue share in the exchange, which was finally legally incorporated last week.

Oracle is also a technology partner of Covisint, which was founded by Ford, GM, and Chrysler. But only Commerce One is receiving a share of the exchange`s revenues.

Covisint is using Commerce One`s MarketSite technology, an e-marketplace infrastructure solution, as its procurement transaction engine for the trading of goods at the exchange.

Covisint also has licensed Commerce One`s Enterprise Buyer Desktop, an e-procurement application, as well as its auction and catalog content solutions.

Finally, the exchange will use Commerce One`s strategic and technical consulting services.
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nach dem artikel kann ich zum teil geäusserte bedenken, c1 werde nur eine umsatzbeteiligung in relation zu seinen equity stake bekommen, nicht teilen. angesichts der grossen anzahl an aktien, die an gm und ford gehen, erscheinen mir beteiligungen zwischen 5 und 10 prozent, wie in anderen artikeln angenommen, nicht uebertrieben!
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Covisint becomes corporation

Online parts exchange defies doubters in Europe
December 12, 2000

















BY JEFF BENNETT
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER



Covisint, the online auto parts and information exchange, began operating as a limited liability corporation Monday despite overseas reports that the exchange would be delayed until 2002.


Before Monday, Covisint operated on a limited basis and was a pilot project free to participating suppliers.


Now parts makers must pay fees to sell their products through the exchange, said Covisint Chief Financial Officer Rico DiGirolamo. Fees for suppliers and the partners` equity stakes weren`t disclosed.


General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Co. announced plans for the exchange in February. They said it would lower supply costs and reduce the time needed to design new components. Other partners include Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. and software companies Oracle and Commerce One.


Hours before Monday`s announcement, German weekly magazine Net-Business reported that Covisint would be delayed until 2002 due to technical problems, a lack of experienced personnel and questions about its ability to lower production costs.


Covisint spokesman Dan Jankowski denied the report. "I don`t know where they are getting that information," he said. "I don`t agree with it whatsoever. We are conducting business right now."


Jankowski said the next step is to begin offering jobs to the 300 people who have been on loan from the automakers.


Thilo Koslowski, a senior analyst of electronic business and automotive for Gartner Group, said Covisint must now "significantly ramp up business during the next year."


"We need to see some big Tier 1 automotive suppliers really integrate Covisint as a procurement tool," Koslowski said. "We need to hear some success stories next year."


Covisint said it has more than 250 customers on two continents engaged in activities on the exchange that include auctions, quote management and collaborative design. Right now product and services are focused on procurement, the supply chain and product development.


For the exchange to be successful, Koslowski said, such companies as Lear Corp. would have to channel a significant amount of their business through Covisint.


Meanwhile, the exchange still is without a chief executive officer and a permanent home. An announcement had been expected by the end of October.


Industry analysts said they wouldn`t be surprised if it`s delayed until next year. A management team with representatives from Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler is operating the company now.


Koslowski said the exchange can survive without a leader for awhile but it must decide within four months about where it should be based.


Covisint`s business filing was approved in Delaware. Jankowski said that doesn`t mean the company has any plans to move its headquarters from Southfield to Deleware.
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den artikel mag ich besonders: zum einen wegen der ohrfeige fuer netbusiness, zum anderen weil er die probleme offen anspricht!

----------------

Oracle to Get Stake in Auto Parts Exchange


Bloomberg News




Oracle Corp. said it will get 2% of Covisint, an online exchange for auto parts suppliers, as part of an agreement to provide software. Oracle`s stake in Covisint matches the interest the exchange gave to Commerce One Inc., another software maker. The agreements with Oracle, the world`s No. 2 software maker, and Commerce One appear to settle some competition between the two companies to sell software to Covisint. Commerce One had been working with General Motors Corp., and Oracle with Ford Motor Co., before the auto makers decided to create Covisint with DaimlerChrysler and others. Commerce One said it will get both a portion of the fees charged to suppliers who use the site and licensing fees for its software. Oracle, which originally sought transaction revenue from Ford, decided to seek only licensing fees from Covisint. Shares of Redwood City, Calif.-based Oracle fell $2.38 to close at $28.38, and shares of Pleasanton, Calif.-based Commerce One fell $2.50 to close at $37.88, both on Nasdaq.

-----------------
auch das ist positiv fuer c1: oracle erhaelt keine umsatzbeteiligung! zwar wird dadurch de kuchen fuer c1 nicht groesser, und oracle haette bestimmt nicht auf einen anteil am umsatz verzichtet, wenn er bombastisch waere.
andererseits muss c1 insoweit nicht teilen! die gegenbeteiligung von gm/ford an c1 wuerde eine bevorzugung rechtfertigen!
ausserdem gefaellt mir, dass c1 als in realation zu oracle kleine klitsche gleiche, wenn nicht bessere bedingungen ausgehandelt hat.
aber bis uns jmd die endgueltigen details offenlegt, und sei es in form von rueckrechenbaren quartalszahlen, koennen wir weiter spekulieren.
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schoenes wochenende!
alle links unter www.covisint.com

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Trading Big Stakes at Covisint
By Tim Clark and Jenna Pelaez

General Motors and Ford, through the Covisint auto manufacturing marketplace they own with Daimler Chrysler, said Tuesday they will own a $1 billion stake in Commerce One, one of the key technology providers for the marketplace. The equity deal (each automaker gets 14.4 million CommerceOne shares) follows a GM investment in Commerce One approximately one year ago. CommerceOne also will get a 2 percent stake in Covisint as part of the deal.

B-to-b tech vendors like CommerceOne commonly take equity in marketplaces they power, so the structure of the deal is no surprise: software license fees, consulting payments, a percentage of transaction revenue and equity. The dollar value is huge, however. The deal clearly signals that CommerceOne, not Oracle, is Covisint`s key technology partner. In a dig at Oracle, c1 noted: "Commerce One is the only technology partner with revenue share in Covisint." Oracle did a me-too announcement today in an effort to play PR catch-up to C1, with Larry Ellison`s gang getting software license fees and an equity piece of Covisint-no terms disclosed.

But the equity swapping was not the biggest news from Covisint. Included in Tuesday`s press release was news that more than $1.5 billion in transactions have passed through the Big 3 automakers marketplace to day. That`s more than 30 times the third quarter revenue of Onvia, a small-business Net Market that topped the GZ 25, a list of the largest Net Markets based on third quarter revenues. (See http://www.nmm.com/kb/topnmms/index.asp)
Covisint and its consortia brethren are decidedly not the "paper tigers" that many thought them to be in the spring. http://nmm.com/archives/weeklynews/121300specialnmmw.asp

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Covisint Chooses Documentum
by Demir Barlas, Line56.com
Wednesday, December 20, 2000


Email this article...

Print this article...


Automotive e-marketplace Covisint has chosen content management specialist Documentum to create customer branded extranets (CBEs) for Covisint customers. Covisint will also use Documentum to separate its own content repository from those used by its customers.
Covisint will deploy Documentum’s 4i Business Platform with the help of Documentum systems integrator PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mark Baughman of Covisint said that the marketplace anticipates serving thousands of customers, each with their own branding concerns and content management needs, and that Documentum 4i met Covisint’s stringent requirements for a content management platform.

Documentum COO Dave De Walt said that the Covisint deal would establish Documentum at the forefront of content management pure-plays. Documentum VP Whitney Tidmarsh emphasized the company’s proposition, saying ‘’As traditional corporations become e-businesses, they must adopt a strategy based on constant delivery of … content. We`re already seeing a content business model emerge, in which preparation, approval, and release of content for publication must be as predictable and controllable as any manufacturing process."

Forrester Research’s current eBusiness TechRankings place Documentum second among a field of twelve content management vendors. The report stated: ‘’Documentum`s experience helps it earn the highest marks in content management capabilities, like repository management and workflow. Its partnerships with third-party app servers and Web tools allows it to excel in personalization and content creation as well."
quelle: line56

[DimStar]

Thursday December 21, 3:00 pm Eastern Time
Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda to join Covisint - paper
NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Four major Japanese auto makers, Toyota Motor , Honda Motor , Mitsubishi Motors and Mazda Motor , plan to join a global Internet marketplace for parts procurement early next year, Japanese financial daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.

According to the paper`s Friday electronic edition, monitored in New York on Thursday, Toyota affiliate parts manufacturer Denso also plans to participate in Covisint, the business-to-business online exchange which was launched last week by Nissan , Ford Motor (NYSE:F - news), General Motors (NYSE:GM - news), Renault SA and DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX - news).

The firms aims to reduce parts procurement costs significantly by purchasing from manufacturers world wide online, switching from the traditional way of purchasing among affiliates, the paper added.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/001221/n21569398_2.html

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@DimStar:
Danke fuer den artikel, ist mir nirgends begegnet!

@alle:
Schon heute allerseits schoene weihnachten! gute erholung, ich glaube, wir haben es mal wieder alle dringend noetig. werde ein bisschen internetpause machen (boersenpause sowieso) bis nach den feiertagen!
also, eine schoene zeit, lassts krachen!
isaaacc

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A Marriage of Convenience
by Tom Kaneshige, Line56
Wednesday, December 20, 2000





When Commerce One announced its engagement to automakers Ford and General Motors and automotive e-market Covisint, tongues started wagging. And at least one industry watcher quickly warned of a rocky honeymoon, if not quite a shotgun wedding.
In an incomplete recap of the prenuptial agreement, Ford and General Motors will receive a combined 28.8 million shares of Commerce One, valued at roughly $1 billion—or around 14 percent of Commerce One. In return, Commerce One gains a 2 percent stake in Covisint, a share of Covisint revenues for 10 years and, of course, the Big Three bucks for services and software to drive the e-market.

But Commerce One must also undergo a title change. The company’s tech lock on the auto exchange is dependant on the requirement that it restructure itself as part of a holding company, with Commerce One nothing more than a wholly-owned subsidiary. Who will sit on the board of that holding company will also decide the company’s future.

Commerce One officials insist nothing has changed. “We will remain a software and solutions company,” explains Chuck Donchess, executive vice president of Commerce One, and the man credited with the matchmaking. “The holding company is simply a standard legal requirement created for tax purposes and will not impact the structure of Commerce One.”

Riding on Covisint

With so much cash and vested interest on the table, it’s clear the automakers and Commerce One have pinned considerable hopes on Covisint. The e-market plans an IPO next year, and the equity swap values the pre-IPO at about $59 billion, according to The Street.com. Commerce One’s 2 percent stake looks like a rough tradeoff for the stock given to the OEMs.

Covisint has demonstrated early signs of success. Company officials claim $1.5 billion in transactions has already flowed through the e-market. Covisint has also overcome a plethora of challenges, including building a technology infrastructure and gaining some cooperation among notoriously bitter rivals in the auto industry, while avoiding Federal Trade Commission pitfalls.

For Commerce One, Covisint opens doors to an entire industry. Many of the automotive industry’s buyers and suppliers run their businesses on SAP, which is closely partnered with Commerce One. This means there’s a huge opportunity for Commerce One to cross-sell its wares, says Kevin Prouty, analyst at market research firm AMR Research.

Still, Commerce One faces an uphill battle toward long-term profitability, “and what happens if Covisint doesn’t hit its short-term goals?” asks Prouty. He believes Commerce One runs a big risk giving away equity stakes—and potential control—to old economy companies, “especially in an industry traditionally focused on immediate annual returns.”

Who’s in the driver’s seat, anyway?

The automotive industry is among the first to fall on hard times whenever the economy slows down, explains Prouty. Consequently, Commerce One and Covisint may come under pressure from major shareholders to show profits. “Ford and General Motors’ 14 percent stake may buy them one or two seats on the board of directors, which won’t be enough to drive strategy,” says Prouty. “But the threat of forming a coalition within the board that can change the direction of Commerce One is certainly there.”

“Ford and General Motors do not control Commerce One,” counters Donchess. Besides, “The recent investments indicate that Ford and General Motors are committed to the long-term success of Commerce One.”

Chest beating aside, Commerce One’s marriage to the automotive industry is a new and unique twist for the B2B community. Simply put, it’s indicative of our changing times. Caught in a holy war with rival Ariba, fighting on all fronts with i2 and others, coupled with current market conditions, “Commerce One may have decided to pit its hopes on latching to a traditional industry,” says Prouty.

[KiKo]

22.12. 11:22
Commerce One`s Covisint - erste Bilanz und...
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Commerce One`s B2B Marktplatz für Automobilhersteller erhält sein erstes Feedback von dem Mitgründer DaimerChrysler (neben Ford und Genral Motors). Das Automobilunternehmen tätigte seit Oktober Einkäufe von über $100 Mio. über die Online Handelsplattform und konnte zumindest 17% Kosten einsparen. Man kaufte über 500 verschiedene Artikel in bisher 27 Transaktionen. Lt. Unternehmensangaben beabsichtigt DaimlerChrysler, dessen jährliches Beschaffungsvolumen insgesamt ca. $40 Mrd. umfasst, in 2001 über 100.000 Transaktionen über Covisint zu vollziehen. Vor Oktober nutzte DaimlerChrysler Commerce One`s Online Service in der Testphase für 6 Einkäufe von 32 Teilen und sparte insgesamt 9% der Kosten.

Des weiteren berichtete heute die Nikkei English News, dass ab kommendem Jahr die japanischen Auto-Produzenten Mitsubishi und Honda als neue Mitglieder zu der Handelsplattform stossen werden. Die Zeitung Nihon Keizei meldete ausserdem, dass mit den Unternehmen Toyota, Mazda und dem Zulieferer Denso weitere bedeutende Mitglieder beabsichtigen den Covisint Service zu nutzen.

------------
Yours digitally
KiKo

[AndyBusch]

Habe gerade noch eine interessante einschätzung zu Covisint gefunden:
Kein Originallink:
http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=21750636…

Covisint Deal Cross-Fertilizes Old and New Economies

The revenue- and equity-sharing deal recently announced between the carmakers backing the BtoB e-marketplace Covisint and their e-commerce software providers, Commerce One and Oracle, shows an interesting strategic split on how two major BtoB software vendors expect to take in their revenue. More importantly, it`s a harbinger of how the dividing line between e-commerce technology providers and users will start to blur, as each side takes ownership in the other.

Agreements announced in mid-December provide that Oracle and Commerce One will each get a 2 percent stake in Covisint, a joint venture of Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Nissan, and Renault to procure auto parts and collaborate with suppliers. Oracle, which is providing infrastructure such as databases, application servers, and a trading-partner extranet, plus internal business functions such as financials, HR, and CRM, will also get a standard (and hefty) license fee in the tens of millions of dollars.

Commerce One`s revenue model is more complex. In exchange for providing the business-to-business trading functions, such as auctions and catalog sales, it will get 5 to 10% of Covisint`s revenue for the next 10 years. In addition, it`s selling 7 percent of itself to GM, for whom it was originally going to build a private e-marketplace called TradeXchange, and another 7 percent stake to Ford, for a total of $1.26 billion.
(However, CommerceOne isn`t abandoning license fees entirely. It`s still getting at least $8 million from Covisint for its software, plus another million or two for consulting services.)

Oracle says it`s going for the money up front because it does not believe the transactional revenue model will last. (The recent hardships of Ventro and VerticalNet, which sold its NECX computer-chip e-marketplace to the industry-owned eHitex, support Oracle`s theory.) Instead, vendors will continue to make money through license sales, plus value-added services such as collaboration.

Commerce One is taking a more revolutionary stand – that a mere software licensor would not have much incentive to help bring in the suppliers and value-added business services that are essential to an e-marketplace`s success.

This leads to the curious spectacle of Detroit automakers each spending more than $600 million over the next three years to buy shares in a provider of the kind of e-commerce that could shake apart the 20th-century manufacturing paradigm they grew up in. For their investment to pay off, not just Covisint but Commerce One must thrive. Likewise, Commerce One`s stake in Covisint depends indirectly on the health of Ford and GM (as well as the other automotive participants).

The Yankee Group believes this model of investment across the technology supplier-vs.-user divide will become more common as "e-business" becomes simply "business." In fact, we could eventually see vertical integration evolving to include technology and connectivity, much the way Industrial Era tycoons` empires included land, railroads, and oil as well as steel mills and factories.

Author: Stannie Holt
December 20, 2000

grüße Andy

[isaaacc]

http://www.ecommercebusinessdaily.com/archive/ECBFA121800-93…

neuer newslink auf der covisint seite!

[isaaacc]

mal was nettes in einem netbusiness artikel: UNTERNEHMEN 26.12.2000

Business-to-Business-Portale in der Krise

»Es ist im besten Interesse der Anteilseigner, Chemdex und Promedix in geordneter Weise zu schließen«, verkündete der US-Marktplatzbetreiber Ventro Anfang Dezember. Zum Jahreswechsel beginnt der Ausstieg aus dem gemeinsamen Einkauf von Life-Science- und Medizinprodukten. Für 2001 rechnet Ventro mit »Restrukturierungkosten« von 380 bis 410 Millionen Dollar. Business-to-Business-Markplätzen gehöre die Zukunft, behaupten Analysten seit zwei Jahren zwar immer wieder. Doch das US-Beispiel aus einer Trendbranche zeigt: Es gibt Risiken; Geschäftsmodell und Branchenkenntnis entscheiden.

Was wie eine der vielen Hiobsbotschaften aus der New Economy klingt, hat selbst Insider überrascht. Anfang November prognostizierte der Marktforschungsriese Gartner Group, bis 2004 werde mehr als ein Drittel des weltweiten Handels zwischen Unternehmen über elektronische Marktplätze abgewickelt. Für Gartners Research Director Andy Kyte ist der Fall Ventro kein Indiz für das generelle Scheitern solcher Plattformen, sondern für die Schwäche bestimmter Geschäftsmodelle. »Marktplätze ohne Brick-and-Mortar-Partner werden Schwierigkeiten haben.« Ähnlich äußerte sich auch Ventro-Chef David Perry bei seiner Negativ-Nachricht Anfang Dezember.

Mit dem Verweis auf Mauerstein und Mörtel ist gemeint, dass sich Betreiber von elektronischen Einkaufsgemeinschaften mit konventionellen Unternehmen zusammen tun müssen, um erfolgreich zu sein. Das gilt nach Meinung von Thorsten Wichmann, Gründer von Berlecon Research aus Berlin, auch für den deutschen Markt. Bei Business to Business (B2B) halte er »den künstlich aufgeblähten Gegensatz zwischen Old und New Economy für wenig hilfreich«.

Allerdings kann es problematisch sein, wenn ein großes Unternehmen an der Organisation des Einkaufs der ganzen Branche beteiligt ist. »Es handelt sich dabei um extrem sensitive Daten,« sagt Chris Schroers, Vorstand des Handelsplatzes Econia. »Keiner verrät der Konkurrenz deshalb gerne, zu welchen Konditionen er einkauft.« Nur zwei Modelle versprächen Erfolg: Entweder setzten sich die maßgeblichen Player der Branche an einen Tisch, oder der Marktplatz bleibe völlig unabhängig.

Auch wenn sich die zweite Variante im Falle von Chemdex und Promedix nicht bewährt hat, ist das Konzept nach Ansicht von Schroers dann chancenreich, wenn sich der Betreiber spezialisiert und Verbünde mit anderen Dienstleistern bildet. »Econia zum Beispiel konzentriert sich auf Online-Verhandlungen. Darin sind wir Spezialist, und diesen Service bieten wir auch anderen Marktplätzen an.«

Die entscheidende Frage lautet allerdings auch hier: Woher kommen Umsatz und Gewinn? Transaktionsgebühren haben sich als problematisch erwiesen. »Solche Provisionen liefern Kunden den Anreiz, Folgegeschäfte nicht über den Marktplatz abzuwickeln, um die Gebühren zu sparen«, meint Berlecon-Gründer Wichmann. Auch Kyte von Gartner hält die Pauschalgebühr für die bessere Lösung: »Wenn es einen festen Betrag für soundsoviele Transaktionen pro Monat gibt, dann verführt das dazu, die Plattform auch regelmäßig zu benutzen. Und nur dann funktioniert sie.«

Eine weitere Einnahmequelle für kleine Marktplätze wird der Service rund um die Geschäftsanbahnung sein. Kostenmanagement oder Bonitätsprüfung können ebenso dazugehören wie Hilfe bei der Entwicklung des Netzauftritts. Insgesamt rechnen Experten auf lange Sicht mit dem Erfolg der Idee des gemeinsamen Einkauf via Internet. Kurzfristig allerdings dürfte es einige Pleiten gegen. Die besten Chancen werden der großen Alle-an- einem-Tisch-Lösung zugetraut. So vereint die Plattform Covisint die Einkaufsmacht von DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan und Renault. »Und wo viele Käufer sind,« sagt Andy Kyte, »da entsteht auch ein Markt.«

[dakinky]

Gute Aussichten für B2B-Sektor im Jahr 2001
 
Im vergangenen Jahr standen zum Jahresausklang Unternehmen im B2B-Sektor an der Wall Street und bei Venture Kapitalisten hoch im Kurs. Software Firmen konnten zusehen, wie ihre Aktienpreise in die Höhe kletterten. Traditionelle Online Companys auf dem Chemo- und Automobilsektor oder im Bauwesen kauften die Software und schafften Marktplätze, um ihre Geschäftstransaktionen mit Lieferanten, Geschäfts- und Logistikpartnern zu rationalisieren. Die Aktien der zwei Marktführer im B2B-Bereich Commerce One und Ariba stiegen bei den IPOs im Sommer 1999 von einstelligen auf zweistellige Ziffern und auf dreistellige im Jahr darauf. Doch Ende 2000 mussten sich mehrere Marktplätze der Prüfung der Kartellbehörde unterziehen, während der Markt schrumpfte und die sinkenden Investitionen in internetbasierte Unternehmen den B2B-Boom schmälerte.
"Einige Unternehmen hatten einen Plan für die Etablierung eines Marktplatzes, aber sie hatten keine Strategie, um Liquidität zu erhalten und Kunden zu gewinnen", sagte Tim Clark, Analyst bei Jupiter Media Metrix. So schloss im September RedLadder.com, ein Baumarktplatz, aufgrund finanzieller Schwierigkeiten. Bald danach verkündete der Second Hand-Exchange für Metallarbeitsmaschinen und andere Fabrikgeräte eSprocket, dass er seine Belegschaft auf die Hälfte verringere, um Kosten zu reduzieren. Im Dezember gab Marktplatz Service Provider Ventro bekannt, Chemdex und Promedix Ventures zu schließen und 235 Mitarbeiter zu entlassen.
Dennoch könnten Größe und Wert der B2B-Marktplätze bald die der E-Tailer übersteigen, auch die der inzwischen zu Haushaltsmarken gewordenen Namen wie Amazon.com und eBay. Ein Beispiel dafür ist Covisint, ein B2B Auto-Handelsmarktplatz für 40.000 Unternehmen der Zulieferindustrie. Der Marktplatz, der 2001 an den Start gehen soll, soll bis zu 750 Milliarden Mark jährlichen Umsatz generieren und eine Marktkapitalisierung von über 10 Milliarden Dollar bis 2005 erreichen, schätzt Berater Firma Morgen Stanley Dean Witter.
Analysten gehen davon aus, dass der B2B-Markt von 131 Milliarde Dollar im Jahr 1999 auf zwischen 2,7 und 7,3 Billionen Dollar bis 2004 wächst. Laut Schätzungen von Forrester Research erreichen E-Tailer Ausgaben 184,5 Milliarden Dollar im Jahr 2004, verglichen zu 20,3 Milliarden im vergangenen Jahr. Die Prognosen für den B2B-Markt sind nach wir vor aktuell, auch trotz der Schwierigkeiten, mit denen die Online Marktplätze fertig werden mussten, sagen die Analysten. "Investoren und unabhängige Handelsplätze bekamen es mit der Angst zu tun, als die großen Brick-and-Mortar Unternehmen mit ihren Konsortien auf den Spielplan traten", sagt Clark. "Venture Capital Unternehmen dachten, es sei ein zu hohes Risiko, bei großen Konkurrenten wie Covisint in unabhängige Firmen zu investieren."
Für 2001 erwarten Analysten zwei Trends: Die großen Marktplätze wie Covisint werden betriebsfähig und die Nachfrage für Support Software und Technologie Unternehmen, die während des Dot-com Rückgangs Einbußen erlitten haben, wird steigen. "Ich erwarte ein Wiederaufleben von Kunden Resource Management innerhalb des Sektors", sagte Andrew Bartells, Analyst bei der Giga Information Group. "Außerdem erwarte ich eine erneuerte Konzentration auf interne Prozesse. Da die Abwicklungen von Transaktionen zwischen einzelnen Unternehmen standardisiert werden, werden Firmen merken, dass sie, damit sie konkurrenzfähig bleiben, sich auf interne Systeme sich konzentrieren müssen."
(susa)
 

 
[Fr, 29.12.2000] - © 2000 de.internet.com

[isaaacc]

Guten Rutsch und ein gutes Neues an alle (auf dass es besser werde als letztes, allerdings rein boersentechnisch!).
bezgl. c1 und covisint bleibt es garantiert spannend.
mein freund robert ist immer noch der meinung, dass covisint floppt. (ich halte dagegen)

Bis die Tage!
isaaacc

[isaaacc]

interessanter artikel, auch wenn covisint nur am rande erwaehnung findet:

http://www.just-auto.com/features_detail.asp?art=412{/url]" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://www.just-auto.com/features_detail.asp?art=412{/url]

[DimStar]

Japan`s big four may join Covisint online exchange

Four Japanese car manufacturers could be poised to join the Covisint global automotive online exchange, according to industry sources in Asia.
Reports in the Japanese business press suggest that Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors will all get involved in the e-marketplace early this year.Denso, a parts manufacturer affiliated to Toyota, is also tipped to join.
Their involvement would be a major boost to Covisint, which already boasts the potential $300bn annual buying power of its founders — Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler — along with early participant Renault/Nissan.
Ford owns 33% of Mazda, and DaimlerChrysler recently purchased a similar stake in Mitsubishi Motors, making it particularly likely that they will join Covisint.
Adding the four companies to the exchange would position Covisint as the central online procurement hub for most of the major manufacturers in both the US and Japan.
European-owned firms have generally been more reluctant to commit to Covisint. VW is currently working with e-business specialist i2 Technologies to develop its own online supplier marketplace, and wants to create a European-focused web-trading standard for the automotive industry.
Covisint recently announced its own key technology partnerships with Oracle and Commerce One.
It hopes to appoint a permanent chief executive and set up offices in Europe and Asia soon.

http://www.e4engineering.com/item.asp?id=35022&type=news&ch=…

[isaaacc]

bin mir eigentlich sicher dass bei den 4 japanern ein offizielles announcement nur noch eine frage der zeit ist.
toll waere es, wenn covisint emdlich einen ceo benennen wuerde!
das ist etwas, was hoffmann selber als unerlaesslich ansieht, wenn er sich allgemein auessert. laesst ein bisschen auf starke rivalitaeten bei covisint schliessen, oder?

folgendes hoffmann interview ist derzeit als link von der c1-homepage zu finden:

January 1, 2001
The Internet World Interview

Mark Hoffman

By Ruhan Memishi

Mark Hoffman has a passion for cars and—judging by what he drives and the business that he’s in—a need for speed.

Around his birthday in November, the otherwise unassuming and no-nonsense chairman and CEO of Commerce One gave up his black Mercedes 600 SL and treated himself to a 420-horsepower 2000 Aston Martin DB7 convertible in British racing green. Only 100 to 200 of them are available in the United States.



Photos:Alan Blaustein

Not that he needs us to say it, but the guy has earned it. Hoffman, 54, is largely responsible for putting B2B exchanges—not to mention his own Pleasanton, Calif.–based company—on corporate America’s radar screen in the fall of 1999, and he did it by landing General Motors as a customer.

Securing GM as a client was no small feat for Commerce One, which was still a relatively small player even though it had been around in some form since 1994. (It changed its name from DistriVision in 1997.) On top of that, the concept of an e-marketplace at that time was brand new and completely unproven—and in many ways still is.

GM’s investment, along with a separate investment announced by Ford on the same day, represented a major endorsement of the whole concept of exchanges by the automotive industry. Because the auto industry has served as an industrial-age model for how to buy components and parts and build products efficiently, that was all it took for the aerospace industry and other large manufacturing sectors to rush into the now-crowded e-marketplace space.

Since it began working with Commerce One, GM has gone on to team up with competitors Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Nissan, and Renault to form Covisint, a broader industry exchange. (It is holding on to its own internal TradeXchange, however, perhaps in order to hedge its bets.)

Hoffman earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served six years in the army, which enabled him to learn about computing at a point in time when most universities weren’t able to provide such training. He also received an M.B.A. from the University of Arizona.

Related Stories:
“B2B Exchanges Survival Guide”
“Covisint’s Starts and Stops”
“Private Lessons”
“E-Marketplace Glossary”
“Building the Ariba Dynasty”
Hoffman is not new to building a company. Before joining Commerce One, he was chairman and CEO of Sybase, the database management company he helped to start in 1984.

Some say Hoffman paid too high a price to land the GM deal: He gave up 20 percent of his company to GM to beat out much larger competitors, including Ariba and Oracle, that had also been vying for the job. But clearly Hoffman has no regrets.

When we caught up with the retired army captain in late October, life was good. He was confident about Covisint’s future. His company had built a total of 107 public e-marketplaces, 47 of which were live. His dream of hooking up exchanges with other exchanges through Commerce One’s Global Trading Web was a reality. Profitability, which he predicts for 2001, was within reach. And he was driving a very cool car. (Even though it’s not a GM car, Aston Martin is indeed part of the Covisint family of cars, though we’re pretty sure that didn’t factor into Hoffman’s decision: Most people aren’t aware that Aston Martin is owned by Ford.)

We talked with Hoffman about the obstacles facing today’s exchanges and where all this B2B stuff is headed.

Internet World: B2B remains the hottest area of e-commerce investment and opportunity. Within that segment, e-marketplaces are certainly drawing the most attention. And depending on which analyst you talk to, the estimates as to how many exchanges are out there vary widely. Figures range from 600 to 1,600. Did you ever anticipate such huge numbers?

Mark Hoffman: We’ve always thought the number of exchanges was going to be very big and that there are going to be these distributed exchanges all over the world that are able to communicate together. So when we first began looking at exchanges, which was really last year when the exchanges started to explode, there were four areas that we saw exchange growth.

One was the regional exchanges, which are like our Global Trading Web partners. And there are obviously a limited number per country that you can have that’s a regional exchange. And then you have mega-verticals, which are the Covisints and the Exostars of the world. And there’s probably a fairly limited number of those that can get created—in the neighborhood of 30 to 50 mega-exchanges that get created. And then there are the Net market makers, which are exchanges focused at very specific verticals out in the marketplace. Gartner actually said there were going to be 10,000 of these kind of Net market makers that are created, so the number there is huge. The last exchange is the private exchange, and basically that’s an exchange that could be within every company, helping them to automate some of their business processes within the company and also between partners of that company.

So when you look at all of those exchanges, there is no question that there are going to be thousands of exchanges that get created around the world. The numbers are very large. And that’s why we’re seeing the demand in the marketplace today and the tremendous growth in this area.

IW: In addition to the public exchanges you are building, do you also do private exchanges?

MH: We do private exchanges also.

IW: There’s been a lot of talk recently about private networks, and some are saying we should look to them for some lessons on how to get the public e-marketplaces working on the right track. What do you think about that?

MH: Well, certainly that’s one way to do it. You can start to automate some of your own things. But what I think is going to happen is that you’re actually going to see kind of layers of these exchanges. So you may have a company with its own private exchange, but it’s participating in a mega-exchange or with a Net market maker. And some of the services that it has access to may be tied into a regional marketplace. So I think as we start to see these things develop, they’ll develop in all of these areas.

And this is one of the real powers of the Global Trading Web, which is this idea that these exchanges are going to be able to communicate with each other. So I don’t think you lock yourself in by starting with a private exchange or starting with a mega-exchange. As the market kind of rationalizes around these things, it allows you to go wherever you want and communicate wherever you want, over, in our case, the Global Trading Web.

IW: On the flip side of the issue of the proliferation of e-marketplaces, many industry observers are saying that up to 90 percent of them won’t be around in a couple of years. Some will merge with other exchanges, while others will just fail. So how do you think this shakeout will affect the marketplaces being built by Commerce One?

MH: I look at it differently. I’m just not a big fan of the notion that these are all going to consolidate down into a few exchanges. I think the market is going to be very distributed across all these different exchanges that get created. And what we see in the market today is not—well, any exchange could fail. And by the way, there will be failures for a variety of reasons: The people can’t execute, they don’t have the right business model, or whatever. But I think there’s going to be literally thousands and thousands and thousands of exchanges out there when this thing is all said and done. And so, yes, there will be ups and downs, and some consolidation, and failures and things like that, that go on. But I think the market’s building toward many different sites able to communicate with each other.

IW: Yet there are problems that are plaguing many of the public exchanges, including a lack of liquidity, which you’ve mentioned recently as an area Commerce One is working on. Clearly, there need to be enough people buying and selling to have a marketplace that behaves like a real market. So how are you dealing with that problem in the exchanges that you’re setting up?

MH: Well, we’re very early into almost all this. We have examples of transactions and stuff, but we don’t have examples of a great-running, profitable company that is a marketplace out there today. But we will. These are all startups, and so they have all the problems associated with them. They’ve got to get management teams put in place. They’ve got to get their organization. They’ve got to find buildings. They’ve got to get the equipment in and running and transacting. So they go through all the issues that a startup has in getting up and running. But I do now think that a lot of these exchanges are through that phase, or are getting through that phase, and that their next phase is really to drive liquidity. And we’re focused on liquidity. The marketplaces are focused on liquidity and driving to make that happen within each of these marketplaces.

So now, having said that, we’re early, but I’m very optimistic about the pace that these guys are going at, and believe that we’ll start to see substantial liquidity in these exchanges next year. Limited liquidity this year, but substantial liquidity next year.

IW: What other problems have you encountered in your own experience of putting these exchanges together?

MH: In the mega-exchanges, one of the first things we had to overcome was the government reviews that went on, which was the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] stepping in to say we want to see if these things are anticompetitive. So that is now, I believe, mostly overcome in this marketplace. And so these exchanges are now getting approval routinely through that process, which is a very big step forward.


IW: But they’re still going to be scrutinized by the FTC as they actually begin to do transactions.

MH: They will be scrutinized, but what the FTC is saying is that basically it believes that the existing body of law mostly—or not mostly—really covers the activities that will go on within these marketplaces, which is, I think, a very good statement for us and for everybody actually building market sites.

IW: What can be done to get these exchanges on the right track?

MH: I like the ones that people move quickly and aggressively on. Get a CEO in there and running this business, because it is going to be a very big business for these people, and then take an aggressive look at the marketplace and implementation. Because again, a lot of people are going to move in this area, and it’s going to be a competitive area.

And I think just like a startup where you want to move quickly so you don’t lose momentum, it’s no different with these companies. They need to be very aggressive about going after their marketplaces. You have to pick your space right. You may not want to go compete against Covisint. You could compete against some narrower portion of the supply chain, of the automotive supply chain. Or you can go compete in thousands of other areas where there is nobody established yet today.

IW: Why don’t you tell me about one of the exchanges that you’ve built that’s an example of how to do things right?

MH: One good example is Trade Alliance, which started out in Asia. And they started an exchange created by a company out of Indonesia and a Japanese company. They hired the guy who had started the British Telecom site, so they brought in a knowledgeable CEO right off the top. And he was able to move very quickly to put together the infrastructure, to bring together the partners, and start transacting within about 30 days of actually signing the contract with us. So they hired somebody quickly, they put him in charge, they were aggressive, and are aggressive about their plans on rolling this out. And I think it’s being very successful because of that.

IW: How does your recent acquisition of AppNet fit into your strategy?

MH: AppNet was important to us, because today we’ve got these 200 customers out there that we’re working with to bring up their systems. But at the same time, I only had about 250 professional services people to help them do that. And because we have a model that says when we trade value together, then we share in that model which is transaction fees, it’s very important for Commerce One to have people working within each of these areas and creating value. And so I was stretched very thin in doing that.

What I wanted to do was find a large professional services organization that could help me ramp up much quicker than I was able to do just by myself. So that led me to look around the marketplace. AppNet was the best partner that we could find out there. It’s also important in that it leads to our goal of getting liquidity within these exchanges by helping our customers get up and trading.

IW: Let’s talk about what you’ve done within the automotive industry. Landing the world’s largest corporation as a customer was obviously a huge coup for Commerce One. And it got you noticed in this crowded field of the Aribas, Oracles, and others. What has it meant for you in terms of actually driving business?

MH: I think this was a defining moment in the marketplace, because it was the first huge company making the decision to build a marketplace. But then, as they came together into Covisint, it was the creation of the first true mega-vertical, which was very important. And then you had Exostar and Trade-Ranger follow quickly behind that. But that was the one that got everybody’s attention and I think really helped everybody understand what a major role marketplaces were going to take, and that they were going to be supported by big Fortune 100 companies. So it was definitely a defining moment.

IW: After getting the green light from the FTC as well as the German equivalent of the FTC, Covisint had its first auction. Did it go smoothly?

MH: Let me put it this way: I haven’t heard any differently, and I suspect if it were not going well, I would know.

IW: So when do you actually plan to realize significant transaction fee revenue from your marketplaces?

MH: Well, we did—we’ve only reported it for two quarters. In Q2 it was $7 million, and in Q3 it was $11 million. And we’ve told the marketplace that our goal is that by the end of next year transaction revenue will be 15 percent of revenues. And at some point, like five years out, it’ll be 40 percent of revenue.

IW: Let’s talk about some of your recent alliances. You have partnerships with SAP, Microsoft, and another one with a German firm, Intershop, which is supposed to help you on the sell side. With SAP you landed eHitex. With Microsoft, it seems you’re hoping to drive liquidity by leveraging their global sales reach and the promotion of common XML standards. And now you’ve also announced a partnership with Sun Microsystems. What are you hoping to accomplish with all these partnerships?

MH: Obviously SAP is our solution in the direct goods area. It brought us a great installed base of—I think they have now 13,000 customers, and so it’s a very good partner on that side.

Microsoft brings us several different things, which is the XML standardization—and by the way, SAP is XML standardization, too. Microsoft is that side of the picture. It’s a go-to-market partner. We’re building some very specific products around their new technology, their .Net technology.

With Intershop, that’s a little bit different in the sense that Intershop is a sell-side solution in this marketplace. The goal there is to have a partner that, since they were building a sell-side solution, the customer didn’t have to come back and give us catalog content also and connect us to their ERP [enterprise resource planning] systems. Because that was already done through Intershop, I could simply plug into Intershop, and I would have access to catalog, and I would have access to legacy systems in a seamless fashion. And so where they go to market on the sell side, we’re going to market really on the buy side of the equation, or the marketplace side of the equation.

IW: And meanwhile, Ariba has formed alliances with both IBM and I2, and it’s also won some high-profile exchange deals, like e2open for the retail industry ...

MH: I think they’ve only won two that I really know of that are of any stature: The one you talked about and Transora. All of their other exchanges that they’ve gotten are really secondary exchanges out of the marketplace. I believe that we have captured the primary exchanges out there.

IW: Then why is there such a wide gap between your company’s valuation and that of Ariba?

MH: Up until last quarter, Ariba had more revenue than we did. As of last quarter, on an aggregated basis, we are now larger than Ariba in revenue. So with AppNet totally aggregated, we’re around $154 million. And I think Ariba was at $134 million this last quarter. So that’s been one issue in the marketplace. The second issue is the business model: Where our business model has been to go after the exchanges and create the exchanges and let the exchanges pull in the buying applications and other software, Ariba’s has obviously been to sell the purchasing application into the market. And so the market’s saying, “Gee, I think we like your model, but you’ve got to show me liquidity. If you’re telling me you’ve got a superior business model because of the liquidity side of it, then you’ve got to demonstrate that to me.” And quite frankly, they’re waiting for the liquidity to be generated. And that’s what we’re working on.


IW: Do you think that once Covisint resolves its issues and really is up and running and doing a lot of transactions, that will help you close that gap?

MH: That’s been the other issue. People were worried about how the exchange is going to get government approval, are they really going to get up and running. All of those issues that we talked about earlier—with regard to liquidity, a lack of payment mechanisms, and the risks of dealing with unfamiliar businesses—that’s what the market’s been nervous about. But having said that, we are seeing progress in all of those areas. And I think that will now lead to liquidity in this marketplace for these guys, and for us rather quickly now.

IW: Have you been satisfied with the performance of your stock?

MH: Well, I think recently it’s been very strong. Obviously, when the whole industry got hit, we were down at about $30. And of course we’ve come back up nicely to whatever we are today—at $64. It was definitely an industrywide hit that we took, and it’s climbed up very nicely. And I think people have really begun to appreciate our story more recently also, which has been a nice support of the stock price, so I’m happy about that. [Commerce One’s share price had fallen to $36 on Dec. 6.]

IW: Look into your crystal ball and tell us what you see for the future of e- commerce.

MH: What we’re seeing is this movement toward more complex data types getting exchanged between companies. What I mean by that is that we’ve been mostly in the indirect goods area. We’re moving into direct goods. We’re moving into collaboration. We’re moving into financial transactions. And so there are going to be many new services that now get traded, other than just these basic ones. The growth in that area is going to be tremendous. People are using these marketplaces today to do a lot of automation of existing processes.

What we’re going to see going forward is people understanding the power of the exchanges and going back and doing major reengineering changes around things like their supply chain to get more flexible and more competitive in the marketplace. A frictionless marketplace will fundamentally change the way that these companies do business, and they are going to have to reengineer around that. So I think there’s going to be a whole new cycle of reengineering that will go along as these marketplaces get up and get liquid.

IW: At the start of the whole exchange craze, everyone kept focusing on how much was going to be saved by streamlining and automating the whole procurement process. But now we are seeing some other factors emerge as bigger considerations in looking at ROI.

MH: Early on, people were focused on saving costs. Now that’s the number two reason people are really building market sites. And the number one reason is to build competitive advantage into their corporation, and that there will be substantial dollars either generated or saved around these new competitive advantages they get by reengineering the supply chain or whatever. Now, cost saving is obviously a component of that and still one of the big drivers. That’s not going to go away. But you want cost savings, and you want competitive advantage. And that’s what’s making the marketplaces grow right now.

Senior editor Ruhan Memishi can be reached at [e-mail].




Copyright © 1999 - 2001 by Internet World Media, A Penton Media, Inc. Company.

[isaaacc]

etwas aelter von line56 ueber ceo-problematik:

The Power of Neutrality
by Richard Brown, Line56
Tuesday, December 19, 2000


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Successful industry-led exchanges need to be perceived as neutral, secure and bring real value to the supply chain, according to panelists at today`s Line56Live! NewYork conference.
A ‘who’s who’ of consortia players gathered to explore the `real deal` underlying their respective operations. Rico Digirolamo, acting CEO of ground breaking automotive OEM exchange Covisint, stressed the importance of exchanges being independent and defined by quality management.

Speaking to the difficulty of appointing a full-time CEO, Digirolamo said: "It`s important for these exchanges to be seen to be independent. For Covisint, part of this process is trying to find someone not from one of the three major auto manufacturers who can lead this organization. This is hard work. We`re looking for a 12 out of 10 kind of individual."

Indeed, staffing consortia was a concern shared by Robert Trotter of MetalSpectrum. "It`s tough to recruit in the current unfavorable environment. Stock options do not have the cachet they used to have," he asserted.

George Shaw, COO of Exostar, maintained that in order to flourish, exchanges will need to interoperate. "Working with your competitors is important to everybody," he averred.

Trotter added: "The challenge is overhauling existing practices. We can`t just assume that these exchanges will work and that they are simply extensions to companies` IT departments. This time last year, all the talk was about dis-intermediation. Now middlemen have value. When you strip away the public relations and Power Point presentations and roll the film forward three years from now, you`ll see that companies with a track record for bringing efficiency to business processes will be the ones that succeed."

Trotter said just concentrating on building liquidity misses the mark for exchanges. "The focus should be on how much efficiency you bring to the supply chain. As we all know, the New York Stock Exchange hosts gazillions of transactions every day, but actually only generates a fraction of the value of these trades for itself."

[isaaacc]

evtl ist uns da ein potentieller ceo durch die lappen gegangen:

(ebenfalls line56)


MetalSpectrum Strikes While the Iron Is Hot
Q&A with CEO Alan Turfe

by Tom Kaneshige
Friday, December 15, 2000



Reprinted from Line56
Magazine, December 2000
Subscription Information



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Why would you leave a widely hyped, well-endorsed e-market founded by the top three auto manufacturers, to launch a no-name startup? To some, the question may be puzzling. But for former GM executive Alan Turfe, the answer is simple. “I consider myself a salesman and love this type of environment.” ]
Turfe, a longtime General Motors foot soldier, presumably was charged with representing GM’s interests at Covisint, the automotive e-market founded by General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, and Ford. But selling—not playing intermediary—is in his blood. That’s why he left in July to run startup MetalSpectrum, an e-market that serves the metals industry. And now Turfe is back to doing the thing he enjoys most: selling.

On the eve of MetalSpectrum’s planned launch in September, Line56 caught up with the 34-year-old CEO—and he was all smiles. “MetalSpectrum will open with 21 participants,” he says, proudly explaining that his young company has already completed its first transaction, for 20,000 pounds of aluminum round bar.

Now Turfe wants MetalSpectrum to facilitate big sales of round bar, beryllium, rhodium, and other metals in Europe and, later, the Far East and Latin America. Global expansion plans are already in the works, he says. Turfe is also forging relationships with competitors such as MetalSite to broaden the reach of MetalSpectrum’s specialty offerings. Whether it means crossing the seven seas or partnering with rivals, Turfe just wants to close the deal.

LINE 56: Why did you leave Covisint for MetalSpectrum? Turfe: When I was presented with the opportunity by MetalSpectrum, I took a look at their customer-centric model. And the liquidity—and the potential liquidity— it can have in this marketplace excited me immensely.

At MetalSpectrum we’re creating a channel, or store, where customers can come to buy their specialty metals. We need to create a fulfillment process that makes people choose us over 30 to 50 competitors. Covisint, though, is creating a platform on which the auto industry will do procurement, design, and product development. Although there’s still salesmanship at Covisint, it’s fundamentally a different model. For Alan Turfe, being in a selling environment is something I love, and that’s why I’m here.

Q: What was the reaction from your colleagues?

A: The executive leadership team at Covisint called me the other day—right after it gained FTC approval—and said, “Alan, this is a big day for us and for you. You were in the trenches with us over here.” They lifted a glass of champagne for me. I love those guys. And like MetalSpectrum, it’s a great company that’s going to do great things.

Q: Do you find it hard to keep up with the new economy’s pace after working at General Motors—what could be considered an “old school” bricks-and-mortar company?

A: In my prior career at General Motors, we really were new-economy managers in what was viewed as an old-economy company. And we were always moving at e-speed. When I went over to Europe on a development assignment, I moved very quickly to get into new markets such as Poland and Russia. At GM, I also helped us quickly adopt new technologies such as adaptive cruise control, telematics, and the concept of dual batteries in vehicles. Embracing new technology and moving at e-speed are really nothing new to me.

Q: Why did MetalSpectrum join forces with MetalSite?

A: Our relationship with MetalSite is part of our overall marketing strategy. The company complements our product offerings. By creating a relationship with it, we offer our customers one-stop shopping. The MetalSite relationship is only one of a few I’m working on. We’re looking at the opportunities to penetrate the supply chain and provide enhancements for our customers.

Q: Were there any concerns about teaming with a competitor?

A: Collaboration with competitors is what B2B is all about. I mean, witness the numerous partnerships that have happened this year. There’s Commerce One and SAP; Ariba, i2, and IBM; and the airline industry. In the B2B marketplace, you receive incremental value by partnering versus organic growth. Those that partner and deliver services to their customers sooner rather than later will win.

Q: What is MetalSpectrum’s business strategy?

A: We’re going to continue developing and redeveloping our site, based on our customers’ needs—whether that means offering additional metals or resources. We’re also looking to expand into other countries.

Q: How much does profitability factorinto the business strategy?

A: We’re more focused on three points: innovation, execution, and flexibility. This means we’ll probably take some profits and invest them in executing our vision. At some point, we’ll move toward focusing on net income margins and those types of things.

Q: How important is global expansion to MetalSpectrum’s success?

A: The global initiative is extremely important to us. We’re currently working with our European partners—Pechiney and Thyssen, to name a couple—to service our customers in Europe. And then we’ll expand to the Far East and Latin America. Being a global company is of paramount importance to our success.

Q: How many dollars do you expect will flow through MetalSpectrum this year?

A: At this point, I don’t think it’s appropriate to get into those numbers. Frankly, we want to get our hard launch up and then run as fast as we can.

Q: How important is domain expertise when it comes to running an e-market?

A: Lots of steel goes into General Motors vehicles, for such things as manufacturing processes and types of dyes. So metals are not new commodities to me. The challenge is not so much knowing what beryllium copper is but being aware that there’s a shortage of it today. Beryllium copper is a specialty metal people tend to buy four or five months in advance. Our partner Olin Brass has a great substitute for beryllium copper, called 7025 alloy. This product can be a substitute for 90 percent of the applications for beryllium copper.

To the extent that I can use MetalSpectrum to illuminate this fact, it’s a huge win for our customers and buyers. Understanding what MetalSpectrum can do for customers and how we can drive excitement and credibility—if that’s what we’re going to call domain experience, my man, I have to tell you, we’ve got a lot of it. 56

The closest Senior Writer Tom Kaneshige comes to titanium and other special metals is on the golf course.

[Eboerse]

Ich habe einen Artikel gelesen in dem wird berichtet,das dass Problem mit einem CEO für Covisint darin liegt,das es ein neutraler CEO werden soll.
Es wird ein CEO gesucht der nicht aus dem Automobil Bereich kommt.
Wenn ich den Artikel wieder finde stelle ich ihn rein.

[isaaacc]

@eboerse:
habe deine mail gerade erst gelesen, antworte morgen.
schoenen abend noch!

-------------


January 1, 2001
B2B Exchanges Survival Guide

Covisint’s Starts and Stops

By Ruhan Memishi
The future of public exchanges will be determined largely by the success of such high-profile examples as the auto industry’s Covisint. But based on Covisint’s slow start, it’ll be a couple of years before we know the outcome. Meanwhile, the auto supply exchange has a lot of work to do.

The Big Three automakers got together last spring to form the exchange to automate their spending and cut procurement costs. Renault and Nissan later signed on. The automakers expect to cut $90 out of the $100 cost of processing one purchasing order. That alone represents huge savings.

But consider some of the bigger benefits: the ability to communicate throughout supply chains for just-in-time delivery of parts and to do collaborative design and engineering work online. That means the carmakers and their 30,000 suppliers will be able to shed months of costly inventories. They’ll also be able to design and build cars faster.

The ultimate goal is to get to the point at which automakers can manufacture build-to-order cars in a matter of a few days, rather than two months. Taking everything into account, including the avoided costs, some analysts have estimated the savings could be as much as $2,000 on a typical $20,000 car. The automotive industry is notorious for putting price pressures on its suppliers, and Covisint was viewed by many of them as just another way to push harder.

Related Stories:
“B2B Exchanges Survival Guide”
“Private Lessons”
“E-Marketplace Glossary”
“The Interview World Interview:
Mark Hoffman”
“Building the Ariba Dynasty”
When we got an update on Covisint’s activity in late November, the five automakers and 35 suppliers were participating to varying degrees in a very limited rollout of e-procurement and virtual product collaborative design.

Arvin-Meritor, a large heavy-truck parts supplier, conducted the first auctions on Covisint in October with a group of about 20 of its suppliers. Covisint spokesman Tom Hill says the auction was a success. Still, having only 40 companies engaged in e-commerce on the exchange out of a possible 30,000 means Covisint still has a long way to go.

Then there was the concern over the potential for price collusion when you get a group of competitors together. Though Covisint did clear an antitrust review by the Federal Trade Commission, the commission still plans to monitor the exchange’s activities as it becomes operational.

In addition to all that, the CEO spot at Covisint was still vacant in early December, as teams from the automakers worked together in Covisint’s office in suburban Detroit to build the company.

Time and time again, e-marketplace experts stress that for a public exchange to be successful, it must be neutral. “Covisint, to me, is still three CIOs of three auto companies,” says Biri Singh, CEO of Idapta, a provider of e-marketplace infrastructure software.

The search for a CEO is taking so long because Covisint is trying to find a candidate from outside the automotive industry, someone who has experience building a startup company and taking a company public. And, apparently, finding a CEO candidate willing to move to suburban Detroit has been difficult.

The delay in filling the top job may be emblematic of the slow progress exchanges can expect to make when they are supposedly cooperating with competitors.

http://www.internetworld.com/010101/01.01.01Feature2.asp

[isaaacc]

jetzt faellts mir auf, eboerse, dass duerfte der artikel sein, den du meintest, oder?

[isaaacc]

noch ein teil eines anderen internetworld-artikels zum problem/erfordernis der neutralitaet:

Keep Management Neutral
When all is said and done, what really threatens to destroy public exchanges is n0t the lack of payment schemes or other technical and legal issues we’ve discussed. Those are all things that can be worked out over time. It’s the cultural or people issues.

Right off the bat, you’re asking for trouble when you bring together a group of competitors who don’t trust each other. Rivals are much more comfortable going head-to-head than working side-by-side. “These are people that are in the middle of blood feuds,” says Boston Consulting’s Sirkin.

For any industry consortium exchange to succeed, the founding companies have to distance themselves from the exchange, says Sirkin. They can do that by creating an entirely independent company with a totally separate governance process that’s run by a management team with no ties to the founders. A neutral environment is also important from the perspective of companies that may be nervous about joining an exchange connected to their competitors.

Exchanges should try as much as possible to replicate electronically what happens in “real-life” business transactions. “If you change a lot of human behavior, a lot of processes, adoption is going to be much tougher,” notes Xcelerate’s Kustin.

Getting companies to sign up for your exchange is the easy part, says Ken Thompson, COO of the exchange e-Steel. “But there’s a whole other step to get people to really begin to use that as a core aspect of their business.”

The general consensus seems to be that it’s going to take two to three years to resolve most of these issues and realize the full promise of B2B exchanges in the United States. AMR’s Fontanella thinks a more realistic time frame 10 ten years.

Though most exchanges will tell you that they’re global in scope, few currently are. Many of the problem areas addressed here get exacerbated when an exchange goes global. Add to these issues problems like the different currencies and laws governing imports and exports, customs, and tariffs, as well as contractual issues involving the vendors that support those markets, says Crimson’s Gow, and you’re probably talking about a 10-year evolution period. “You have to be very cautious now that you have this global trading floor that you’re not just stepping all over Compaq’s distribution model, for instance,” warns Raisch, who is also executive director of e-business at marchFIRST.

But in the end, says Revere’s Ruocco, “The economics are there that will drive people to make this stuff work.” Sculley adds, “It all boils down to management at the end of the day, because there are so many unpredictable things that are going to happen and you’re going to have to figure out how to get around those hurdles.”

http://www.internetworld.com/010101/01.01.01feature1.asp

[Eboerse]

Danke Isaaacc
Den Artikel meinte ich.
Ich sehe darin kein Problem da ich denke das ein neutraler CEO für die neutralität der Plattform in Bezug auf Wettbewerb und Gleichstellung der Marktteilnehmer im Sinne der allgemein handelnden Automotive Teilnehmer sein dürfte und dies auf die Dauer zu mehr Liquidität führen wird,da die Teilnehmer aufgrund eines neutralen CEO,s mehr Vertrauen in die Gleichstellung der handelnden Unternehmen Covisint,s bekommen werden und die Unsicherheit bez. Monopol Stellungen ausgeräumt werden.
Das sollte Vertrauen für die Nutzbarkeit der Plattform schaffen und weitere Teilnehmer anziehen.
Ich sehe darin eine wirklich proffessionelle Unternehmerische Entwicklung.
Grüsse

[gooodi]

hallo eboerse,

schau mal kurz in deinen aol briefkasten !

mfg. goodi

[gooodi]

Big 3 auto parts e-market hit with suit
Chicago--Covisint, the e-marketplace led by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler, was delayed for months thanks to federal antitrust review. Now, a second repair parts e-marketplace the three auto giants announced last month has been hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by ChoiceParts, a competing e-market. The suit, filed Thursday, claims the Big 3 automakers tried to block ChoiceParts` parts locator and transaction system from being used by auto retailers and repair shops. ChoiceParts claims the automakers also denied it access to parts data, information that has traditionally been openly shared in the auto industry. Perhaps most interesting, the suit claims the automakers had attempted to acquire ChoiceParts late last year, before deciding to roll out their own competitive e-marketplace. ChoiceParts is no dotcom flash-in-the-pan. The company is a joint venture of four long-time players in the auto and collision industries: Automatic Data Processing`s (ADP) Dealer Services and Claims Solutions Groups, CCC Information Services; and Reynolds and Reynolds.

mfg.goodi

[isaaacc]

jetzt auch als link von der covisint-site:

From The Engineer, 04 January 2001, in Automotive

Japan`s big four may join Covisint online exchange
Four Japanese car manufacturers could be poised to join the Covisint global automotive online exchange, according to industry sources in Asia.
Reports in the Japanese business press suggest that Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors will all get involved in the e-marketplace early this year.Denso, a parts manufacturer affiliated to Toyota, is also tipped to join.
Their involvement would be a major boost to Covisint, which already boasts the potential $300bn annual buying power of its founders — Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler — along with early participant Renault/Nissan.
Ford owns 33% of Mazda, and DaimlerChrysler recently purchased a similar stake in Mitsubishi Motors, making it particularly likely that they will join Covisint.
Adding the four companies to the exchange would position Covisint as the central online procurement hub for most of the major manufacturers in both the US and Japan.
European-owned firms have generally been more reluctant to commit to Covisint. VW is currently working with e-business specialist i2 Technologies to develop its own online supplier marketplace, and wants to create a European-focused web-trading standard for the automotive industry.
Covisint recently announced its own key technology partnerships with Oracle and Commerce One.
It hopes to appoint a permanent chief executive and set up offices in Europe and Asia soon.

angesichts der beteiligungen wirklich nicht unwahrscheinlich!

[isaaacc]

Covisint still looking for a home, CEO
By Rachel Konrad
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 10, 2001, 4:00 a.m. PT
DETROIT--It`s billed as the world`s largest Internet company, a corporate marriage between the cash-rich Old Economy and the cutting-edge New Economy, with a guaranteed billion-dollar revenue stream and a market capitalization that could eventually exceed $10 billion.

So why can`t Covisint find a chief executive officer?


• Get the "Big Picture"
• Related News
• Message Boards


Board members and those close to Covisint, an online marketplace for collaboration and trade in the auto industry, conceded this week to CNET News.com that their CEO search has been more difficult and lengthy than they originally expected. They cite reasons ranging from a far-reaching antitrust investigation to a bitterly cold Michigan winter that has scared off potential recruits.

"We`ve got a crack team working on it, but it`s not a split-second decision," said Gary Diltz, who is in charge of e-commerce initiatives for DaimlerChrysler and involved in the Covisint management search. "It`s hard to find...a change agent--a big thinker with the ability to manage a huge project."

The search has been particularly difficult because a sweeping investigation by the Federal Trade Commission gave Covisint an undeserving black eye, executives said this week during a media preview of the 2001 North American International Auto Show.

In March, even before the exchange had an official name, the FTC began to question whether the venture would lead to antitrust violations. Industry analysts and at least one member of Congress debated whether the FTC should meddle in the venture, which critics said could result in price collusion among the world`s leading automakers and a withering of profit margins at smaller suppliers.

The FTC categorically cleared Covisint in September after a six-month investigation, as did the Bundeskartellamt, Germany`s antitrust regulatory agency. But the red tape helped in forcing Covisint to delay the launch of its first auction services from May to October--and it also may have scared off some top talent.



Do you have an opinion or comment on this story? Tell us.

"There is no other start-up that has gone though an FTC search," Brian Kelley, a Covisint board member who also heads e-commerce initiatives for Ford Motor, said Monday. "We`ve seen a lot of very good candidates but haven`t found the right one."

Covisint is the latest in a spate of initiatives by automakers to harness the power of the Internet. General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan, along with technology partners Commerce One and Oracle, provided all of the start-up funds for Covisint.

Executives hope to take the company public sometime in 2001, or possibly as late as 2002 if the market for initial public offerings doesn`t improve soon. Covisint could fetch a market capitalization exceeding $10 billion by 2005, according to advisers at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.

While finding a chief executive has proved difficult, executives at GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler say they have received a flood of requests from workers seeking to defect to Covisint. Most employees at Covisint started as loaners from the Big Three, Oracle or Commerce One, but the company is making them official Covisint employees as it launches its own payroll system.

Unlike the automakers, which skew compensation toward salary and bonuses, Covisint has been aggressive about giving pre-IPO stock options and other at-risk forms of compensation.

Despite interest from Big Three rank-and-file workers, top talent has been harder to recruit. So far, one of Covisint`s most high-profile hires has been Jacqui Dedo, who joined the company on Dec. 18 as head of its sales division.

Covisint is looking for a CEO who embodies four main qualities, Kelley said. The candidate mustn`t necessarily hail from the auto industry but must be:

· Sensitive to the enormous complexities of the auto industry, which has product cycle times in some cases spanning more than four years and workers ranging from factory-floor assemblers to sophisticated financiers.

· Technologically savvy and deeply knowledgeable about the infrastructure of online exchanges and other e-commerce ventures.

· A charismatic leader who can shape the start-up`s culture and sell the venture to Wall Street, skeptical suppliers, technology companies and other automakers.

· A talent magnet who can attract other senior-level executives, has all of the above characteristics and can create an executive team--almost from scratch.

No executive would put an approximate date on when the company will announce a CEO, whom they had originally hoped to find by November. But executives emphasized that they are highly motivated to find a leader.

"There is no doubt that the sooner we have a CEO the better off we will be," Kelley said. "The board members have had to be more involved without a CEO running the company, and I`d personally like to have someone else doing a lot of the work."

Although executives said that the lack of a CEO has not crippled the company`s lower-level recruitment, the delay certainly hinders decisions on several major fronts.

The largest question is where the company`s permanent headquarters will be. It`s currently housed in a temporary facility in Southfield, Mich., but board members have said that the CEO will ultimately decide whether to keep it in Michigan or move it to a technology hub such as the Silicon Valley, Seattle, Boston, or Austin, Texas.

Mark Hogan, who heads e-commerce operations for GM but is not directly involved in the CEO search, joked that the unusually cold and snowy winter in the Midwest may have scared off Internet-savvy candidates living in warmer climates.

"The harsh winter may have some influence if you`re in California," Hogan said with a shrug.

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4425005.html?tag=st.ne.…

[DimStar]

AUTOS-Automakers must explain Covisint better-study

Reuters , Jan 10 2001

http://www.telecomclick.com/newsarticle.asp?newsarticleid=98…

[isaaacc]

ueber die gleiche studie bei line56:

Report: Auto Industry Lags in B2B
by Demir Barlas, Line56
Thursday, January 11, 2001



A global study conducted by professional services play KPMG says that it`s time for the automotive industry to come into line with B2B best practices. Although the consequences of ramping up from the old economy may briefly hurt some suppliers, the study concludes that the industry may have no alternative in the long-term.
In the report, Brian Ambrose, KPMG`s national industry director for automotive practice, stated ``In terms of e-business progress, KPMG found the automotive industry ranking last against six other traditional industries. The largest manufacturers have not clearly defined a cohesive strategy for executing Web-based procurement. The message from Wall Street is loud and clear: embrace the digital age.``

One big step towards the digital future involves automotive mega-exchange Covisint, which KPMG says must bring aboard as many OEMs and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers as possible. The barriers, Ambrose said, are high. Suppliers may be wary of digital exchanges, OEMs, and technology (especially when it comes to investing in it). But the upside, going forward, is tremendous.

``There`s no doubt that the cost of parts will be transparent in a digital exchange, enabling the OEMs to negotiate much more advantageous pricing with their suppliers ... This can cause a lot of pain in the supplier ranks but ultimately lead to healthier, more efficient companies, which will lead to a healthier more robust industry.``

As for technology, the study concluded that consolidation will result when certain suppliers drop out of the picture after not being able to keep up with technology investments. The remaining Tier 1s will be larger and stronger, which KPMG sees as a long-term positive for the industry

[isaaacc]

einen monat alt, eher negativ, trotzdem interessant:



http://www.thestreet.com/comment/siliconstreet/1210414.html

It Lacks a CEO and an IPO, Yet Covisint Still Garners a Big Valuation
By Adam Lashinsky
Silicon Valley Columnist
Originally posted at 7:01 AM ET 12/13/00 on RealMoney.com





A year ago it was an article of faith in the investment community that Covisint, the electronic parts-procurement exchange owned by the major auto companies, would go public shortly with a $50 billion valuation.

The nod to reality is that Covisint not only hasn`t gone public yet, it`s not even done picking all the technology it will use or a chief executive to run the thing. Where the dream state continues is that the automakers, shut out of much of the fun of the Internet-stock mania, still think their creation will be a big public company.

In fact, Covisint, which announced an expanded relationship Tuesday with software maker Commerce One (CMRC:Nasdaq - news), thinks so highly of its valuation that it reckons its exchange will be worth about half the market value of the Big Three automakers combined.

That`s right. Based simply on what Commerce One is "giving" Covisint (by granting shares to Ford and GM) -- stock worth about $1.2 billion on Friday -- and what Covisint is giving Commerce One -- a 2% stake in the project -- Covisint is worth about $59 billion, which works out nicely to be half the combined $118 billion market value of Ford (F:NYSE - news), Daimler Chrysler (DCX:NYSE - news) and General Motors (GM:NYSE - news), Covisint`s principal shareholders.

Does that valuation make any sense, given that all that value is predicated on Covisant making life more efficient for its shareholders and, more importantly, their suppliers?

"Well, that`s what the numbers tell you," says David Garrity, an analyst with Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York. "I give them full credit for finally getting this thing agreed do." Garrity rates Commerce One shares a buy. Remember, though, he`s the former thousand-dollar man ? he put a $1,000 price target on Commerce One, a stock that closed Tuesday at 40.38, or about 200 adjusted for splits to compare with Garrity`s old target price.

Still, Garrity does point out accurately that the 28.8 million share "investment" Ford and GM are making in Commerce One really is nothing more than the reassignment of 28.8 million warrants previously assigned to GM.

He also points out that Covisint was supposed to have a CEO by now. In a conference call with reporters and analysts, GM executive and interim Covisint CEO Rico Digirolamo said Covisint is interviewing candidates and expects to have a CEO shortly. Digirolamo also said the company is aiming to have its IPO by the end of next year. Some time between now and then the fledgling company aims to choose supply-chain management software, a contract most expect to go to Commerce One partner SAP (SAP:NYSE - news).

Fledgling though it may be, Covisint packs plenty of punch. It has been responsible for $1.5 billion worth of transactions. The company itself can get a fee of between 1% and 5% for each transaction, so it`s recording real revenue already. Digirolamo predicts revenue in the hundreds of millions in two to three years and "into the billions" during the 10-year agreement it is crafting with Commerce One.

This is all good for Commerce One, which provides the software on which this and other exchanges run. Commerce One will take a piece of that revenue. Garrity forecasts that Covisint could have 2001 transaction volume of revenue of $60 billion, or 20% of worldwide auto procurement of $300 billion. If it got a 4% commission, revenue would be about $2.4 billion and Commerce One`s cut would be about 5%, or $120 million.

Commerce One`s stock declined 8% Tuesday, so Wall Street likely had baked the Covisint news into the stock. Business-to-business software has been dying a slow death on Wall Street but is alive and well in the auto world. Prediction: Covisint never will get a $50 billion valuation in the public market.

[isaaacc]

Transcript of Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle`s remarks at the 2001 Los Angeles Auto Show
9 Jan 2001
Author: just-auto.com editorial team
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At the media breakfast for the Los Angeles Auto Show last week, Ford`s Wolfgang Reitzle hit the headlines with some off the cuff comments which lived up to his reputation for straight talking. His speech was a wide-ranging and candid take on the state of the auto industry as we enter 2001. At just-auto, we have obtained a transcript of his comments from Ford and we found it a good read. Here, we share it with you.

DR. WOLFGANG REITZLE: Welcome to the first media day of the first Auto Show of the 21st Century. And welcome to the media breakfast. I must say, until I received this invitation, I didn`t really believe that such a thing like a media breakfast could exist because, you know, in good ol` Europe this is almost an unwritten law - -You never invite journalists before 11:00 in the morning. So I have to say that this is the first media breakfast I have attended in my life.

As we all know, the new millennium has started. And I thought I should talk today a little bit about my personal thoughts on what will change in the auto industry. And when we look back at the last century, we realize that the car companies, even car companies with $10 billion of profits, had a market value last week of around 40 billion and some less.

Dot com companies, on the other hand, were the darlings of the financial communities around the globe. And, I`ve got the feeling that today many believe the car industry, to a certain extent, belongs to the old economy, smoke stack industry. It`s a dinosaur enterprise loaded with heavy assets. Our products are very often seen as old. There`s almost no further development as people see. There is only moderate growth, and the business pattern seems to be very cyclical. So financial analysts come to the conclusion that this is something not to invest in. And it comes to this: I think, ridiculous low evaluations of the stocks of car companies.

A few weeks ago, I have to tell you, the chairman and CEO of one of the biggest supplier companies came back from New York where he had a meeting with a financial analyst. He was so depressed. We had dinner together, and he was so depressed. He told me, "Wolfgang, the investors and analysts, I really tell you, after a full day of talking with these analysts, they don`t believe in a bright future of our industry anymore." And that was the exact moment where I personally thought `enough is enough.` I think we should use a new start with a new century to do something about it.

Now, the whole thing finally led to a decision this morning. I put my wonderfully prepared speech aside. And you, the audience, you have to cope with my poor English. As a German who actually speaks Bavarian, works with a Swedish company, who almost daily listens to the very good British English and then comes over to Detroit with the American English… so the mixture is what you get now. So that`s now your problem.

But I have to tell you, I`ve been a car person since I was born, and I`m passionate about cars. To me, they are the most wonderful and emotional products on earth. And I feel it is time to share some of my ideas with you, and the first statement I already made: I think our industry will have an unbelievable bright future ahead because it is based on one of mankind`s biggest dreams and basic needs. That`s personal mobility, that`s individual mobility.

And despite all the new forms of telecommunications - think about it, people now have video conferences, all of these wonderful mobile phones and the communication technology and internet - that people predicted would reduced traveling. Just the opposite has happened. People travel more than ever, and it is growing, growing, growing. Traveling by plane, by train and, sure, by car. And the advantage cars provide are unbeatable. Why? Because it`s the only mode of transport which allows you to have the mobility to reach every corner in the world. You can never do that with rails. You can never do that with anything else. So, however cars might change in the future, and they will change and have to adapt to the new environment, the car will always be there. And my prediction is that even in a thousand years from now, the car industry, it will look different, but it will be one of probably still the most dominating industries in the world. And my prediction also is that most of these wonderful `dream dot com` companies, nobody in a thousand years will even know ever existed.

So, therefore, what I want to say is that our industry is based on a very, very solid, stable overall basic need of mankind and, therefore, it has to be a wonderful business for the future and, therefore, I really don`t understand why we don`t put more in the `old economy.` I think we are the future economy. And I think we all together should do something about it to change that wrong perception about the car industry.


And because there is no substitution for the car, it will always grow. And there is always the addition, the fun element, the passion, the emotion in the fulfillment of the dream when it comes to cars. Because, as we all know, it`s not only a normal machine or a luxury product. It`s something which empowers you and provides new opportunities. So, therefore, I`m a great, great believer in the car industry.

Yes, sure there might be a downturn in the market from time to time. So what? I mean the underlying business structure for our industry is absolutely robust and, therefore, it will grow. I think for the good companies, it`s even a new opportunity to show that you are better than the others. So you will not suffer that much. And I think that`s quite normal. But that has nothing to do with the long-term stable and sustainable growth we will see there.

Now, I think, yes, when some or most of these dot com companies in a thousand years from now will be disappeared, maybe also a few car companies will disappear. Maybe. But those which will understand trends, have a passion for the product and define themselves no more only as sheet metal box producers, but as mobility enterprises, I think those will have a bright future. And when it comes to mobility enterprise, I don`t think about only producing cars. It`s all about mobility, individual mobility, and I will touch on a few of these points later.

Now, by the way, what most of the people also forget when they evaluate the car industry today is that the car is the most complex consumer product on earth. There is no other consumer product, which is so complex and which integrates so many different technologies and materials. I mean, what other product consists of sheet metal, steel, precious metals, glass, textile, foam… I mean, endless. Almost every material you see there, even wood, think about Jaguar. So what this means to me is -- and that`s something we should also think about. Whenever there is a new technology, a new invention, something new in another industry where we use the materials or the processes, then we benefit. We, the car industry benefit more than any other industry by inventions and new research results generated somewhere in the world. And people normally don`t think about it.

What it means is that not only our own developments and research labs are creating new technologies inside the car industry, but we also benefit a lot from what`s happening in other industries. And there is no other business, which benefits so much from what`s done in other businesses. And what that means is that there will be an ongoing improvement in the car industry, I predict forever. And when you think that something is now at the very highest level of technology and mature, forget it. There will be some new invention in 10, in 50, in 100 years from now. And, therefore, I`m a great believer in that the car industry by definition because it is integrating so much other technologies. E-business.

This is exactly where you may know that Jac Nasser is totally obsessed to make Ford Motor Company a leading E-business company in the car industry, the company which uses E-business earlier and in a more consistent way. And I only want to give you one example. Covisint, which was developed by Ford and is now the purchasing platform for Ford Motor Company, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and so on. Well, we all use it. Now, what it does is, the whole purchasing volume which when you add it up for these car companies, is more than $200 billion per year, will be handled now by a new Internet purchasing system. This will handle all the purchasing activities from the suppliers to these car companies, and it`s one single system. It`s an industry standard.

Who would have thought about that competitors like DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM would use the same, competitive tool. It`s possible today. And what it does, I mean think about it... only if we could to reduce our purchasing price not only by having auctions on it, no, but by streamlining the processes. Take out one percent out of this as an efficiency gain. It`s already two billion dollars, but I think it`s by far not ambitious enough. What it means is, again, here you see we the car industry have probably a much bigger advantage out of the E-business than anybody else. Think about Amazon.com which

I really think is one the most fabulous dot com companies. That`s really a super idea, and I like that. But still they struggle to make profits today.

But, you know, which business had the highest profit out of it? It`s UPS and FedEx, because they now ship all these books to the customers. So Amazon.com created growth and profits for UPS and FedEx and it`s the same what`s happening in other industries. It`s we, the car industry, who benefit most. And, therefore, I`m a great believer that we can`t belong to the `old economy.` I think there is no such thing as differentiation between old and new economy.

I think you see, on the example I tried to make, there can`t be something like the separation between an old economy and a new economy because whatever is created new, the traditional industry which is based on a solid ground will have the biggest advantage out of it. So that`s from where I come.

And, by the way, you know what`s great for us at Premier Automotive Group, what we realized last year, we sold more than 1000 Aston Martins. And I tell you a few hundred went to these new dot com millionaires, so even in this way, we have an advantage. So whatever they do and I mean if they -- if these companies die, I mean somebody else will go up and buy an Aston Martin. So I think that shows you there are a lot of possibilities that we have an advantage out of what`s happening out in the world and because we are built on such a solid ground, we have a bright future.

It`s not been all about adopting new technologies very fast which will be important to be more successful than others in the car industry. But I think you also have to be very open, open for trends in society and pay attention to how the consumer behavior is changing. And there is a huge opportunity out where, frankly, the car industry until today didn`t do a lot.

When you now look especially here in California you can see a very robust, global trend. It`s individualization. People go more and more for individual products, for customized, personalized stuff. Watch the kids today. First, they never have been more label-oriented and aware. I mean they all have this sloppy stuff, trousers and so on, but it`s to them very important which label is on. Think about Levi`s. Looking at the fashion industry very often is extremely interesting because there, things are going on much faster than in our industry. And when you look at Levi`s, when you visit their flagship store in San Francisco, I mean you get the perfect, perfect jeans, whatever size you need. They have all kind of different sizes, but within 10, 15 minutes, you can individualize your personal jeans with patterns and with all the stuff. They do it in the shop. And that showed me that there is something going on with the kids. They want to have that - they want to have their individual Levi`s jeans.

This overall trend of individualization is a robust one, and we, the car industry, have to pay much more attention to these things. What it means, we will have many more variances in the future. It will be difficult to handle these complexities in the plants, but my prediction is that it will also go so far that finally, the end step, the last step of personalization, will take place in the big dealerships. So, in the future, the big, strong dealers really will not only have a service shop. They will also have a shop for personalization where you can have and we can design the cars in the way the dealer can without any quality problems, change parts, make the interior a personalized interior so you can change the colors, you can plug it in, you can change it after a year.

There is so much we can do in order to really personalize our cars and make that a competitive advantage. And the other thing I already mentioned with the kids, what we see today -- and I`m a great believer in this -- it`s the differentiation by brand. And both go hand and hand, individualization and the brand game. Because in a way, technology becomes more and more difficult being used as a main differentiator because we all use as car companies today the same big supply groups. And by this, there is an automatic process which synchronizes technology. Years before you could have a competitive advantage using a new technology maybe for two years. But now it may be six months and then it`s gone and the competitor also has that. That doesn`t mean the technology is not very important for us. Just the opposite. But it means that it`s not sufficient enough to differentiate your products through technology.

The big differentiator is the brand. And so the name of the game is brand mastering, and when we talk about brand, you have to pay attention that you are consistent in what you do, that the brand profile fits exactly to the product and the product fits the brand, that you have continuity and stability and don`t jump around. Then you will be hurt in the marketplace because customers are sensitive to these breaks. And so, the whole game will be a very holistic game, and I think that`s a unique opportunity for those companies who understand the game between marketing, branding, positioning, product and execution so that the whole thing becomes a very holistic, fine-tuned system.

In principal there are two ways now for luxury companies or premium companies to play that brand game. One way is the way Mercedes-Benz is playing it. They have these unbelievable strong and robust brands so they can do an A-Class and an S-Class. They can do a mini van and a sports utility. They can do a truck, they can do almost everything, and they have a premium. But this is only one brand I think in the world which is that robust that you can cover all the segments and get a premium and don`t dilute the brand.

But there is another way to do it, and that`s the way we have chosen with the Premier Automotive Group. So, our approach is different because we have in principal more sensitive brands. Look at Jaguar.

I think you quickly see that brands like Jaguar are much more sensitive, so their natural brand potential is not that big volume-wise. But, on the other hand, there can be a charming element in that we can now do exactly very special things which you can only do with a very highly focused brand with a very, very clear profile. And that`s exactly what we want to do. When you look now a little bit more carefully on our Premier Automotive Group brands, then you will see that they are really set up in a complimentary way. There is almost no overlap. So the charming and unique thing nobody else in the world has is that our brands can address different market segments in a very, very convincing and focused way. So we must not stretch one brand in order to grow and go into segments which don`t really fit to this brand. So that`s our approach. And this approach goes hand-in-hand with the distribution strategy which is that wherever we have a chance to do it, wherever the local situation allows it, we want to go for so-called common ownership PAG dealers. What that means is that one dealer has then five showrooms for our five brands all-exclusive, with exclusive sales people, so that you really have a consistent brand representation. But backstage, all the processes in common so that you then have the same cost efficiencies like a brand like Mercedes has because they reach in principal the same volume with one brand.

So, this is our approach, and I think if I`m right with a trend towards individualization, with a trend towards being more brand aware, to differentiate yourself in whatever fashion in luxury goods, watches, whatever. And when you see what`s going on there, then I think it can be a very smart strategy to cover all the market segments and finally have, hopefully, the same volume but you do it with a complimentary brand portfolio approach. You can fill the garages of your customers because most of them, especially in this country, do own more than one car. They have a sports utility and they have a sports car and maybe a sedan.

Now, that`s a new opportunity for the good dealers because the dealer now builds up with new customer relationship marketing tools a very close relationship with his customer. So why should this customer buy another sports utility from another brand when we have a very attractive portfolio so that we can have for every need and for every customer requirement, we have the right product? And we will have in the future. So that`s also from this side an ideal and new approach, and, therefore, we are quite happy that we now step-by-step find more and more courageous entrepreneurs who really invest a lot of money into these new dealership concepts.

But there is another charming aspect, and I mentioned that we define ourselves more as mobility enterprises and no more as car companies. What I mean with this is that in the future, it must not only be that we sell cars. You can buy mobility from us.

Ford Motor Company has the best prerequisites of all car companies in the world for that. Why? Because it has not only the biggest car financing company with Ford Credit. It has Hertz, the biggest rental car company in the world. So nobody has more service spots and spots where we have cars sitting there, waiting for you.

So, if you are a consultant or a journalist running around the world, I mean, you need a car everywhere. So you could, for example, in future purchase for $50,000, let`s say, a mobility package from us. And what you then get is if you give us 24-hours` notice, we will provide you wherever you go in the world a car, a car out of a certain selection of your choice. That can only be done if you have an infrastructure worldwide with thousands of dealers, with 10,000 of spots, of service spots. There is no airport where we can`t provide you with a car.

And we go even further. In the future we want to offer you holidays. We organize special holidays for you. We could do Land Rover adventure trips. So you quickly see there are additional new profit opportunities and interesting service opportunities which go far beyond being only a car company selling a car and then, okay, for servicing, the car comes back sometimes.

So really, this is for me the name of the game. Play the brand game, play it consistently without any break, and offer a lot of services around the car and see yourself and define yourself as a mobility company. And then you will see what happens. Because, as I mentioned before, no other industry is based on such a solid ground like the car industry with the basic need for individual mobility.

And the more individualization goes on, the more opportunities for us in offering you an intelligent combination of products and services. And that`s exactly where we have a huge potential.

When you then go into a fashion shop and you see what kind of super perfect, wonderful brand and lifestyle display they have, it`s really fun to go there. And I think we, the car industry, are not really professional retailers. We traditionally focus on producing these sheet metal boxes and then we sell them.

And I think, there again, it`s a huge opportunity for us in changing what the dealerships look like, unbundling them, come closer to where you live and display your brand in a wonderful way, and you will see a few interesting, new things we with the PAG group will do here because we want to revolutionize this. It can`t be the future of how a car dealership looks today. And I think there is a huge opportunity out there, and we can learn a lot from the fashion industry, we can learn a lot from Wal-Marts and from people who really are professional retailers. We are until now not, and I see that as an additional, huge opportunity. But, finally, everything comes down to the product. We have to do all that, what I tried to explain, but the car will always be and the car for the success of the future will always be a non-compromised product. This is what I want to create within PAG especially, but we will do that also in Ford Motor Company on a broader way. We want to create as many icon products as possible. And when I say icon products, I mean it`s not the normal stuff you sell by rebates. And, frankly, when I`m watching, especially in this country, a local TV channel or when I read a local newspaper, I mean you get the impression that the car industry, it`s not a competition of product. It`s a competition of rebates, and I think this is a certain disease in our country, in our industry. And I think we should change that. And this comes from over-capacity. We all know that, creating unattractive products which nobody wants, which could only be sold by rebates.

And when I say create icons, then I mean create attractive products that also can be products in the mass market. And when I say an icon, I only give you an example what of I mean with that. The original Volkswagen Beetle really was an icon. I think they sold more than 30 million in Europe. And it was in principle never rebated, but it had also a heavy premium but it had a super life cycle curve that`s also very charming and nice on an icon product that it doesn`t go up and then quickly down and then you have an investment sitting there. An icon product is an attractive product leading or sometimes creating but very often dominating a segment. And to create an icon product, you have to have a certain feeling for what people want. And it has to do with proportions, it has to do with a good execution, it has to be really consistent, and it must not be a very expensive car. I mean a Ford Explorer is also a certain icon and the F-Series trucks, and a super icon always was the Jaguar E-Type, for example. These are the sort of cars I have in mind, and it`s difficult when you say you want to create icon cars, because very often only the past can tell you whether you succeed in it.

But if you never go for it and watch it, analyze it carefully, what makes the difference between an icon car and a normal mass car, which goes away and nobody knows about it in a few years from now.

An icon car should always be, you should be able to put it into a museum in a few years. And what does it take to create an icon? And I think what we want to do, we want to create a lot of icon cars. You will then see whether we succeed, but that`s our ambition and that`s where we go.

So overall, I think we in the car industry, we should take more risks and we should go for defining ourselves as mobility companies and to really overall look at it in a very, very positive, attractive way.

PAG will be very agile with this approach. We moved our headquarters, you mentioned it already, to Irvine, California because we think that`s the future for trends. We have to jump out of the traditional capital of the car industry. We will add design studios there. We will have new design studios in London where we will design merchandise articles because also merchandising is something which should support the brand and not dilute it in putting your brand name on cheap stuff. So we are doing a lot. And, as I mentioned, we want to go progressively ahead with new dealership concepts so I`m proud to state that Greg Penske, who is here somewhere, Greg, thanks for your decision to establish one of these super PAG dealerships in north Phoenix, and you will see in future that`s also brand new. It will include a test track, on-road and off-road. So, we will provide a totally new retail experience, and we don`t want to talk too much about it now. We want to have a chance to show it to you in a certain period of time from now.

I have to make another announcement, and I want to do that today.

Some of you probably saw our concept car, the F-TYPE Jaguar in -- last year in the Detroit Motor Show, and we made now the decision to go ahead to put this car into serious production. So the F-TYPE will be produced in 2004, and three years from now you can have the car and I promise you, it will be an icon. And it will be the opening of a new era for Jaguar`s future in doing really emotional engineering, in doing outstanding cars. It has nothing to do with retro design. Its heritage design so it`s really something brand new and our ambition is it has to be a no-compromise roadster which will be unbelievable attractive, and when I say no-compromise, then it definitely will not be a platform approach we use. It will be a unique product with an incredible emotional appeal.

Well, I can also mention that this is now the 40th anniversary of that seminal Jaguar sports car E-Type, and I think to a certain extent, this will be the successor of this icon E-Type and of some other wonderful Jaguar roadsters like the XK 120 and others Jaguar had in its past.

We are very glad to announce today to the world the news that we will go ahead with the Jaguar F-TYPE and put it into production. And when you think about from where Jaguar came -- a car company with only two models -- we now will have five. We will grow that brand sensitively so that we do not dilute the brand. But there is much room and Jaguar is now the fastest growing car company in the world. In 1998, the last year before PAG was founded, we had about 50,000 cars and in 2000 we sold 90,000. This year we will sell much more than 100,000. So Jaguar is on a good path, and this car will help a lot to change Jaguar`s design. This will be a new design language, which will then also be contributing to the design elements for other Jaguars in the future.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I just wanted to say that I`m really a great believer in the bright future of the car industry. And if there is any more time left for questions and answers…

After 23 years with BMW AG, 13 of them as a board member, Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle joined the Ford Motor Company as group vice president and the man in charge of the newly formed Premier Automotive Group in 1999. PAG consists of five brands: Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo, Aston Martin and Land Rover, all of which will soon be headquartered in Irvine,California.

Dr. Reitzle studied mechanical engineering at Munich Technical University where he earned a Doctorate in engineering. He began his career at BMW in 1976 as a specialist in production technology and climbed the ranks through a number of senior production positions before being appointed general manager of the development division in May, 1985. Ten years later his list of responsibilities at BMW included research and development, sales and marketing.


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q: www.just-auto.com

[DimStar]

Covisint needs someone to take the wheel

http://www.redherring.com/industries/2001/0112/ind-covisint0…

Negativ:
Immer noch lange kein CEO in Sicht
Grundlegende Meinungsverschiedenheiten über die Funktion von Covisint

Positiv:
Immerhin wurden wg. CEO schon Headhunter eingeschaltet
400 Mio $ Einkaufsvolumen in nur wenigen Wochen Ende 2000 abgewickelt
Die Gartner Group ist bullish für Covisint

[DimStar]

hallo Eboerse

erinnerst du dich an die built-to-order-pläne der Autokonzerne ?

Es sieht wohl so aus, als daß dies für die nächsten Jahre keine Priorität in den e-business-plänen sein wird, weil amerikanische Kunden einfach kein Interesse daran haben. Nichtsdestotrotz hätte ein solches Angebot ein hohes Potential für Kosteneinsparungen, aber wenn nur eine Handvoll Kunden daran derzeit Interesse haben, wäre das kurzfristige ROI nicht hoch.

Interessanter Artikel:

Built-to-order cars run out of gas

http://yahoo.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4451381.html?pt.yfin.c…

[Eboerse]

Deutet eigentlich alles darauf hin,dass der Beschaffungsprozess und das damit zusammenhängende e-procurement Priorität hat.
Das wird die richtige Entscheidung sein, das bringt ja weder den Herstellern noch den Technologie Lieferern einen Vorteil wenn die Kosten höher sind als der zu erwartende Umsatz,soweit der Kunde das Angebot nicht nutzt.
Direkte Einsparungen nach der effektivsten und effizientesten B2B-Strategie treffen ist das beste Konzept für die betroffenen Unternehmen und wird ja auch so gehandhabt.
Built to order bietet aber für den Kunden und dem Hersteller einen sehr großen Anreitz.
Grüsse

PS:Wenn ich mich richtig erinnere meinst Du das Posting dazu im Fakten und Gerüchte Thread.
Konntest Du erfahren wer die Technologie dazu liefern kann?

[gooodi]

hallo,

diese "spielereien" stehen noch lange nicht an. das wäre dann vielleicht das i-tüpfelchen in vielleicht 2-3 jahren.
jetzt steht die kundengewinnung und die schnelle anbindung von hauptlieferanten der jeweiligen marktplätze im vordergrund. obwohl
covisint wohl doch so etwas wie das aushängeschild von cmrc ist.

mfg.goodi

[DimStar]

@ Eboerse
Nein. Evtl. BVSN auf der einen und BEAS auf der anderen und einige andere mehr. In jedem Fall müssten für solch ein System mehrere IT-Firmen zusammenarbeiten, denn der Hauptanreiz für die Autohersteller besteht ja in der Integration von Kundenwunsch und Produktion. Ist ja aber eh eher uninteressant, solange die Autokäufer sich lieber in der Niederlassung mal in den Wagen reinsetzen und probefahren wollen.

Ich habe aber auch von einer Standardisierung der Prozesse zwischen Niederlassungen und Herstellern gehört. Unter anderem wird dies damit begründet, daß es für alle Hersteller ineffizient ist, wenn die Händler jeweils nur eine Marke anbieten. Nicht umsonst gibt es jetzt schon immer größere Auswahl pro Händler und wenn sich dies aus Kostengründen fortsetzt, kommt man mit proprietären Prozesslösungen nicht mehr weiter.

Wenn jemand weiteres darüber weiß, wäre ich sehr interessiert. Hat aber alles natürlich nichts mit Commerce One oder Covisint zu tun.

[isaaacc]

lange kanns mit ceo und sitz nicht mehr dauern.

enporion legt sich auf tampa fest (9.1.)

exostar ernennt ceo.

www.exostar.com / www.enporion.com

[isaaacc]

Auto Concerns on Agenda
by Barbara Gengler, Line56
Monday, January 15, 2001


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Executives from the automotive B2B e-commerce supply industry will hammer out concerns such as the growth of the automotive supply chain and how technology is solving today`s issues at this week`s Automotive News World Congress.
E. J. O`Leary, CEO of iStarXchange, will talk about the delivery of aftermarket replacement parts from manufacturers to jobbers, retailers, dealers and installers. O`Leary said B2B exchanges will revolutionize the automotive distribution system and will make parts ordering through the channel much more efficient for distributors and increase profitability.

According to iStarExchange the automotive supply industry has two sides to it, the new car Tier One and Two suppliers to OEM distribution, like Covisint and the rest of the industry, and the distribution of aftermarket replacement parts, a $150 billion a year arena. As if to underscore the importance of the aftermarket component, last week aerospace exchange and collaboration e-market Exostar named a CEO from the aftermarket supply sector.

A recent global study by KPMG noted it`s time for a coalescence among buyers and suppliers in the auto industry, which will result in tru transparent pricing. "This can cause a lot of pain in the supplier ranks but ultimately lead to healthier, more efficient companies, which will lead to a healthier more robust industry," said Brian Ambrose, KMPG`s national industry director for automotive practice.

The study also says it is time for the automotive industry to come into line with B2B best practices. Ambrose stated: "In terms of e-business progress, KPMG found that automotive industry ranking last against six other traditional industries. The largest manufacturers have not clearly defined a cohesive strategy for executing Web-based procurement. The message from Wall Street is loud and clear: embrace the digital age."

At World Congress, joining O`Leary will be the company`s COO Doug Formby and Jeff Smith, CTO among others, who say they expect a lot of discussions and feedback from participants.

IStarXchange is a joint venture between Toyota Motor Sales and i2 Technologies, which services include Planning and Procurement Services that allow for demand and procurement collaboration between buyers and sellers. Buying and Selling Services include a hosted catalog supporting pricing, inventory availability and preferences as well as auction and indirect procurement platforms.

"The system offers benefits to every link of the automotive replacement parts supply chain. IStarXchange has capabilities ranging from supply chain management to being a marketplace service provider to a parts exchange to a solutions source to a technical resource," O`Leary said.


q: line56

[isaaacc]

New Technology and e-Commerce - A Powerful Source of Competitive Advantage


"The Internet represents a fantastic opportunity for the large manufacturers to build strong relationships with their customers and ultimately to transform themselves into virtual companies like Cisco Systems" says Brian Ambrose of KPMG.

Click above on `Contact Us` to order a copy of "Industry Leaders See Auto Companies Changing into high-tech Businesses."

In the coming years, no automotive company will be able to survive without responsiveness and flexibility. Government regulation and consumer preferences will force changes in how cars are designed and made. Companies will need to seize new and innovative technology to cut costs, meet consumer demand and remain ahead of the competition.

Has the era of the `custom car` arrived? What do our Automotive professionals say? Find out by clicking on "Transformation of the Auto Industry Through B2B e-Commerce" in the right-hand side `Insights` box.

The rising tide of e-Commerce means that more and more consumers will look to the Internet to buy their cars. In response, dealers will need to find creative ways to enhance the car-buying experience they can offer customers. For automakers, the Web gives them the opportunity to expand into distribution. For suppliers, the Internet will mean faster communication with OEMs resulting in more efficiency and lower costs.

This trend is fully explored by KPMG in "The Future of Auto Retailing: Customer Centric Value Chains (Momentum Winter 2000)" where future e-Commerce partnership possibilities, tax implications and managing risks for e-Business are examined.

KPMG`s comprehensive e-Business strategy assists companies in developing a true electronic enterprise and helps them seize competitive opportunities presented by Internet technologies. Companies can improve operations, realize long-term savings, and enjoy increased competitive advantage using Internet technologies.

Find out about our approach to e-Business methodology and data security by clicking on the right-hand side `Related Services` box.

Also, find out how some companies have benefited from our experience, by selecting the case studies on the right-hand side.

q: http://www.kpmg.com/industries/content.asp?l1id=40&l2id=90#

die studie kann man sich schicken lassen.(s.o.)

[DimStar]

hey isaaac
Danke für all die guten Artikel. Ich bin wohl doch nicht der einzige B2B-Verrückte. Verlinkung funktioniert übrigens so:
schreiben und site-adresse zwischen die Klammern einfügen.

As if to underscore the importance of the aftermarket component, last week aerospace exchange and collaboration e-market Exostar named a CEO from the aftermarket supply sector.

Ich würde die Ernennung dieses Typen so interpretieren, daß Boeing & Co. Exostar als Schrottplatz und 2nd Hand - Internetbude einplanen. Das ist bestimmt nicht das was wir uns von Anfang an darunter vorgestellt haben, aber m.E. wirklich gar nicht so schlecht, zumal dies auch ein sehr großer Markt ist. Eine Company wie Exostar braucht einen konkreten Geschäftsbetrieb und weil die Technologie für das direct procurement ja tlw. noch gar nicht erhältlich ist bzw. die supply-chain noch nie und nimmer dafür gerüstet ist, ist das ein guter Anfang. Wenn Exostar und die supply-chain auch die C1/SAP-Produkte lizensieren, könnten sie einen Schritt weiter gehen.

[sneake]

kann mir mal jemand sagen wie oft commerce one an so einer plattform verdient?bekommen die jeden monat ihr geld wenn darauf was getätigt wird oder nur einmal.und wenn wie lange bekommen die ihr geld dort monatlich für immer oder wird das vertraglich festgesetzt.danke schon mal vorab.

[gooodi]

hier mal wie bei bmw über den online handel und built to order gedacht wird:

Strategie
Vom Direktverkauf über das Netz hält BMW nichts. Der Autobauer setzt auf E-Business, um bei der Produktion individualisierter Fahrzeuge eine Spitzenposition zu erreichen.
Von Roland Keller


<Wer das innovative Image der BMW-Automobile auch beim Autovertrieb erwartet, wird enttäuscht. Denn freie Fahrt für Autokäufer gibt es bei BMW im Internet auch künftig nicht. Für jene im vergangenen Jahr vier Prozent der deutschen Autokäufer, die nach einer Studie von Cap Gemini Ernst & Young ihr Fahrzeug online kaufen möchten, endet der Einkaufstrip beim Car-Configurator.


<Covisint muss auf die Teilnahme von BMW verzichten>

Online bestellen darf und soll nur der Händler. "Der BMW-Kunde will sein Auto nicht im Internet kaufen", lautet die lapidare Begründung von Finanzvorstand Helmut Panke, der auch für E-Business und IT zuständig ist.



Online-affine Klientel

Im nächsten Satz weist Panke stolz darauf hin, dass sich europäische BMW-Käufer vor dem Gang zum Händler eine halbe Stunde lang online informieren. Der Händler schickt dann die detaillierte Kundenorder über das Internet in die E-Business-Kette von BMW. Mit Hilfe der jungen E-Business-Beratungstochter Nexolab werden derzeit 80 E-Business-Projekte konzernübergreifend und über die Unternehmensgrenzen hinweg umgesetzt und vernetzt. Im Rahmen der E-Business-Gesamtstrategie bleibt kein Konzernteil verschont. Ziel von Panke ist eine End-to-End-Lösung, mit der sich extrem schnell auf den Markt und Consumer-Trends reagieren lässt. "It’s all about speed" ist Pankes hausinterne Motivations-Parole. Ein Teil der Hausaufgaben wurde bereits erledigt – etwa der Online-Abruf von fixen Lieferterminen durch den Händler oder das Online-Tracking bestellter Fahrzeuge, das bald auch für die Kunden möglich sein soll. Wie weit die Prozesse unter der Oberfläche schon fortgeschritten sind, belegt die Reduzierung der durchschnittlichen Lieferzeit. Sie soll in diesem Jahr von 30 auf zwölf Tage sinken.

_fazit
> Das individuelle Wunschauto soll via E-Business in zwölf Tagen fertig sein.
> Auch in Zukunft können die Kunden nur beim Händler bestellen.
> BMW setzt auf eigene B-to-B-Plattformen statt Marktplätze.

Durch interne Vernetzung dauert die Modellentwicklung bis zur Serienreife schon heute nur noch 30 Monate statt fünf Jahre. Wer die Münchner Konzernzentrale betritt und keinen BMW fährt, wird rasch belehrt, dass sich BMW-Kunden deutlich von den Käufern der automobilen Standardware aus Detroit oder Fernost unterscheiden. Im Lauf eines Jahres, betont Panke, laufen kaum zwei identische Wagen vom Band. "Wer will denn schon ein hochindividualisiertes Produkt mit einem Mausklick ohne die Beratung eines Händlers kaufen?", fragt er. Umfrageergebnisse, die durchaus eine Online-Kaufbereitschaft zeigen, kümmern Panke nicht: "Einen direkten Verkauf über das Internet an Endkunden wird es nicht geben."


mfg.goodi

[gooodi]

hallo,
bmw nutzt covisint eventuell doch ? weiß jemand, ob diese aussage noch aktuell ist ?


Titel des Interviews: E-Procurement in Unternehmen
Name: Bauer
Vorname: Robert
Titel: Diplom-Informatiker
Tätigkeit / Funktion im Unternehmen: Robert Bauer ist als Leiter "Einkaufsstrategien, -methoden und -prozesse" im Technischen Einkauf der BMW Group verantwortlich für die weltweite Umsetzung einheitlicher Einkaufsstrategien sowie für die Planung, Realisierung und den Betrieb der hierzu erforderlichen IT-Systeme.

Organisation / Unternehmen: BMW Group



Sehr geehrter Herr Bauer,


Die Gesellschaft COVISINT realisiert einen elektronischen Marktplatz für B2B für die Hersteller DaimlerChrysler, Ford und General Motors. Warum hat sich BMW entschlossen nicht auf diesem Marktplatz vertreten zu sein?

Bauer: BMW hat sich entschlossen, sich nicht an diesem Marktplatz zu beteiligen. Da COVISINT jedoch ein offener Marktplatz ist, ist damit zunächst nicht ausgeschlossen, dass BMW diesen Marktplatz nutzt, wenn er für uns vorteilhaft ist.

Unsere generelle Strategie ist jedoch, dass wir uns flexibel und frei auf den Marktplätzen der Welt bewegen wollen, die für uns beste Einkaufsmöglichkeiten und Serviceleistungen bieten. Die wirtschaftliche Beteiligung an einem Marktplatz würde uns als Einkauf dazu nötigen, möglichst alles über diesen einen Marktplatz einzukaufen, um möglichst viel "Traffic" zu erzeugen. Dies kann aber nicht im Sinne des Einkaufs sein.

mfg. goodi

[salko]

tut mir leid ....

Ich muß mich noch mal melden.
Wenn ich das euphorische Gesülze von Einigen wieder lese wird mir wieder schlecht....ich empfehle allen Neueinsteigern die Threads zu C1 komplett zu laden und auch zu lesen!

[isaaacc]

@salko:

deine meinung in allen ehren. aber ich finde, dieser thread ist nun wirklich zu 95 prozent sachlich orientiert, auch kritische artikel werden gepostet und negatives diskutiert.
ich kann hier kein uebertriebenes euphorisches gesuelze finden.

---------

@gooodi: bzgl. bmw keine ahnung, wenn du lust hast, schreib doch mal ne email, wuerde mich auch interessieren!

---------


@sneake: wie genau die finanziellen details und vorgaenge bzgl. covisnt c1 aussehen, wurde nicht oeffentlich gemacht.
die grundlegenden infos zu dem deal findest du hier:
http://www.commerceone.com/news/us/commerceone_covisint_agre…

---------

@DimStar:
danke, wobei viele von den besten artikeln gerade nicht von mir kommen!
bzgl. verlinkung muss ich gestehen, dass es schlicht an faulheit und nicht am nichtwissen liegt. (mist, keine hintertuer offen)


---------


http://dowjones.work.com/index.asp?layout=display_news&searc…

GM Hopes for at Least $800 Million in Savings from Supplier Ideas



Thursday January 11 3:56pm EST



By Gregory L. White
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. hopes to save between $800 million and $1.2 billion on its materials bill this year through a new program under which it asks suppliers for ideas on how to save money and shares the proceeds with the supplier if the ideas are implemented, GM purchasing chief Harold Kutner said Thursday.

"If I can`t generate the value through ideas, of course I`ll have to use other methods," Mr. Kutner told The Wall Street Journal. He said the other methods would involve more-traditional price reductions, which suppliers have gone along with grudgingly in the past. At the moment, Mr. Kutner said the slowdown in the industry has led him to be concerned about the health of some suppliers, leading to the new approach.

DaimlerChrysler AG`s (DCX) Chrysler unit, by contrast, has demanded 5% price cuts from suppliers this month as part of its effort to stem deepening losses. Suppliers have been critical of the move and fought it.

GM`s (GM) Mr. Kutner noted, however, that the savings from supplier ideas are to be in addition to the regular material-cost reductions GM seeks, which will total in the range of $2 billion and $2.5 billion this year, he said.

To reach the billion-dollar goal for the new program, Mr. Kutner said it would have to generate thousands of money-saving ideas this year in time for them to be checked, engineered and implemented. GM has dedicated teams of engineers world-wide to the effort.

The approach is a departure for GM, which since 1992 has earned the reputation of one of the toughest buyers in the industry, demanding price reductions every year and pitting suppliers against one another to get them.

"We historically have been the bad guys on the street," Mr. Kutner admitted.

Mr. Kutner also was upbeat about the prospects for the auto-industry`s joint Internet purchasing exchange, called Covisint. He said GM has run about $300 million through the system in the last year and that total volume among all members -- including Ford Motor Co. (F), DaimlerChrysler AG and Renault-Nissan - - this year should reach $50 billion.

He said he expects Covisint to hire a chief executive within the next month, noting that the company is in serious negotiations with one candidate and has several others in reserve. Covisint officials have been promising to name a CEO for months, only to delay the announcement.

Copyright (c) 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

--------------

Ford Says $1 Billion in Vehicle Sales Last Year Came From Web



Monday January 8 2:45pm EST



By Karen Lundegaard
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
NEW YORK -- Ford Motor Co. said it can directly attribute $1 billion in new vehicle sales in 2000 to online efforts, said Brian Kelley, president of ConsumerConnect, Ford`s e-commerce division.

Some 115 million unique visitors also logged on to the company`s various Web sites, including those across vehicle brands such as Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Land Rover. That figure is at least double the previous year, Mr. Kelley noted.

The Web has also helped the Dearborn, Mich.-based auto maker increase customer satisfaction. When customers coupled the Internet with the standard dealership experience, satisfied customers jumped to 90% compared with averages in the 70% range when they bought a vehicle solely through a dealer.

"It raises it pretty dramatically," Mr. Kelley said. "They feel like they`re more in control."

Ford`s company-owned stores have served as a proving ground for several online efforts. Some 5% of total sales at its so-called Auto Collection stores were done purely online, said Mr. Kelley. The online closing ratio was 11% for the company-owned stores, compared with 7% for the average dealer.

"We think we`ve got the network effect ... [with] a broader array of inventory," said Mr. Kelley. Customers "have a much better chance of finding a match."

Ford is also experimenting with a cyberstore in Tulsa, Okla. The Web store has kiosks where customers can search the inventory from all the city`s stores. The stores` sales staff are specially trained in online sales.

"We`re going to let it play out," Mr. Kelley said of the six-month old store, noting he wants at least a year`s worth of results. "It`s likely we`ll expand it."

Ford also just opened an auto-accessories store in a San Diego mall in conjunction with its company-owned store in that city. Computer kiosks allow customers to pull up their vehicle and reconfigure it to their liking, changing colors and adding accessories. The store is targeting younger consumers, even allowing them to burn CDs at the store. It sells everything from stylish hubcaps and seat cushions to retro dice that hang from the rear-view mirror. It also sells paint customers can spray on their vehicles, as well as the material that will remove it.

The goal was to "come up with something that gets kids into the accessorizing game," said Mr. Kelley.

On the supplier side, Mr. Kelley gave no time frame for hiring a chief executive for Covisint, an online auto-parts exchange formed by Ford, General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG in February 2000. Mr. Kelley is Ford`s executive in charge of the venture, which had expected to name a CEO back in October.

He said Covisint is looking for an executive who understands both the automotive and information technology industries, one who can draw management talent and effectively create a culture - many of Covisint`s employees are expected to come from the highly competitive auto makers.

"We`re not going to rush it," said Mr. Kelley.

Inside Ford, Covisint continues to be used, he added. Some 1,000 requisitioners are now trained on how to use Covisint, and 350 Ford truck engineers and productions designers are using Covisint`s product development tools.

He adds that 3,000 Ford suppliers with 300,000 users are online, using either Covisint or Ford`s internal network.

Copyright (c) 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/threadpag…

[isaaacc]

Oracle executive vice president Sandy Sanderson talks about the state of b-to-b exchanges and Oracle`s role


By Martin LaMonica


LAST YEAR WAS marked by a flurry of activity and partnering around business-to-business exchanges, or e-marketplaces. Oracle scored some major victories as one of the suppliers of b-to-b software infrastructure to major industrial Internet-based trading networks, notably in the manufacturing area. On Jan. 16, Oracle expanded its vision for what b-to-b e-commerce needs beyond electronic procurement.



In mid-December last year, Sandy Sanderson, Oracle`s executive vice president in charge of the company`s exchange and consulting business, spoke with InfoWorld Executive Editor Martin LaMonica. The company, along with Commerce One, had recently extended its commitment to supply Covisint, the automakers exchange run by General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler.



InfoWorld: The first wave of business-to-business trading exchanges, or e-marketplaces, focused primarily around electronic procurement. Where do you see things evolving from here?



Sanderson: We`re seeing exchanges much more broadly than [solely for] procurement exchange. Procurement, particularly on the indirect side, on the nonengineered product side, is going to quickly become a commodity. Companies when they`re buying or selling product, particularly around commodities, will naturally go to the places where it`s most financially advantageous to them; where, for example, either the fees are lower or the fees are zero.



We thought the initial hype around procurement exchanges was interesting because the competition that the Internet allows -- access to players anywhere around the world -- is naturally going to put pressure on transaction fees and such to drive down the price or revenues that an exchange is going to be able to generate around procurement. That`s point one.



Two, what we see in the exchanges -- and where the real value is going to be created -- is the electronic collaboration across the entire business systems of the companies that participate in it. So we see a procurement exchange as just the top line. An exchange has to have a procurement capability, a supply-chain capability, a logistics capability, a product-development capability, and a lead-generation capability where companies can collaborate, pursuing joint-sales opportunities, just as suppliers and manufacturers can collaborate electronically in building a product.



Also, because of the way [exchanges] can be structured technologically, there are many other value-added services they can offer. For example, they could operate as an ASP [application service provider] to provide the ERP [enterprise resource planning] and CRM [customer relationship management] functionality that`s needed for the different companies that want to participate in the exchange and yet don`t want to invest in their own IT infrastructure.



So it`s a huge vision, And b-to-b is here to stay. It is going to have a fundamental impact on companies` businesses, and the companies that will be the winners are the ones that will focus on the electronic collaboration among suppliers, manufacturers, and customers, and not those that focus strictly on the procurement piece, where there tends to be a lot of the emphasis today.



InfoWorld: What do you think about the revenue-sharing model, where an IT vendor and exchange participants invest in a trading network?



Sanderson: Candidly, revenue sharing has risk. You watch what`s happened in the [business-to-consumer] space. It happened in the b-to-b space. I watch business plans of these exchanges being put together, and every time they reissue or update their business plans, one of the things that changes is revenue projections going down. And with Covisint, we consciously made the decision to go with a license agreement. It`s the most significant license deal that Oracle has ever done, the largest one we`ve ever done.



And it will take years for Commerce One to achieve in revenue what we have not only achieved up front but also the monies we have in the bank. So the point for other companies is deciding how they participate. There`s a lot more reluctance now for companies to decide if they`re going to participate on an exchange in a revenue-sharing approach, because the concern that Oracle has is shared by others.



InfoWorld: How do you think small companies will join into trading networks from a technical point of view?



Sanderson: Well, I think long-term what`s going to happen is that open standards are going to play a bigger and bigger role. You know, for example, at Oracle we`ve used XML. Commerce One uses a proprietary standard. Microsoft uses a proprietary standard. We`ve consciously made the decision to use an open standard. The other companies will eventually do that as well. And so I think the more that open standards take hold, the easier it`s going to be to integrate in the long run. Now what we have built -- using Covisint as an example again (it was part of the Oracle portion of that deal) -- is that we are providing what we call hub-and-spoke integration technology to those that want to participate in the exchange.



InfoWorld: Won`t things get very complex, considering the customizations companies have made to their ERP applications?



Sanderson: What we`ve done is through, for example, our Oracle Message Broker, as well as [through] our adapters and other commercial adapters that are available in the marketplace. They allow companies to say, "I`ve got Oracle," or "I`ve got SAP," or "PeopleSoft," or whatever; and we`re building a lot of the basic integration, for example, for SAP to work against an Oracle exchange. I say basic, but it is pretty comprehensive.



I think you`re implying if the company does any special customization or something, we certainly don`t know that until we get there. But we have thought integration through, and from a technology perspective we`ve made some significant advances in making it available, again through Message Broker and adapters -- that kind of thing.



It still takes some investment on the participants` part to complete that integration if they`ve done some customizations. And in some cases, it may put demands on their legacy environment that their legacy environment is not able to handle.



InfoWorld: How much do you expect a lot of the sort of value-added services such as supply-chain and collaborative development to be done in these public exchanges versus how much will be done in one company`s supply chain, or "private exchange"?



Sanderson: I think that`s an interesting one to watch. As you know, if you`re writing in this area, a year and a half ago you weren`t saying very much about exchanges in general. It`s hard to imagine that it`s been only a little over a year. And it will continue to evolve. I think it`s an interesting question, and I don`t have the answer to it. I can tell you my hypothesis: The exchanges, in many cases the public exchanges, will play roles around procurement and in the commodity-based areas.



But what you`ll see is that some of these companies that participate in exchanges will decide that their relationship with their suppliers or their relationship with their customers [should work] through a private exchange, through their own exchange; because what they`ll want to do is create personalized relationships with suppliers and customers.



And it`s an issue of trust. Do I trust that a public exchange is going to allow me to do that? Or do I build an exchange myself and know that I`m going to have better control of that? So I think that you`ll see some private exchanges emerge, and it will be an interesting thing to talk about a year from now.

http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/01/01/19/010119hnsa…

[isaaacc]

http://www.just-auto.com/news_detail.asp?art=22511&c=1

hier sind es schon 60 milliarden.


USA: GM sees $US12 billion inventory cut with build-to-order
18 Jan 2001
Source: Reuters
e-mail this to a colleague
view printable version
send us some feedback

By Justin Hyde
DETROIT, Jan 17 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. has set a goal of reducing its inventories by half - about $12 billion - in the next three to four years by building most of its vehicles to customer orders.

Harold Kutner, GM`s group vice president for worldwide purchasing and North American production control and logistics, said Wednesday that the world`s largest automaker hopes to build 85 percent of its vehicles to order in a few years, rather than trying to forecast demand.

Kutner told industry executives at the Automotive News World Congress that the shift was essential to satisfying customer demands and reducing costs.

"We`ve seen the growth of the Internet shopper who knows what`s available," Kutner said. "They`re not going to compromise based on inventory."

GM and the rest of the U.S. auto industry operate on a "push" system, where automakers build based on guesses of consumer demand then prod dealers to sell as many vehicles as possible. The drawbacks, such as high incentives and large inventories, are well-known.

Lower-than-expected demand led to heavy incentives from GM, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG last year, and all three have cut production this year to trim the numbers of unsold vehicles. GM reported a 51-percent drop in fourth-quarter profits Wednesday, due in part to the slowdown in North America.

Basing U.S. production on customer demand has been a goal for many years. But only with the arrival of the Internet, and the recent promise of better communications from dealer showrooms all the way back to parts suppliers, has build-to-order become a possibility.

The move is not based on just being nicer to consumers. Kutner and other executives said a build-to-order system would drastically cut costs by reducing the inventories automakers and their suppliers need to guess demand.

Emil Hassan, senior vice president of North American manufacturing, purchasing, quality and logistics for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. , said Nissan`s studies found that it could theoretically save up to $3,600 per vehicle if all its production were built to order.

"Even at $100 a vehicle, it would be worth it," he said.

An ideal build-to-order system would also allow automakers to promise a nearly custom-built vehicle within a number of days. Kutner, Hassan and other executives said delivering on time would be more important than whether that time was 15 days or 20 days.

Kutner also said Covisint, the online supplier marketplace, would play a big role in linking GM more closely with its suppliers. He said Covisint would handle $60 billion in exchanges this year, up from a few hundred million dollars last year.

GM has been running some pilot build-to-order programs, Kutner said, and has reduced the time it takes to turn an order from a dealer into a built vehicle by 40 percent. He said the next challenge was in shipping the vehicle, which can take 15 to 70 days.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.

[isaaacc]

weiterer artikel ueber die kpmg studie (s.o.)

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/?id=6648




Report: Auto Industry Stumbling on Net
By Lori Enos
E-Commerce Times
January 11, 2001


In the KPMG survey, 51 percent of automotive executives cited cost as a barrier to e-business.

In This Story:

Inertia Reigns

Spread the Wealth

Dead Last

Waiting and Seeing

What the Future Holds

Related Stories


The automotive industry is lagging far behind others in terms of e-business progress, according to a study released Wednesday by consulting firm KPMG.

Brian Ambrose, national industry director of KPMG`s automotive practice, told the E-Commerce Times that both automotive suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been hesitant to join an e-marketplace that involves competitors sharing information.

In order to move forward, according to KPMG, automakers and their suppliers need to overcome significant cultural, technological and security issues. However, Ambrose said that in time, the automotive industry will become more comfortable with e-business marketplaces.

"A healthy competitive environment in the ranks is a good thing," Ambrose said.

For the study, KPMG surveyed automotive leaders from multinational OEMs and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the United States, England, Germany and Japan.

Inertia Reigns

In the KPMG survey, 51 percent of automotive executives cited cost as a barrier to e-business. Forty-seven percent mentioned the need to re-engineer business processes, and 45 percent cited a lack of e-business skills.

The study also found that the majority of respondents reported "widespread concern" about security, citing it as one of the factors that prohibit OEMs and suppliers from swiftly adopting digital solutions.

"E-business security is a widespread concern that few companies really seem to understand," Ambrose said. "There is a misperception out there that smaller Internet projects don`t need security protection by the nature of size."

Ambrose added, "Security is one of the first e-business investments and one of the wisest. No one needs to have proprietary designs stolen or a production line shut down because of network penetration."

Spread the Wealth

In order to succeed in the e-world, progress must come bottom-up, not top-down, according to KPMG. Chief executive officers must solicit ideas and initiatives from their operating units and then take action to implement and fund ideas as warranted. Successful ideas must, when possible, be leveraged across the organization.

"One of the hallmarks of successful e-business is integration of the value chain," Ambrose said. "Instead of keeping all your cards close to the vest, share some of what you are holding with your value chain partners."

Added Ambrose: "It isn`t a zero-sum game where your win is a value chain partner`s loss. It can be a win-win game where the whole value chain shares information and objectives."

Dead Last

A study undertaken by KPMG and the Economist Intelligence Unit last summer found that the automotive industry ranked last among the seven industries studied -- automotive, financial services, chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, consumer markets, and communications -- in terms of e-business progress, which was measured by advances in technology and to what degree senior management was involved in e-business implementation.

At the time of the survey, only 35 percent of automotive senior executives were actively involved in e-business activities. According to KPMG, this figure was "by far the lowest response" of all industries and "quite lower" than the cross-industry average of 58 percent.

However, Ambrose told the E-Commerce Times that since that time, he thinks the automotive industry has made substantial progress in terms of executive involvement.

Waiting and Seeing

For many, Covisint, the B2B e-marketplace formed last year by competitors General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan, is the role model for the e-marketplace and has been touted as an example of how rivals can work together for the common good.

Ambrose said that many in the automotive industry delayed implementing e-business strategies because they were waiting to see how Covisint fared before launching their own e-business initiatives. After receiving required regulatory approval, Covisint went live in September.

"Waiting to see what a competitor does is not a sound strategy in the e-business world, because those who take a leadership position stand to gain the most in terms of strengthening their balance sheets for acquisitions," Ambrose said. "Leaders will be rewarded and followers forced to merge."

Ambrose did say that "the good news is that very few industries have the right equation, and e-business momentum in the automotive industry can change fast."

What the Future Holds

Overall, the future does look bright for automotive e-business. Ambrose believes the industry will begin realizing cost savings and efficiencies within the next 18 months as Covisint gets up to speed and companies implement their own e-procurement chains.

Ambrose stressed that progress "is going to take time because of the required commitment" and because e-marketplaces are very complex technologically. He also believes that Covisint`s progress will accelerate once it finds a CEO.

[isaaacc]

eAuto Ends Operations
by Demir Barlas, Line56
Monday, January 22, 2001


Email this article...

Print this article...


eAuto, an automotive directory site founded in 1996 that tried to make the switch to B2B automotive aftermarket parts distribution in November 2000, has run out of gas after failing to secure a second round of funding.
After spending three frustrating months in the distribution business, eAuto Founder and CEO Malcolm Davidow said the automotive aftermarket seemed hesitant to adopt new technologies for ``inventory management, reverse logistics, supply chain integration and electronic cataloging.`` He added that eAuto`s efforts had been geared towards ``getting the mechanic to migrate from the telephone to the keyboard,`` but that neither the mechanic nor the capital markets appeared fully ready for the challenge.

According to Babcox Research, only about 60 percent of automotive aftermarket professionals have Internet access. As Davidow came to discover, the telephone is still the industry`s preferred method of ordering products.

eAuto`s B2B channel was designed to allow technicians to purchase automotive replacement parts and accessories that eAuto sourced from twenty Tier 1 OEMs and second-line aftermarket manufacturers. The value-added components of this process included a graphic user interface, an e-catalog, volume-based pricing, and Vehicle Identification Number-enabled searching.

As part of its dissolution, eAuto plans to sell elements of this technology, including its proprietary diagnostics application, volume pricing program, database management program, Website content, and the eAuto brand and domain name.

W. Daniel Garretson of Forrester Research said that eAuto`s model succeeded in streamlining aftermarket parts sales, but that it faced ``stiff competition as established players adopt the Web.`` Jordan Hymowitz of Robertson Stephens said that the intense competition in eAuto`s space arises from a huge opportunity, as 30 percent of auto manufacturers` production costs arise from inefficient distribution systems.

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2039&ml=2

[isaaacc]

A Commerce One-SAP lovefest
Everything you wanted to know about b-to-b
January 23, 2001 03:00 AM ET

RELATED STORIES
• Oops! Oracle commits a b-to-b bungle
• Commerce One beats Street, offers bullish outlook
• I2 posts strong fourth-quarter results

• More by Adam Feuerstein





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I think I know about the b-to-b sector:


Commerce One`s (CMRC) decision to hook up with SAP (SAP) looks pretty smart these days. There was a lot of skepticism about this partnership when it was announced last June, mainly because the German software maker wasn`t known for playing nice with partners.

Most of those doubts were put to rest after Commerce One announced surprisingly strong financial results last week, topped off by a bullish outlook for the rest of the year. As previously reported, 30 percent of Commerce One`s fourth-quarter revenue came from deals with SAP -- and the two companies just started selling their jointly developed software. There are 13,000 corporate customers using SAP software out there, which gives Commerce One a large pool in which to sell its products.


Of course, Commerce One could also be in big trouble if this relationship sours. But there aren`t any indications of that happening, so far.



The b-to-b sector has largely lived up to expectations during this financial reporting season. Companies that posted strong numbers and presented a convincing case for future growth -- Commerce One and i2 Technologies (ITWO) -- have been rewarded by investors. Companies that have issued mixed results, including iffy guidance for 2001 -- Ariba (ARBA) comes to mind -- have been hit with some selling.


When will the Alliance -- the b-to--b partnership between Ariba, i2 Technologies and IBM (IBM) -- file for divorce? The answer: Never, at least officially. Don`t expect to see a press release announcing the dissolution of the Alliance. The end of partnerships like these is never as neat and tidy as their launch. Instead, the Alliance will just die a slow, tortured -- and quiet -- death.

Well, maybe not that quiet. During i2`s conference call with analysts last week, co-chairman Romesh Wadhwani fanned the flames with this quip: "Customers don`t really care about first-generation e-commerce systems that purchase office supplies. They care about a complete transformation of their business."


Do you think Wadhwani was talking about Ariba?


I2, of course, believes it possesses all the b-to-b tools any company would ever need. Remember the days when Oracle was considered the World`s Most Arrogant Software Company? These days, that title goes to i2. Let`s just hope they can deliver on all their promises.



Give Oracle (ORCL) credit for adding another interesting wrinkle to the b-to-b game: The importance of customer feedback and marketing data to supply-chain and product development software.

When Oracle execs demo`ed their new collaborative b-to-b applications last week, they showed how data from a company`s marketing and customer service departments could be used to improve the efficiency of a company`s supply chain, or in designing better products.


Sounds like a no-brainer. If customers tell you that your new product is the greatest thing since sliced bread, it makes sense to quickly get on the horn with your suppliers to make sure you have enough parts to keep up with demand. The same goes if customer feedback is negative -- why not use that information to huddle with suppliers for a redesign?


You don`t hear a lot of online marketplaces, or the b-to-b companies that sell them software, talking about this much. The big hurdle, of course, is getting your customer service database to share information with your supply-chain software, etc. Oracle, of course, has that problem beat (or so it claims) because its customer service, supply-chain and product development applications are all part of one e-business software suite, running on a single Oracle database.


Of course, most companies or marketplaces don`t run 100 percent on Oracle, so that would seem to open up some doors for CRM software companies like Siebel Systems (SEBL), Kana Communications (KANA) or E.piphany (EPNY) to attack this side of the b-to-b game.



Question: Why is Covisint, the big automotive industry exchange, having such a tough time finding a CEO?

All of the other industry-led marketplaces, it seems, are having no trouble finding executives to sit in the big chair. In the last few weeks, Exostar (aerospace), Elemica (chemicals) and Omnexus (plastics) have all announced CEO appointments.


Covisint is the oldest of these mega-marketplaces -- it claims it will be the biggest and most successful -- so why is it so hard to find a chief executive?

http://www.upside.com/Adam_Feuerstein/3a6c9d0d1_yahoo.html

[Harami]

24.01. 13:40
Commerce Ones Covisint wählt Management
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(©BörseGo - http://www.boerse-go.de)

Covisint, L.L.C. , Betreiber eines Automobil-Marktplatzes im Netz, hat ein eigenes Management gewählt und damit erneut zum Ausdruck gebracht, daß man als eigenständiges Unternehmen auf dem Markt agieren wolle.

Mitglieder des Board of Directors sind:

J.T. Battenberg III, Chairman, CEO und Präsident von Delphi Automotive Systems
Laurent Bourrelier, Vizepräsident von Business-to-Business, Renault
Brian P. Kelley, Vizepräsident der Ford Motor Company und Präsident der Ford-Tochter Consumer Connect
James H. Keyes, Chairman und CEO von Johnson Controls, Inc.
Olaf Koch, Vizepräsident Corporate e-Business, DaimlerChrysler AG
Professor Doctor Edward G. Krubasik, Siemens, AG
Harold R. Kutner, General Motors Corporation
Carlos E. Mazzorin, Vizepräsident des Einkaufs (weltweit) und Südamerika bei Ford
Ralph J. Szygenda, CIO bei General Motors
Gary C. Valade, DaimlerChrysler AG
James H. Vandenberghe, Lear Corporation
Don Walker, Präsident und CEO von Magna International

Fünf weitere Mitglieder werden in Kürze benannt - zu Ihnen sollen auch Personen aus Bereichen ausserhalb des Automobilsektors zählen.


© BörseGo.de

[isaaacc]

Auto-Internetportal Covisint wählt erste Vorstandsmitglieder

Das von fünf führenden Autoherstellern gegründete Internetportal Covisint hat die ersten Mitglieder des künftigen Vorstands gewählt. Zu den zwölf Mitgliedern gehörten unter anderem der Chef der Delphi Automotive Systems Corp J.T. Battenberg, der Chef von Johnson Controls Inc, James Keyes, und der stellvertretende Chef von Lear Corp, James Vandenberghe, teilte Covisint am Mittwoch in Detroit mit. Weitere fünf Mitglieder müssten noch bestimmt werden, hieß es weiter.

Die Internetplattform, ein Projekt der Konzerne DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Renault und Nissan, soll den jährlichen Handel zwischen den Automobilunternehmen im Volumen von 300 Milliarden Dollar bündeln. Von Zulieferern werden zusätzliche 500 Milliarden Dollar erwartet. Bereits 25 Zulieferer teilten mit, an dem Handel über den Internet- Marktplatz teilnehmen zu wollen. DaimlerChrysler hatte im Rahmen eines Testprojektes bereits erste Transaktionen über Covisint getätigt. Die Auswertung der Erfahrungenen hätten gezeigt, das die Handelsplattform eine effektivere und rentablere Arbeitsweise ermögliche, hatte DaimlerChrysler im September vergangenen Jahres mitgeteilt.

q: net-business

[isaaacc]

hier mal die kopie des downloadbereichs unter www.covisint.com:

fuer echte enthusiasten: ein covisint-screensaver.

Download Sections


Covisint Screensaver
Presentations
Print Brochures


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Covisint Screensaver
Covisint Screensaver
Windows Only - 2.40 MB
Download the Covisint Screensaver for your PC. Save the file to your hard drive and double-click to install.

back to top




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Presentations
Covisint Overview
Adobe Acrobat - 808 KB
Presentation from the Covisint Customer Day held in Southfield, Michigan on December 1, 2000 by Covisint Marketing.

Auto-Tech 2000 Keynote
Adobe Acrobat - 690 KB
Presentation from the AIAG Auto-Tech 2000 Keynote in Detroit, Michigan, US. Presented on 12th September 2000 by Peter Weiss of DCX.

back to top




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Print Brochures
Covisint Overview Brochure
Adobe Acrobat - 1,195 KB
General overview of Covisint, including an intro to Product Development, Procurement, Supply Chain.

Procurement Overview Brochure
Adobe Acrobat - 1,768 KB
Information on catalogs, auctions, quote management, asset management, and consulting.

Supply Chain Overview Brochure
Adobe Acrobat - 1,843 KB
Information on forecasting, SupplyNetwork, and logistics.

Product Development Overview
Adobe Acrobat - 2,777 KB
Information on knowledge exchange, information services, collaboration, and marketplace.

Global Launch: November 2000
Adobe Acrobat - 207 KB (English)
View Covisint`s November 2000 global ad. Available in the following languages:
English - 207 KB
Deutsch - 207 KB
Français - 207 KB
Japanese - 243 KB

The Entire Industry is About to Accelerate Ad
Adobe Acrobat - 141 KB (English)
View Covisint`s first global advertising campaign. Available in the following languages:

[isaaacc]

Cream of the crop make up Covisint board
By Rachel Konrad
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 24, 2001, 11:25 a.m. PT

Covisint, a giant online parts mall for automakers and their suppliers, unveiled Wednesday the first 12 members of its board of directors--a veritable who`s who list of the automobile industry.
The all-star board is responsible for finding a CEO, as well as finding numerous other top executives that the 1-year-old company lacks. Covisint, which has been unable to find an appropriate chief executive, plans to elect five additional board members in the upcoming months.


In addition to ending an unusually long and difficult hunt for a CEO, the board must also work to dismantle the reputation of Covisint and the auto industry as a slow-moving and bureaucratic bastion of the Old Economy.

According to a recent survey by KPMG International, the automobile industry and its supply base ranked dead last in terms of technological preparedness as well as organizational commitment to digitization.

Covisint is the latest in a spate of initiatives by automakers to harness the power of the Internet. General Motors, Ford Motor, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan, along with technology partners Commerce One and Oracle, provided all of the start-up funds for Covisint.

Executives hope to take the company public sometime in 2001, or possibly as late as 2002, if the market for initial public offerings does not improve soon. Covisint could fetch a market capitalization exceeding $10 billion by 2005, according to advisers at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.

In a news release issued Wednesday, Southfield, Mich.-based Covisint named the following executives to its board:

• J.T. Battenberg III, an industry veteran who is now chairman, chief executive and president of Delphi Automotive Systems, one of the world`s largest suppliers

• Laurent Bourrelier, a well-known executive in the European auto industry and vice president of business-to-business e-commerce for Renault

• Brian P. Kelley, vice president of Ford Motor, head of the automaker`s e-commerce ventures and one of the founding strategic executives of Covisint

• James H. Keyes, chairman and chief executive of Johnson Controls, one of the first suppliers to have agreed to participate in Covisint

• Olaf Koch, vice president for corporate e-commerce for DaimlerChrysler, one of the original three founding partners of Covisint

• Edward G. Krubasik, a doctorate professor and member of the corporate executive committee for German electronics giant Siemens

• Harold R. Kutner, group vice president in charge of worldwide purchasing and North American logistics for General Motors

• Carlos E. Mazzorin, group vice president for global purchasing at Ford and a well-known executive in Detroit

• Ralph J. Szygenda, group vice president and chief information officer of GM, widely credited for streamlining the information technology processes at the world`s largest manufacturing company

• Gary C. Valade, executive vice president for global procurement and supply at DaimlerChrysler and one of the few senior American executives to have survived a massive shakeout at the merged automaker

• James H. Vandenberghe, vice chairman of Lear, another large supplier that became an early and enthusiastic advocate of Covisint

• Don Walker, president and chief executive of Canadian supplier Magna International

About 25 suppliers have agreed so far to participate in the business-to-business marketplace, but auto industry experts say participants could eventually swell to more than 30,000 companies--ranging from carpet manufacturers to office-supply stores.

nochmal aus anderer perspektive.

q: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4587606.html?tag=unkn

[isaaacc]

cnet liefert wirklich gute beitraege. hier der ausfuehrlichste bzgl. der kpmg studie (die man bei kpmg bestellen kann, allerdings schlug die erste uebermittlung als pdf - dokument fehl, mal sehen, wie lange sie fuer den 2. versuch brauchen)

Automakers missing the e-business bus
By Rachel Konrad
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 10, 2001, 10:10 p.m. PT

When it comes to e-business, the automobile industry sorely needs to step on the gas.
That`s the conclusion of a broad-ranging survey unveiled Wednesday by the automotive consulting practice of KPMG International. Researchers presented the severely unflattering survey, prepared in conjunction with The Economist Intelligence Unit, during a media conference at the 2001 North American International Show--usually a venue where proud industry executives tout technological savoir faire.


In a two-month survey of 331 executives on three continents in seven distinct industries, researchers found that the automobile industry and its supply base ranked last in terms of technological preparedness as well as organizational commitment to digitization.

Electronics and financial services were the top-rated industries. Chemical and pharmaceutical sectors competed for the bottom position with automotive and manufacturing companies.

The study found that automobile suppliers--the companies that build unglamorous but necessary parts ranging from brake systems to grommets and floor mats--perceived five giant risks that have scared them to near paralysis:

• A security risk, in which suppliers` competitors get to peek at proprietary designs if they transmit them online.

• A standards risk, in which suppliers purchase expensive and complicated software that must soon be replaced with a new system.

• An implementation risk, in which the software, online exchanges and other digital initiatives fail to deliver on their promises.

• An early-adopter risk, in which a well-intentioned supplier takes the plunge but then becomes a guinea pig or beta test for the rest of the industry.

• An opportunity risk, in which a supplier spends millions or billions of dollars on software and technology that could have been spent on core competencies such as factory upgrades, wage hikes or other more tangible benefits.

Researchers found that the auto industry`s biggest hindrance is a distinct lack of trust among automakers--among the largest industrial corporations in the world--and the 30,000 or more suppliers that build and design parts for them.

"One of the hallmarks of successful e-business is integration of the value chain," said Brian Ambrose, national industry director of KPMG`s automotive practice. "Instead of keeping all your cards close to the vest, share some of what you are holding with your value chain partners. It isn`t a zero-sum game where your win is a value partner`s loss. It can be a win-win game where the whole value chain shares information and objectives."

The lack of trust among large automakers and the relatively small suppliers has become a sticky subject for Covisint, a giant automotive parts mall on the Web. KPMG researchers say the tortured project is perhaps most bogged down by suppliers who are skeptical of sharing purchasing or design information with competing automakers and supplier rivals, factions that in some cases have been at odds for more than a century.

Ambrose noted that security concerns could also be perceived as the flip side of deep cultural divisions that separate Covisint`s founding partners--General Motors, Ford Motor and DaimlerChrysler, not to mention rival tier-one suppliers such as Lear, Johnson Controls, Visteon and Delphi.

Although lack of trust is an overriding concern for Covisint, the complicated and controversial project has been beset by turmoil almost since its inception 11 months ago. It was originally mired in a high-profile antitrust investigation, and it is now engaged in a grueling hunt for a chief executive officer and permanent headquarters.

In addition to lacking trust in the venture, suppliers told KPMG researchers that they believed the expected benefits of Covisint, or any other online exchange, were highly overrated.

Many margin-squeezed suppliers also lamented that they don`t have the capital required to invest in technology--especially as the economy heads into a cooling period, and many industrial companies are trimming information technology budgets to focus on core competencies.

q:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-4440579.html

[isaaacc]

nicht direkt covisint, aber interessant:


Net market slaps Big 3 with lawsuit
Competing parts exchange alleges antitrust violations by automakers
by Richard Karpinski

When the Federal Trade Commission approved Covisint L.L.C.’s e-marketplace last fall after months of scrutiny, the Big 3 automakers hoped they’d put antitrust worries behind them.
Not so fast.

Earlier this month, a second auto e-marketplace from Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG—this one targeting the repair parts aftermarket—was hit with an antitrust suit by ChoiceParts L.L.C., a competing e-marketplace.

ChoiceParts’ complaint? The Big 3 automakers, it said, used their market power to try and drive ChoiceParts out of business. In an explosive allegation, ChoiceParts said the automakers first tried to acquire ChoiceParts before launching their own competing site and that they were withholding access to industry parts data, said Michael Badar, ChoiceParts’ chief marketing officer.

A DaimlerChrysler spokesman representing the repair parts e-market said the suit was without merit and that the online marketplace was moving forward. The executive in charge of the venture, Charles Rutono, declined to comment on the suit. Motions and court filings in response to the suit were expected to begin last week.

First-ever suit

The antitrust suit is the first ever filed against a b-to-b marketplace. For that reason, it will be closely watched. The past few months have seen a score of independent Net markets go out of business. And in almost every case, they’ve pointed to the entry of large industry consortia into their market as a key reason they were forced to close shop.

While the Federal Trade Commission has been keeping close tabs on b-to-b and issued some guidance as to appropriate business practices, it has not pushed for any new rules or legislation.

"ChoiceParts appears to have legitimate antitrust concerns," said Hillard Sterling, partner with Chicago law firm Gordon and Glickson L.L.C., who focuses on b-to-b issues. "Antitrust law precludes competitors from collaborating in a manner that effectively forecloses market entry and viable competition."

According to Sterling, the case will hinge on a key factual matter: Did the automakers unfairly limit ChoiceParts’ access to the data, and is there no other way for the company to acquire that same data via other channels?

"This is the first viable antitrust complaint against a business-to-business exchange," Sterling said. "This case is likely to be the first domino in a series that will raise many anticompetitive concerns with various b-to-b consortia."

History of sharing data

In its suit, ChoiceParts asks the U.S. District Court in Chicago to stop what it calls "anticompetitive

efforts" aimed at blocking ChoiceParts from providing its electronic automotive parts locator and transaction system to repair shops.

"Basically, we are looking for the right to use data about parts pricing that they’ve historically and consistently provided to other companies for at least 20 years," ChoiceParts’ Badar said. "We’ve got a great business model and a product that’s ready to go right now. We’re asking for the right to compete."

Badar called the data in question "the DNA of our business" and said the detailed part numbers and related data can only come from the automakers themselves.

ChoiceParts has signed what Badar described as a restrictive license to access the parts data, which ChoiceParts uses to build its offline product-locator catalogs. But the licenses do not allow it to sub-license the data, a necessity if ChoiceParts is to deliver its repair e-marketplace directly to collision and repair shops, Badar said.

The Big 3 automakers seem willing to let the case play out in court while they proceed with the launch of the service. The repair parts e-market has set up headquarters outside of Cleveland and has run several successful pilot tests, the DaimlerChrysler spokesman said.

Collaborate or compete

Tension between industry consortia and independent e-markets may be unavoidable, but until now it has not led to litigation. In some cases, consortia have cut deals with independent Net market-makers as a way to jump-start their own operations.

One environment that looks more cooperative than competitive is the aerospace industry, where a handful of parts e-markets have emerged, including PartsBase.com Inc. and TradeAir.com.

Those small markets are facing the entry of powerful consortia. Last week, aerospace hub Exostar Inc., led by The Boeing Co. and others, tapped PartsBase.com for its new CEO.

"We’ve had nothing crop up that even looked like a lawsuit," said Exostar VP-sales and marketing Stephen O’Sullivan. "We see ourselves as doing the things we’re good at and cooperating with other people who occupy a specialist niche. I don’t view us as predatory in any sense."

"This industry is really kind of different," said Barry Wightman, chief marketing officer of TradeAir. "There’s a vast pool of parts, and prices go up and down based on raw market forces. Nobody can really control it, and everybody holds a surplus."

The idea that independents and consortia will end up partnering in the aerospace industry has "absolute merit," Wightman said. "Net markets and [consortia marketplaces] are definitely talking to each other."

Government intervention

The government has been counting on market forces and common sense—rather than regulations and lawsuits—to keep the b-to-b industry in check.

Last summer, the FTC held a two-day workshop examining e-marketplace antitrust concerns. In October, the agency issued guidelines that in essence said e-markets appear to offer great benefit and should be regulated under existing antitrust laws.

Industry consortia Net markets will be closely watched if their owners have a large industry market share, restrain participation outside the market or do not interoperate with other e-markets, the report said.

So far, the FTC has largely kept its hands off this fledgling industry, while letting e-markets know they will be watched.

"The FTC has shown the presumption is heavily against filing antitrust suits against b-to-b consortia," antitrust lawyer Sterling said. "These deals typically create efficiencies and pro-competitive benefits. But there’s always an antitrust flag when competitors get together to collaborate rather than compete."

top


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright January 2001, Crain Communications, Inc.
http://www.btobonline.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=4903

[DimStar]

hi isaaac,
ich bin mir ganz im klaren darüber, welchen bildschirmschoner du nun nutzt ...

ich bin mittlerweile ziemlich daran ermüdet, all die risikofaktoren und probleme von Covisint zu studieren, mache ja seit einem Jahr kaum anderes. irgendwann heißt es für mich: tut was ihr tun könnt + show me the money. ich finde das exec.-board ist schon ganz gut besetzt. Covisint bewegt sich wie eine Schnecke, aber im Enfeffekt kommt kein Analyst darum herum, daß wir in 10 oder 20 Jahren eine verdammt große Firma bekommen.

Grüsse

[Scream3]

Hallo Leute endlich tut sich was bei Covisint.Und Commerce One verdient kräftig mit.





Covisint: Zwölf Vorstandsmitglieder stehen fest


Covisint gibt die Wahl von zwölf Mitgliedern ihres ersten, siebzehnköpfigen Board of Directors bekannt.

In das Board of Directors von Covisint wurden gewählt:

J.T. Battenberg III, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer und President, Delphi Automotive Systems
Laurent Bourrelier, Vice President für Business-to-Business, Renault
Brian P. Kelley, Vice President, Ford Motor und President, Consumer Connect, ein Ford-Unternehmen
James H. Keyes, Chairman und Chief Executive Officer, Johnson Controls
Olaf Koch, Vice President, Corporate E-Business, DaimlerChrysler
Prof. Dr. Edward G. Krubasik, Vorstandsmitglied, Siemens
Harold R. Kutner, Group Vice President, Worldwide Purchasing und Production Control & Logistics Nordamerika, General Motors Corporation
Carlos E. Mazzorin, Group Vice President, Global Purchasing und Südamerika, Ford Motor
Ralph J. Szygenda, Group Vice President und Chief Information Officer, General Motors
Gary C. Valade, Executive Vice President, Global Procurement und Supply, DaimlerChrysler
James H. Vandenberghe, Vice Chairman, Lear
Don Walker, President und Chief Executive Officer, Magna International
Fünf weitere Mitglieder des Board sind noch zu wählen, darunter Vertreter anderer Industriezweige als der Automobilindustrie.
Über Covisint Der E-Business-Handelsplatz Covisint wurde von DaimlerChrysler, Ford und General Motors ins Leben gerufen, um den Bedürfnissen der Automobilindustrie gerecht zu werden. Später sind Commerce One, Nissan, Oracle und Renault beigetreten. Mit Covisint werden Erstausrüster (OEMs) und Zulieferer ihre Warenflusskosten reduzieren und effizienter wirtschaften können.

Die vorübergehende Geschäftszentrale von Covisint befindet sich in Southfield, Michigan. Die Organisation plant, Büros in Europa und Asien zu eröffnen.


25.01.2001 11.15 Uhr

[gooodi]

hallo,

2001 wird das jahr der wahrheit.:

E-Procurement und Marktplätze verschärfen den Wettbewerb (12.01.2001)


MÜNCHEN (COMPUTERWOCHE) - Nach den zahlreichen Dotcom-Pleiten des vergangenen Jahres ist die Versuchung groß, das Thema E-Commerce etwas gemächlicher anzugehen. Mit der Aktivierung der von internationalen Großkonzernen gesponserten Marktplätze beginnen jedoch insbesondere für Unternehmen der Zulieferindustrie turbulente Zeiten. Mit Andy Kyte, Vice President and Research Director Business Management Group bei Gartner, sprach CW-Redakteur Robert Gammel.
CW: Für welche Firmen oder Branchen ist E-Procurement zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt interessant?


Gartner-Analyst Andy Kyte: "Den größten Nutzen haben internationale Konzerne."

KYTE: Beim E-Procurement muss man unterscheiden, wer vom Einkauf und wer vom Verkauf profitiert. Den größten Nutzen werden zweifelsohne die großen internationalen Organisationen haben, die gegenwärtig mit hoch fragmentierten und damit uneffektiven Einkaufsprozessen kämpfen. Sie versuchen mittels E-Procurement, ihren Beschaffungsprozess zu konsolidieren und die Zahl der Bezugsquellen zu reduzieren, um so bessere Konditionen aushandeln zu können.

Auf der Verkaufsseite müssen sich die Unternehmen überlegen, ob ihre Produkte leicht zu beschreiben sind und sich einfach in elektronischen Katalogen führen lassen. Diese Firmen sollten nicht denken, dass es genügt, eine Website zu starten, um dadurch neue Kunden zu erreichen. Vielmehr müssen sie die Fähigkeit entwickeln, über verschiedene Kanäle zu verkaufen, also über ihre Website, über Marktplätze und über Katalogsysteme.

CW: Ist die Zeit für den Online-Handel mit komplizierten und erklärungsbedürftigen Produkte noch nicht reif?

KYTE: Die Einkaufsabteilungen versuchen in erster Linie den administrativen Aufwand für den Einkauf geringpreisiger Produkte zu vermindern. Unternehmen werden noch eine geraume Weile brauchen, bis sie ihre gesamten Beschaffungsprozesse mittels E-Procurement organisieren können. Es gibt keinen Sinn, mit komplizierten, konfigurierbaren Produkten zu beginnen. Firmen sollten mit einfachen Sachen anfangen, sich mit den notwendigen Änderungen der internen Prozesse auseinander setzen und lernen, mit der Software umzugehen.

CW: Ist es für Großunternehmen schwierig, ihre Zulieferer vom E-Procurement zu überzeugen?

KYTE: Gegenwärtig sind die großen Einkaufsorganisationen dabei, ihre Zulieferer zu erziehen. Die Probleme rühren daher, dass die Vorteile anfangs eindeutig auf der Beschaffungsseite liegen. Also müssen die Einkäufer die Zulieferer ermutigen und manchmal auch klarstellen, dass es künftig einfach so laufen wird. Die Zulieferer sollten hier gut zuhören, auch wenn sie große Bedenken haben. Sie müssen sich bemühen, da E-Procurement definitiv kommt.

CW: Sind die Ängste der Zulieferer nicht begründet?

KYTE: Zweifellos ja. Ihnen stehen erhebliche Investitionen bevor. Außerdem ist grundsätzlich die ganze Art, wie die Networked Economy funktioniert, dazu geeignet, Gewinnmargen zu reduzieren. Aber sich hier zu verweigern ist keine Gewinnerstrategie. Entscheidend ist, dass im globalen Markt der Wettbewerb zunimmt. Zulieferer, die sich dem nicht aussetzen wollen, haben keine Chance zu überleben. Es ist nicht das "E", das diese Entwicklung auslöst; es ist die Globalisierung, die Reduzierung von Zollgrenzen und die Schaffung zunehmend offener Märkte. E-Procurement ist nur ein kleiner Teil des Puzzles.

CW: Bedeutet das, dass die Zulieferer ihre IT-Investitionen erhöhen müssen?

KYTE: Insbesondere in der Automobilbranche werden die Zulieferer innerhalb der nächsten drei Jahre signifikant mehr Geld für IT ausgeben müssen. Viele der Hersteller in diesem Bereich stehen ständig vor der Wahl, entweder mit einer neuen Software die Effizienz zu erhöhen oder doch lieber ein neues Werkzeug für die Fertigung zu beschaffen. Viele Betriebe entscheiden sich für die neue Maschine. In der globalisierten Wirtschaft können Entscheidungen so nicht mehr getroffen werden. Diese Firmen müssen viel stärker in die Verbindung zur Außenwelt investieren.

CW: Die Vorteile liegen also auf Seiten der großen Einkäufer, und die Zulieferer zahlen den Preis?

KYTE: Stimmt. Dabei muss man aber folgendes bedenken: Zulieferer, die den Ansprüchen ihrer Kunden besser genügen, werden einen höheren Marktanteil erlangen. Diejenigen, die dazu nicht willens oder in der Lage sind, werden vom Markt verschwinden. Es geht hier schlichtweg um Wettbewerb. Jeder will E-Procurement als Einkäufer nutzen, aber niemand will es als Zulieferer mitmachen. Sogar große Zulieferer, die ihren Kunden kein E-Procurement bieten wollen, würden es gerne mit ihren eigenen Zulieferern einführen.

CW: Ist es für die kleineren Betriebe nicht schwierig, gleichzeitig in viele verschiedene Supply Chains eingebunden zu sein?

KYTE: Sie sind bereits jetzt in verschiedene Lieferketten eingebunden. Das betrifft ja auch in erster Linie die Zusammenarbeit der großen dominierenden Konzerne und deren direkte Zulieferer. Darauf wird zunächst der Fokus liegen. Aber dann wird es auf die nächst niedrigeren Levels gehen. Man darf sich E-Procurement und B2B auch nicht nur als die einfache Verbesserung bestehender Lieferketten vorstellen. Es werden vielmehr revolutionäre Veränderungen ausgelöst. Wir sehen schon die ersten Anzeichen. Benötigt beispielsweise ein Konstrukteur eine bestimmte Komponente aus Aluminium, kann er einen Schritt in der Lieferkette weitergehen, das Aluminium selbst ordern und seinerseits seinem direkten Zulieferer verkaufen. Dem Supplier wird dann gesagt: "Für uns braucht ihr keine Einkaufsabteilung für Rohstoffe, weil wir die mit unserer Einkaufsmacht günstiger bekommen."

CW: Für den direkten Zulieferer der ersten Ebene ist das aber nicht ungefährlich. Er wird immer stärker an seinen Auftraggeber gebunden, trägt aber dennoch das gesamte geschäftliche Risiko.

KYTE: Daher müssen sich Unternehmen mehr mit Risiko- und Beziehungs-Management beschäftigen. Sie müssen verstehen, dass sich viele der bewährten Geschäftsregeln ändern werden.

CW: Aber ist es nicht so, dass die großen Player eine Marktmacht besitzen, die es ihnen erlaubt, eigene Regeln aufzustellen?

KYTE: Deswegen beobachten ja die Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in den USA und die europäische Kartellrechtsbehörde die Aktivitäten dieser Player und die von der Industrie gestarteten Marktplätze sorgfältig. Sie wollen Monopolbildungen verhindern. Gegenwärtig kommen sie zu dem Schluss, dass die Gefahr nicht gegeben ist. Covisint haben beispielsweise beide Behörden genehmigt. Aber jeder neue Marktplatz wird natürlich von allen Seiten - von den Wettbewerbern wie den Aufsichtsbehörden - aufmerksam beobachtet. Wenn die Märkte unfair sind, werden sie nicht mehr funktionieren. Marktstrukturen müssen dem Bedarf aller Teilnehmer genügen. Man kann die Zulieferer nicht auspressen, bis sie erledigt sind, weil sie dann nicht mehr in neue Technik investieren und so keine Innovation mehr stattfindet. Die mächtigen Player müssen also darauf achten, dass die Margen der Zulieferer groß genug bleiben.

CW: Auch unter den verschiedenen Marktplätzen herrscht ein scharfer Wettbewerb. Welche Art von Marktplätzen hat die besten Chancen, eine bevorstehende Konsolidierungsphase zu überleben?

KYTE: Es wird eine Reihe von horizontalen, katalogbasierten Marktplätzen geben. Das wird jedoch ein von starkem Wettbewerb geprägtes Geschäft sein, wo sich nur wenige Anbieter durchsetzen können. Voraussetzung für den Erfolg sind geringe Transaktionsgebühren und hohe Umsätze. Wir schätzen, dass in der Euro-Region vier bis sechs große horizontale Marktplätze überleben werden.

Vertikale Marktplätze haben vor allem da gute Chancen, wo das Verhältnis von Angebot und Nachfrage unausgeglichen ist. Sowohl bei knappen als auch bei überschüssigen Waren bestehen für solche Plattformen aufgrund ihrer dynamischen Preisfindungsmechanismen gute Chancen. Ob diesen Sektor jedoch Dotcom-Marktplätze oder die großen Industie-betriebenen Exchanges besetzen, wird sich erst in den nächsten zwei bis fünf Jahren herausstellen.

CW: Haben die Dotcom-Marktplätze hier überhaupt eine realistische Chance?

KYTE: Ja, die haben sie. Beispielsweise hat der Automobilhersteller Ford, der ja ein Mitglied von Covisint ist, auch eine Allianz mit E-Steel abgeschlossen, um darüber seinen Stahlbedarf abzudecken. Marktplätze, die hoch spezialisierte Nischenmärkte bedienen, haben also günstige Aussichten, sofern sie sich auf Services konzentrieren, die spezielle Formen von Einkaufsprozessen unterstützen. Die meisten vertikalen Marktplätze werden sich jedoch gegen die mit riesigen Investitionen ausgestatteten Marktplätze der Großindustrie nicht durchsetzen können.

CW: Wie machen erfolgreiche Marktplätze Profit?

KYTE: Marktplätze werden in erster Linie an Value-Added-Services verdienen. Das Modell, dass Marktplätze nur Transaktionen erleichtern und einen gewissen Prozentsatz vom Umsatz als Gebühr einstreichen, ist die Ausnahme. Freemarkets.com ist beispielsweise ein Business-Service-Provider, der unter anderem Reverse-Auctions organisiert. Freemarkets.com stellt nicht nur eine Internet-Site als Transaktionsplattform. Das Unternehmen bringt ein Expertenteam zusammen, bietet Beratungsleistungen, überprüft die Bieter und verwaltet den gesamten Auktionsprozess. Diese Services stellt Freemarkets.com in Rechnung. Wir glauben, dass die Marktplätze, die sich auf Value-Added-Services konzentrieren, am erfolgreichsten sein werden.

CW: Business-Service-Provider werden also die transaktionsfokussierten Marktplätze verdrängen?

KYTE: Business-Service-Provider können Prozesse, die einzelne Unternehmen selbst organisieren, effektiver, günstiger und mit einer höheren Qualität abwickeln. So muss beispielsweise jede Einkaufsabteilung ihre Zulieferer genau beurteilen. Das heißt, dass man jeden Zulieferer einmal im Jahr oder alle zwei Jahre dahingehend überprüfen muss, ob seine Qualitätsstandards in Ordnung sind, ob die ISO-9001-Registrierung noch gilt, ob der Zulieferer insgesamt überlebensfähig ist. All das sind Aufgaben des Risiko-Managements. Alle Einkaufsabteilungen der an Covisint beteiligten Autohersteller nehmen diese Bewertungen vor, obwohl sie teilweise bei den gleichen Zulieferern einkaufen. Da macht es doch Sinn, wenn der Marktplatz einen Service anbietet, der sämtliche Zulieferer beurteilt und sich dafür bezahlen lässt.

CW: Bislang arbeiten die industriegesponserten Marktplätze wie Covisint, von einigen PR-Broschüren abgesehen, weitgehend im Verborgenen. Wie lange noch?

KYTE: 2001 müssen diese Marktplätze beginnen, Services anzubieten. Dieses Jahr waren die Investoren noch geduldig. Das sind große Unternehmen, die sehr viel Geld auf den Tisch gelegt haben. Wir reden hier von Beträgen in Milliardenhöhe.

CW: Wie viel war das beispielsweise bei Covisint?

KYTE: Ich weiß es nicht, wir glauben jedoch, dass die meisten großen Initiativen der Industrie mit einem Investitionsvolumen von 200 bis 300 Millionen Dollar allein im ersten Jahr ausgestattet sind. Die können auch noch neun bis zwölf Monate an der Entwicklung von Services weiterarbeiten, aber sie müssen auch bald etwas liefern. Andernfalls dürften die Investoren sehr ärgerlich werden. Wir glauben daher, dass die von der Industrie gesponserten Marktplätze im ersten Quartal 2001 beginnen, Services zu liefern, und aggressiv in die Lieferketten eingreifen werden.

CW: Was werden die ersten Veränderungen sein, die sich in den Lieferketten abzeichnen?

KYTE: Als Erstes werden wir sehen, dass die Zulieferer, die sich momentan mit E-Procurement und vertikalen Marktplätzen beschäftigen, ihre Aufmerksamkeit den industriegesponserten Marktplätzen zuwenden werden. Diese Marktplätze werden sehr fordernd auftreten, da sie ein riesiges Einkaufspotenzial repräsentieren. Zulieferer sollten also besser heute als morgen untersuchen, ob ihre Großkunden in solchen Marktplätzen engagiert sind, und gegebenenfalls so schnell wie möglich mit ihnen in einen entsprechenden Dialog treten, um zu verstehen, wie man unter den veränderten Bedingungen effektiv zusammenarbeiten kann. Diese Entwicklungen kommen definitiv. Da bringt es nichts, den Kopf in den Sand zu stecken.

CW: Am meisten wird derzeit die Situation der Automobilbranche diskutiert. In welchen Branchen werden sich industriegesponserte Marktplätze am schnellsten durchsetzen?

KYTE: Die Automobilbranche ist besonders schwierig. Hier wird es lange dauern, bis sich gravierende Änderungen abzeichnen. Schneller passiert das in der Hightech-Branche, beispielsweise bei Herstellern von Computern und Telekommunikations-Equipment, da es hier sehr kurze Produktzyklen gibt und das Supply-Chain-Management bereits jetzt aggressiv eingesetzt wird. Die haben auch die Technologie, um das schnell zum Laufen zu bringen.

Eine große Rolle wird Trade-Ranger.com spielen. Das ist der große industriegesponserte Marktplatz der Energie-, Öl- und petrochemischen Industrie, der eine enorme Einkaufsmacht darstellt. Ein weiteres Schwergewicht ist der Marktplatz der Bergbauindustrie [Quadrem, Anm. d. Red.], der unter anderem von Rio Tinto, Anglo American und DeBeers aus der Taufe gehoben wurde. Aber auch Handels- und Konsumgüter-Marktplätze werden anfangen, Services zu bieten und die Funktionsweise von Lieferketten verändern.

mfg.goodi

[gooodi]

hallo,

covisint-we will be one of the largest high-tech companies
in the world !!!

Covisint LLC has appointed the first 12 of its 17 directors, but there`s still no CEO in sight for the E-commerce exchange founded by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors. Having a board lets Covisint get down to business as an independent company, setting policy and working toward solvency.
Covisint execs won`t estimate how much longer their CEO search will continue. "This is going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest E-business entity in the world, and we don`t want to settle for an 8," says Dan Jankowski, a Covisint planning team member. "On a scale of 1 to 10, we don`t even want to settle for a 10. We want a solid 12." The Covisint CEO will need a good grasp of E-commerce and the kind of collaborative manufacturing business done by the automakers and their suppliers, as well as the ability to plan for a highly E-business-oriented future, Covisint execs and others have said.

Seven of the appointees come from the auto companies that form the nucleus of the exchange. Five other seats were filled by executives of suppliers Magna International, Delphi Automotive Systems, Johnson Controls, Lear, and Siemens. GM group VP and CIO Ralph Szygenda, who will fill one of the automakers` seats on the board, says another of the 17 spots will go to the CEO.

Szygenda says the four remaining seats may be filled by experts in business, banking and finance, and information technology, and a seat may even go to an academic. "We`re looking for a diverse board," he says. "We will be one of the largest high-tech companies in the world, and we need a lot of experience from many areas of business and technology." Szygenda says diversity on the board will ensure that Covisint is independent, not controlled by the automakers.


mfg.goodi

[isaaacc]

@gooodi: danke fuer das interview!!

----

Covisint Names 12 to Board
by Demir Barlas, Line56
Thursday, January 25, 2001


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Covisint, an industry-led automotive B2B e-commerce exchange founded last February by Ford, General Motors, and Daimler Chrysler, has elected twelve members to its board of directors.
The appointments are a "who`s who" of the automotive industry, including members from four of the five automaking partners of Covisint.

Though some transactions have begun to flow between Covisints` five automakers and its supplier partners, the company has yet to name a CEO and the board appointments lent no indication of when one might be named.

The search for leadership at Covisint has been much discussed since interim co-CEO Alan Turfe left in July 2000 to become CEO of MetalSpectrum. Although the board appointments are a significant step, analyst Sue Aldrich of The Patricia Seybold Group says the leadership search involves a more delicate choice. ``The CEO of Covisint will have a spectacularly difficult political job to deal with,`` she said. ``He`s got to get everyone to support him, suppliers and automakers alike -- and the automakers aren`t all heading in the same direction. Why would someone who has all the skills to be good at this job take such a risk in the first place? It`s no one`s idea of a good time.``

Covisint`s founders (joined by Nissan and Renault last April), have committed to channeling a significant portion of their annual $300 billion supply and material purchasing spending through Covisint. So far, twenty-five suppliers (including Delphi Automotive Systems, Borg-Warner, and the Dana Corporation) have also announced their intention to participate in Covisint. Oracle and Commerce One are the primary technology providers to Covisint.

The board appointments are: J.T. Battenberg III, chairman, CEO, and president of Delphi Automotive Systems; Laurent Bourrelier, VP of Renault`s B2B unit; Brian P. Kelley, Ford VP; James H. Keyes, chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls; Olaf Koch, Daimler Chrysler VP; Professor Edward G. Krubasik, a member of Siemens` Corporate Executive Committee; Harold R. Kutner, General Motors VP; Carlos E. Mazzorin, Ford VP; Ralph J. Szygenda, General Motors VP and CIO; Gary C. Valade, Daimler Chrysler VP; James H. Vandenberghe, vice chairman of Lear Corporation; and Don Walker, president and CEO of Magna International. Five more appointments are still pending.

von line56
nochmaliger hinweis auf die schwierigkeiten, einen ceo zu finden.
bin mal gespannt, wen sie aus dem hut zaubern.
(eboerse/gooodi/dimstar, wie waere es mit einer bewerbung?)

schoene gruesse
isaaacc

[Eboerse]

Covisint Clarifies Board Appointments


by Steve Konicki
InformationWeek
01/26/01, 12:42 p.m. ET

Covisint LLC has appointed the first 12 of its 17 directors, but there`s still no CEO in sight for the E-commerce exchange founded by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors. Having a board lets Covisint get down to business as an independent company, setting policy and working toward solvency.
Covisint execs won`t estimate how much longer their CEO search will continue. "This is going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest E-business entity in the world, and we don`t want to settle for an 8," says Dan Jankowski, a Covisint planning team member. "On a scale of 1 to 10, we don`t even want to settle for a 10. We want a solid 12." The Covisint CEO will need a good grasp of E-commerce and the kind of collaborative manufacturing business done by the automakers and their suppliers, as well as the ability to plan for a highly E-business-oriented future, Covisint execs and others have said.

Seven of the appointees come from the auto companies that form the nucleus of the exchange. Five other seats were filled by executives of suppliers Magna International, Delphi Automotive Systems, Johnson Controls, Lear, and Siemens. GM group VP and CIO Ralph Szygenda, who will fill one of the automakers` seats on the board, says another of the 17 spots will go to the CEO.

Szygenda says the four remaining seats may be filled by experts in business, banking and finance, and information technology, and a seat may even go to an academic. "We`re looking for a diverse board," he says. "We will be one of the largest high-tech companies in the world, and we need a lot of experience from many areas of business and technology." Szygenda says diversity on the board will ensure that Covisint is independent, not controlled by the automakers.

Covisint packt es proffesionell an.
Die Bereiche Kunden/Zulieferer,Branchen Know How,Verschmelzung von Old zu New Economy werden sehr weit und im Kern abgedeckt.
Mit allem was eine solche Plattform(ist fast unvorstellbar wenn sie wirklich einmal mit volldampf läuft)braucht.
Das ist ein sehr großes Projekt.
Vieleicht eine gute Anlagemöglichkeit genauso wie SAPmarkets wenn sie dann im Sommer an die Börse gehen.
Danke,Gooodi.

Covisint ist schon ein Prestige Objekt keine Frage.
7 Mega Exchange und elf in der Testphase.
Wenn Commerce One 10 zum laufen bekommt und sie sich entwickeln wie es die Entwicklung vorsieht dann sind wir gut investiert.

Grüsse an alle

[Eboerse]

PS:
An einem CEO legt Covisint scheinbar hohe Ansprüche.
Es soll eine Kapazität aus dem High Tech Bereich sein.

[isaaacc]

vielleicht wird ja andy grove der covisint ceo (waere das eine bombe?!).

lt. finanztreff ist ipo bei sap-markets jetzt doch erst zum jahresende geplant.
die ahben alle kalte fuesse wegen der verschlechterten rahmenbedingungen (bzw. warme fuesse wegen der steuerreform 2002).

schoenen gruss

----
SAP will im CRM-Markt nicht zukaufen - SAP Markets 2001 nicht an die Börse

FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Das Walldorfer Softwarehaus SAP will in der Sparte CRM-Software und bei den sogenannten SCM-Lösungen keine Unternehmen aufkaufen. Das sagte SAP-Vorstandssprecher Hasso Plattner der Zeitschrift "Euro am Sonntag". "Es nutzt doch nichts, eine andere CRM- oder SCM-Firma zu übernehmen. 90% der neuen Software verträgt sich nicht mit den eigenen Produkten", sagte Plattner.

Zu einem urspünglich für einen Zeitraum ab Mai 2001 angekündigten Börsengang der Sparte SAP Markets sagte Plattner, dieser werde ein Thema, wenn die Tochter "um den Jahreswechsel" die Gewinnzone erreiche./kh/as/



Name Letzter Datum Veränderung
SAP AG VZ 199,00 26.01 20:05 0,00 (0,00%)


Multex Investor-Analyse
Artikel drucken Artikel senden Börsen-ABC
<< ZURÜCK


© 2000 gatrixx AG www.gatrixx.de 28.01.2001 - 13:26

[isaaacc]

Gleiche Plattformen für
Mitsubishi und Chrysler

Frankfurt (Reuters) – Der Autohersteller DaimlerChrysler und sein japanischer Partner Mitsubishi Motors wollen einem Magazinbericht zufolge künftig gemeinsame Plattformen nutzen, um Kosten in Milliardenhöhe einzusparen. Die Vereinbarung sei Teil des Restrukturierungsplans, der im Februar bekannt gegeben werden solle, berichtet das Nachrichtenmagazin Der Spiegel. Ein DaimlerChrysler-Sprecher wollte keine Details kommentieren, sagte jedoch, dass man eine engere Kooperation zwischen Mitsubishi und Chrysler bereits als eine „interessante Option“ bezeichnet habe. Beim Treffen des so genannten Alliance Council sei vereinbart worden, dass Mitsubishi die Modelle der Kompaktklasse entwickele, deren Chrysler-Variante sich dann durch ein eigenes Design unterscheide.

fuer die gemeinsame plattform werden sie gemeinsam ueber covisint einkaufen!

[isaaacc]

Harvey Seegers
by Demir Barlas, Line56.com
Monday, January 29, 2001



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Harvey Seegers is President and CEO of GE Global eXchange Services (GXS). GXS operates a business network consisting of 100,000 trading partners. Many of GXS’s customers are already GE customers and partners and its customer roster as a whole represents an astonishing 60 percent of all Fortune 500 companies. GXS, which was previously named GE Information Services (GEIS,) built itself into a powerhouse by becoming the largest Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) provider. In addition to offering EDI solutions, GXS builds and operates e-markets and also provides middleware and services so that customers can participate in e-markets.
Never one to shy from controversy, Seegers met with Demir Barlas of Line56 and discussed a broad range of issues, including why he thinks industry-led consortia like Covisint may be doomed; why the biggest shakeout of public marketplaces still lies ahead; and why the biggest winners in B2B will be old economy companies -- like GE -- that make the commitment to new economy initiatives.

Line56: At Line56Live! New York you said “GE’s been doing B2B for thirty years.” Would you care to elaborate on that and your idea that B2B e-commerce is evolving through a number of phases?

Seegers: Our view is that we’re in the sixth phase of B2B.

Phase one was when computers first started being used inside functional departments to improve the efficiency of their operations. The computers themselves weren’t inter-related.

Then we go to phase two, which is when standards were developed for interconnectivity. This is where EDI first started coming forward. EDI was developed in concert with the United Nations and business around the world. The first EDI standard was called EDIFACT.

Phase three was the implementation of ERP systems. ERP provided tighter linkages within the enterprise and, to a lesser extent, outside the enterprise.

Phase four was extranets, which are now being called private exchanges. Human beings are now beginning to participate in B2B. Prior to this, it was a machine-to-machine environment. One of the things that begin to be apparent in phase four is that B2B is very complex, and requires a lot of labor investment. This is where companies like ours start to leverage their experience. Some of the upstarts who thought this stuff was easy began to see that it’s not. The ramping of a trading community is a difficult and time-consuming process. It’s an organizational, behavioral, and technical issue.

Phase five is the age of mega-verticals and public exchanges: Covisint, Pantellos, Chemdex [now out of business]. This is now B2B collaboration largely among human beings.

We are now in the early stages of phase six, which is a shakeout of a lot of the public exchanges that lack sustainable liquidity and scale.

What I’ve described over 6 Phases is 30 years of evolution. We believe our involvement in every stage differentiates us from these companies that try to come into B2B and solve world hunger in 12-24 months.

Q: How is GXS out in front of the “upstarts”?

A: We handle one billion transactions annually. That represents a trillion dollars worth of goods and services. That’s serious stuff.

Q: What kind of technology infrastructure does that volume require?

A: When you’re handling this kind of global traffic, service problems are even worse for companies and economies. As far as infrastructure, we’ve got three major data centers around the world. These are sophisticated buildings that have backup power, computer equipment, and highly trained personnel to make sure everything stays up 24/7. We have people trained in the applications who can speak the local languages, who can troubleshoot for customers at a moment’s notice. We’ve got over 600 people in our professional services organization that ramp trading communities and implement these solutions. They’re trained in everything from connectivity protocols to C++ and Java. These are people who understand legacy environments and who have also been trained in contemporary technologies. We have a sales and marketing force that is globally deployed. You need an expensive and sophisticated infrastructure to make B2B go.

Q: Why are you so pessimistic about the prospects of industry-led consortia?

A: The issues fall into the categories of economics; law and regulations; organizational behavior; and technology.

On the economic side, because direct and indirect purchasing comprises such a large piece of most companies’ cost structures, many leading companies have become leading because of the way they’ve managed the cost structure of their supply chain. One of the impediments to the success of many of these exchanges is the fact that a number of the members are essentially ceding some of their competitive advantage to competitors. I think this isn’t fully appreciated yet, and it’s going to be a problem as some of these exchanges get underway and try to be successful.

Under the category of law and regulations, we all know the issues associated with antitrust. Even though the FTC has given Covisint the green light, if you look carefully at their opinion, it basically says that there’s nothing going on right now, and without anything going on there’s not any reason to disapprove of what they’re trying to do. But clearly there are directions that an exchange like that could take that would cause very close scrutiny by regulators. Because of that, a number of these exchanges are having difficulties staffing up. The risk associated with actually managing a consortium of competitors is huge. I know I wouldn’t take that job. If you make a mistake there, you don’t get a cease-and-desist letter in the mail; the sheriff comes and puts cuffs on you. Tough gig!

Let’s talk about organizational behavior next. How do you get people who’ve spent most of their careers competing against each other to collaborate in a new company? No matter how much you want to believe that you can kiss and make up, the fact is that traditional competitors have a very hard time cooperating with one another.

Finally, the technological hurdles are significant. The difficulty of interfacing with legacy systems and protocols is vastly underestimated. The concept of XML as the universal standard to conduct business over the Internet is a great idea, but it’s an idea that’s going to take a decade to reach its full potential. In the meantime, if we’re going to get any serious liquidity in the marketplace, these exchanges are going to have to interoperate with the installed base, and the installed base is essentially legacy.

Q: But you’re still bullish about the long-term success of B2B e-commerce in general?

A: B2B has only tapped one or two percent of its potential. We’ve only just begun.

Q: How will the potential of B2B e-commerce unfold when compared with today’s state of affairs?

A: B2B today, for the most part, is conducted between trading partners who have long-standing relationships. There are long-term contracts in place to govern the behavior of the parties. The prices are not dynamic; prices are set for the long term. The B2B experience, in large part, is fulfilling contractual obligations that have been negotiated in the physical world.

The new promise of B2B--which is going to take a while but is inevitable--is more dynamic trading. Where there’s more transparency about pricing and availability, there’s more spontaneous interaction between trading partners who may not have done business together before. That’s the new behavioral model for business that I think has promise. But again, largely due to a lot of impatient money last year, people were led to believe that this could all be accomplished more quickly than it actually can.

There have been a lot of good ideas and a lot of hype around B2B. What customers have learned – in some cases, the hard way – is that going with a company that has experience, a stable balance sheet, and a source of cash is very important when it’s time to make a purchase decision.

Q: Any predictions for the year ahead?

A: Next year there will be far fewer public exchanges. There will be some that are successful, but there’s going to be a substantial consolidation. The big story in 2001 is going to be the resurgence of private exchanges and unaffiliated exchanges.
http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2083&ml=1

[isaaacc]

ein sehr skeptischer artikel, der gut die zu bewaeltigenden aufgaben und probleme schildert.
ein guter einsteigerartikel, wenn auch von der negativen warte aus.
http://www.cbronline.com/issue/3902_2ae.html


Market farces

One year on from the mindshare launch of B2B marketplace Covisint, the exchange model is falling prey to market forces that challenge its stated aims. Stuart Lauchlan and Chris Middleton report.

Shortly before Christmas a business briefing took place for partners and investors in business-to-business (B2B) exchanges. The setting was ironic, perhaps, yet appropriate. It was County Hall, former home of London local government. The building had remained empty since 1986, when the Greater London Council was abolished by the Thatcher government, before being taken over in the late 1990s by a Japanese corporation and turned into a hotel overlooking the Houses of Parliament.

This, in short, was a building designed as a hub of financial and political transparency and expediency, but which fell victim to free market forces and was now a venue for entertainment in the shadow of real political power.

Here representatives of B2B suppliers, partners, customers and investors sat with their glasses filled and their crackers pulled and discussed the progress of their various projects while waiting for their meal to arrive. But the picture that emerged on a steely grey afternoon in the festive season was a revealing one - more so than the guests perhaps intended.

The theory of B2B exchanges is simple, and the key to it is transactional transparency. Yet at no point were these words mentioned. Regulatory threats were dismissed by a petrochemical giant. The owner of a property marketplace glowed as she explained how her company had turned down "the best and most efficient deal on the table" - from Commerce One, in this specific case - in favour of a contract with Ariba. The incentive? Marketing dollars from Microsoft, she claimed. Redmond would sell the initiative for her, and trumpet to her competitors the fact that the marketplace simply existed.

The same representative of a petrochemical giant who had been so scathing of regulatory interference, then boasted how his own "portfolio" of exchanges ran what were, effectively, shadow share option schemes. In some powerful, globe-hugging industries, therefore, the B2B exchange is emerging - inevitably - as an automated cartel with ever-escalating tiers of internal beneficiaries.

MARKETPLACE HYPE

Even by the standards of an industry in which bandwagons pass with terrifying speed and regularity, the hype which has surrounded the formation of B2B marketplaces has been remarkable.

The floodgates were opened last February by the announcement of the tie-up between General Motors, Ford Motor and Daimler Chrysler. But one year on and the waters are receding. The business-to-consumer (B2C) downturn is ancient history in Internet terms, but while enthusiasm has remained relatively high
for the B2B space, there is a tangible sense of realpolitik and redefined expectations.

In September, RedLadder.com, a construction marketplace, shut down due to financial difficulties, while used equipment and metalwork machinery exchange eSprocket announced it would be cutting its staff by half to reduce costs and build new business. In December, online marketplace services provider Ventro said it planned to shut down its Chemdex and Promedix ventures and lay off about 235 employees.

Elsewhere many of the `definitive` exchanges have seen the smoke and mirrors clear to reveal comparatively little. Covisint - the marketplace that has become the benchmark for the exchange model - has yet to find a permanent headquarters or a CEO, let alone achieve anything like a significant percentage of the $750 billion worth of procurement transactions that are scheduled to pass through it once it goes fully live.

Nick Earle, vice-president of international operations for marketmaker Ariba, acknowledges the shortfall of delivery versus expectation in the B2B sector. "A year ago it was thought that to be a winner you had to be the first to announce a marketplace. People were just staking claims in the market.



"Then the dot-com market dried up. Companies went under or didn`t manage to win second-round funding. That had a knock-on effect: there`s really no money around compared to a year ago. There`s been a forced retraction in the markets, particularly in the UK, France and Germany."

PROSPECTIVE ACTIVITY

This is not an adequate explanation. The dot-com deflation, of course, was due in part to an excessive capital burn rate to build market share on the back of marketing dollars, with insufficient short-term revenue to sustain the business. This should not, in theory, translate directly to automating partnerships across existing industry sectors.

The `retraction`, in Earle`s terms, does explain away the slowdown in the number of new marketplaces being announced, but fails to paint the complete picture when it comes to excusing the lack of activity in the mega-marketplaces. Until these marketplaces begin to see serious levels of transactional activity, they remain no more than an attractive concept.

That becomes particularly relevant if, as seems likely, the over-hyping of last year is followed by correction and consolidation. As such, the survival prospects of some of the planned exchanges are far from certain.

As in all business markets, the B2B exchanges with the best prospects are those that manage to generate the greatest liquidity over the shortest period. For a B2B marketplace that is just starting out, achieving liquidity is most likely to mean signing purchasing agreements with enough key buyers so that the marketplace can anticipate significant potential transaction volumes, usually in the range of a billion dollars or more in the early years.

But the more buyers that the exchanges can get to trade in a marketplace, the more new suppliers will be persuaded - or indeed, coerced by buyer power - to participate. The business model, then, is based on pulling as much buying volume online as quickly as possible.

That theory was put into practice in the B2C space by Amazon.com, which famously spent millions of dollars in acquiring and managing customers on the basis that once they were signed up it would be easy to sell ongoing products and services to them. But that meant persuading consumers to take their spending, rather than their browsing, online. It took Amazon.com over three years before it could claim to host just 2% of all book purchases online.

In the B2B space, there is a worrying precedent in the failure of the Automotive Network Exchange - the predecessor to Covisint - which collapsed because suppliers were unable to log on to sell their products easily and cheaply. As a result, there were no buyers and, therefore, no liquidity.

LAYERS OF TRUST

The situation is further complicated by the fact that in the consumer space, there is a simple purchasing model between buyer and seller. In the B2B space, however, B2B buyers are not necessarily the company for which the goods or services are actually intended; but they may be agents buying on behalf of other parties. This adds an extra layer to the purchasing model which, in turn, can slow down the realisation of liquidity.

Marketplaces are also inevitably subject to macro-economic factors. In the US, the car industry is far from healthy, however the figures are sliced and diced. Between December 1999 and 2000, auto sales fell 9%. Car companies are expected to sell fewer than 16 million vehicles in 2001, compared to 17.4 million in 2000 and 16.9 million in 1999, according to research from management consultancy KPMG.

Of course, in theory, that plays right into the hands of the online marketplace advocates who preach price and transactional transparency, lower procurement costs and more efficient execution of purchasing. Indeed, one Covisint spokesman argues that, "one way to stay healthy in a downturn is to apply technology to lower costs and become more efficient. Covisint makes available the tools to do those things and it will become more important in the face of any softening of the market."

But those factors only come into play once the marketplace is up and running; until then, they represent a potentially costly gamble. All the signs to date suggest that while the theoretical benefits of exchanges such as Covisint are recognised, in practice there is latent suspicion and a reluctance to commit on the part of suppliers to the industry.

LACK OF DIRECTION

Covisint is backed by some of the biggest auto manufacturers in the world. Its stated aim is to sign up 8,000 of the largest suppliers to the industry and let them involve the 30,000 or so lower-tier suppliers. But as of the final quarter of fiscal 2000, only 12 of the 40 most important parts suppliers in the US market were confirmed as supporting Covisint.

Worse, a study of 19 leading suppliers by investment bank Merrill Lynch revealed that there was widespread concern about the lack of information on Covisint and how the exchange would work in practice. As a result, suppliers were worried about handing over confidential information to the market makers and concerned by the potential implementation challenges.

One of the problems here is the lack of direction being taken by Covisint itself in establishing itself as a fully-formed corporate entity. In order to believe in Covisint, it is necessary first to believe that a group of formerly warring car companies in a cut-throat market are genuinely willing to put aside their enmities and co-operate for the greater good of the market.

"Marketplaces are operating successfully by and large," says Chris Phillips, a vice-president EMEA of Commerce One, "even if backed by large corporations, which is an asset. The way to make a profit is through providing ongoing levels of service, or what customers want. It`s free market dynamics. Are exchanges trying to make a profit and increase shareholder value? Yes. Have they worked out that the way to do that is by providing the best services and products? Absolutely."

"The business model of Covisint is fundamentally flawed," argues Ariba`s Earle. "I can see that it can work for indirect materials like stationery, which are not mission critical. But as soon as you talk about components such as car parts, they become items which impact on overall margins. As such, I could envisage a situation where participants in Covisint have a two-tier approach: using the exchange for indirect materials and running their own exchanges for the rest."

The fact that Covisint is moving at a snail`s pace is not helping to counter such speculation - or encourage the influx necessary to achieve liquidity. It took nearly six months for the name Covisint to be coined. One year on, the company has no complete time-base of operations and no-one seems willing to step up to the mark and accept the job of fronting the organisation.

According to a Daimler Chrysler spokesman, it is no easy task: "It`s hard to find a change agent - a big thinker with the ability to manage a huge project." But Covisint intends to be one of the largest ebusiness operations in the world. Executives hope to take the company public later this year - or more likely next, given current IPO prospects.

According to analysts at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, even in the current climate Covisint can expect a market capitalisation exceeding $10 billion by 2005. Being CEO, therefore, should be a highly sought-after position.

"The management team has not stabilised," admits Mark Salser, senior vice-president of advanced technology solutions at Oracle. "When the Federal Trade Commission were investigating, people were reluctant to take the job. Since then the lure of the B2B market has started to go away. People are thinking twice about joining a dot-com. The absence of a CEO has caused some of the delay. It`s affected its ability to make quick decisions."

With the company in corporate limbo, attention is increasingly turning to the financial arrangements and incentives to woo the apparently reluctant automotive parts industry on board.

In the light of this, Covisint`s own financial and equity sharing arrangements are themselves under scrutiny. Founding partners Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler hold equal stakes; Renault SA and Nissan Motor joined later as equity partners, but with a smaller stake. The two technology infrastructure providers Oracle and Commerce One each own 2% of Covisint, but beyond this have different arrangements with the company.

REVENUE STREAM

In December, Commerce One agreed to provide Covisint with the software for the procurement component of the trade exchange. The company will get an undisclosed share of Covisint`s gross revenue for 10 years and Ford and GM will own a combined 14% stake in Commerce One. Each gets a block of 14.4 million shares, valued at about $630 million.

That will result in a revenue stream for Commerce One once liquidity is achieved, although the company is reluctant to predict what levels those revenues will reach. Commerce One CEO, Mark Hoffman, says, "It is going to be made up of a variety of different kinds of charges, including transaction fees, subscriptions, access fees and the like."



Oracle`s approach, predictably, is different. It is charging Covisint for the 55 software products it provides to the exchange and is not interested in a revenue sharing tack which - if Commerce One`s approach was followed - would require CEO Larry Ellison to countenance selling part of the company.

Covisint`s acting CEO, Rico Digirolamo, confirms: "Commerce One has a unique relationship with Covisint. It is the only technical partner that`s going to share in gross revenues." Oracle`s Salser, though, is unusually defiant for a business partner. "Commerce One has an agreement based on future revenues, but whether it sees anything like the revenue we have to date remains to be seen.

"Oracle and Covisint both agreed that we would not have such a deal. We are a software company and we sell software licences. We have been paid for the licences and the work that we`ve done up to this point. Anyway, Oracle doesn`t have to give away a piece of its business in order to win business.

"Commerce One is supplying applications for procurement which are likely to become highly commoditised. Companies are going to give away such applications in the future. That means there`s a limited opportunity for revenue growth."

LIQUID GOLD

Covisint`s relationships with prospective supplier participants is equally interesting in terms of achieving liquidity. One of the biggest fears among suppliers has been that the Covisint board will include purchasing managers from the automakers, adding to their concerns that Covisint will primarily be a tool to exact price cuts. It seems unlikely, though, that any savings will be passed on to car buyers. In a bid to dispel these concerns, Covisint is considering putting three to five suppliers on the eventual 18-strong board of directors.

Meanwhile, 40 suppliers have been offered a profit-sharing plan rather than an equity stake, which would involve the sharing of earnings before interest and taxes. The suppliers are drawn not only from the top-tier of parts providers to the industry, but also some of the smaller companies. It is a compromise sparked by initial demands from key suppliers for an equity stake, but one which analysts at Merrill Lynch think might be enough to get a critical momentum behind the exchange.

ALIVE AND KICKING

Covisint`s prospects will roll out over the coming months. There is still no official `going live` date for the exchange (it is currently cloaked), but with other automotive marketplaces setting out their stalls to woo suppliers, there can be little time to waste.

Commerce One`s Phillips, however, claims the project is effectively `live` and that there is "a very significant number of transactions" and the company is "getting revenues from it". But he refuses to provide further details, or to define whether `live` means the entire project as a commercial and technological entity, or whether this is simply an indication of normal trading between the distinct and separate partners.

"Today, there are more than 700 e-marketplaces currently in operation. Most of them face an uphill battle to survive," argues Jim Andrew, vice-president of research company BCG. "Ultimately, the B2B market will be characterised by a handful of e-marketplace giants that serve the overall needs of an industry; and scores of niche players serving a special segment within an industry or providing a specialised function across many industries."

To survive the coming shakeout, e-marketplaces will need to bridge the gap between lost revenue and a rising demand for such collaborative services as supply-chain forecasting and planning tools. BCG analysts predict that over the next few years, e-marketplaces will also need to bridge a gap between falling transaction fees and a rising demand for investment in these collaborative services.

But collaborative services are difficult and expensive to implement and will not be widely adopted for at least four to five years. These services are, however, critical to long-term sustainability as they could account for up to half of total revenues for e-marketplaces.

This theory supports Oracle`s argument that commodity procurement applications are essentially of limited long-term revenue value. *The higher value lies with the collaborative services,* argues Salser.

*There is no requirement that the automotive manufacturers have to do business through Covisint at all. They all have existing methods, they all have their own extranets and they will continue to use these for a while. How well Covisint will succeed will depend on how well it can provide services that go beyond simple procurement.*

Sitting at high table, then, with the B2B exchange players may continue to be a matter of personal incentives, sweeteners and starters, long before the main course of genuine business arrives.
Covisint at a glance

Market Makers
Ford Motor
General Motors
DaimlerChrysler
Renault SA
Nissan Motor

Technology Providers
Oracle
Commerce One

Oracle provides:
* E-Business Suite for all internal operations
* Exchange Marketplace for security, single sign-on, registration and other functions
* 8i Database
* 9i Application server, Internet Developer Suite, Internet Directory, Message Broker, Warehouse Builder and data mining

Commerce One provides:
* MarketSite e-marketplace infrastructure platform
* Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition, e-procurement software for use by Covisint participants, plus auction and catalogue software
Covisint Functions:
* Electronic catalogues, both for parts and supplies
* Buyer and seller auctions
* Visualisation tool for 3-D product development
* Online tools to help manage and analyse supplier bids
* Electronic quote requests, eliminating need to use couriers







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© ComputerWire, 1999

[boxenstopp]

Hallo Freunde,

B2B Special bei der wirtschaftswoche

http://www.wiwo.de/WirtschaftsWoche/Wiwo_CDA/0,1702,13081,00…

Gruß an ALLE
Schweizer

[isaaacc]

Hyundai to get ChoiceParts online
by Richard Brown, Line56
Friday, February 02, 2001

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2111&ml=2
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ChoiceParts, an auto parts e-marketplace, is undergoing a three-month pilot with Hyundai Motor America in a move it calls “collaborative parts supply chain management”.
The trial is intended to help Hyundai dealers improve same-day parts availability, according to Chan Galbato, CEO of ChoiceParts, an independent company offering auto parts online to car dealers and collision repair shops.

ChoiceParts was formed by CCC Information Services, a supplier of advanced software and communications systems to the automotive claims industry, and the Reynolds and Reynolds Company, an integrated information management solutions provider. The Dealer Services and Claims Solutions Groups of Automatic Data Processing were also founders of ChoiceParts. They provide integrated information management solutions to over 16,000 automotive and truck dealers throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Galbato asserted that Hyundai would be able to manage its supply chain more efficiently through timely and accurate retail information. “Additionally, Hyundai gets the benefit of increased availability from its counter personnel, increased profitability due to time savings and the integrated network of 10,000 existing inventories.”

Fountain Valley, California-based Hyundai Motor America distributes Hyundai cars and sport utility vehicles which are sold and serviced by more than 500 dealerships. It is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.

Frank Ferrara, Vice President of Parts for Hyundai, maintained that the key to ChoiceParts is its integration into auto dealers’ existing DMS system. “With no new workstations to buy, faster turnaround in customer service times, and greater productivity at the parts counter, we have every belief that the pilot test will be a success."

Hyundai says it is the first automotive manufacturer to offer an Internet-based electronic parts catalog and order system.

[isaaacc]

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2106&ml=2

AMR Bullish on B2B
by Peggy King, Line56
Friday, February 02, 2001


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In his keynote address to an audience of executives at B2B startups, investors, and financial analysts at his company’s Strategy 21 Conference in Carlsbad, California, AMR Research president and CEO Tony Friscia began with the same litany of bleak indicators that led the Fed to lower interest rates on Wednesday --- drastic decline in consumer confidence, flat retail sales, high energy costs, massive layoffs at automakers, and the constant death march of the failed dot-coms.
But not to worry. Despite this economic malaise, Friscia and most of the other presenters during this two-day conference were bullish on B2B. “The B2C failures that resulted from flawed business models are irrelevant to B2B. The extended supply chain offers tremendous untapped potential to create value,” said Friscia.

Friscia bases his optimism on responses to a survey of ebusiness spending plans that AMR Research conducted late last year. His conclusion is that there is vast untapped potential for new ecommerce initiatives in a variety of industry sectors including manufacturing, transportation, construction, and energy. After having surveyed 100 senior executives from large companies, AMR researchers found no reason to reduce forecasts for software spending on ecommerce. To the contrary, the survey indicates that spending will grow 120 percent in 2001. “Most industries are in very early stages of e-commerce adoption and most executives we spoke to plan to continue to fund and often to increase their spending on customer relationship management and supply-chain optimization applications,” he said.

Friscia ended his remarks by advising executives to invest now. “We predict that the on-line economy will hit full-force by 2004. With the rate of transactions that are moving on-line, those who play ‘wait and see’ games this year won’t be ready by 2004,” he said.

Echoing some of Friscia’s keynote remarks, Michael Mauboussin, chief U.S. investment strategist for Credit Suisse First Boston, spoke of the transition from an economy based on physical assets to one based on knowledge goods. “E-commerce offers sustainable competitive advantages in return for IT spending. Now is an excellent time for executives to put their foot on the accelerator to drive its investments forward because returns on capital are on an upward trend in the United States,” he said.

Despite the very compelling reasons to invest in ebusiness, complex supply chain and customer relationship management applications are not easy to sell and have a slow acceptance curve. Several speakers on the Strategy 21 roster stressed the importance of having sales professionals who are experienced in selling to executives. AMR Research senior vice president Bruce Richardson cites the shortage of competent sales professionals as a speed bump in the race to e-commerce deployment. “Quota-carrying sales reps are a leading economic indicator of an e-commerce company that is on the march toward market domination. i2 has taken a page from the SAP playbook and has 580 sales reps with quotas to fill," says Richardson.

Participating in a panel discussion, Robert Schwartz, a research analyst with Thomas Weisel partners advised B2B executives to take the investment money that they are able to raise in capital markets because they will need it to pursue a rare commodity -- experienced salespeople. “Markets tend to develop on the high end first. If your company can solve big problems, you need to have a big vision and sales talent that can sell high into the Global 2000 in advance of the general adoption curve,” says Schwartz.

[isaaacc]

Sun, 04 Feb 2001 07:15:24 GMT

Madeline Bennett and Mark Street, IT Week


Vroom, vroom! Covisint widens its exchange horizons

Covisint, the US car manufacturing industry`s high-profile business-to-business exchange, is set to establish a UK presence following recent moves into France and Germany.

Covisint spokesman, Dan Jankowski, said last week that the move is intended to persuade more suppliers to join the exchange. But the news coincides with research that has found that while spending on B2B marketplace infrastructure is set to rise dramatically, UK suppliers are wary of getting involved in exchanges.

Covisint has yet to appoint a chief executive officer, a key position that all four main owners -­ Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Renault and Nissan -­ had hoped to fill. The chief executive is now more likely to come from the IT sector. Oracle and Commerce One are also members of the joint venture.

Covisint`s Jankowski shrugged off suggestions that the company was finding it difficult to come to key decisions, given the nature of its ownership. "People who are not involved with the project love to criticise, as they make money by [exploiting] fear. Finding a chief executive is not our primary concern right now," Jankowski said. "We are looking for more manufacturers and suppliers. In the last three months of 2000, Covisint conducted $700m of transactions."

According to a recent study by analyst firm, Jupiter Research, spending on US online marketplace infrastructure will grow from $2.1bn, in 2000, to $80.9bn by 2005.

James MacAonghus, an analyst at Jupiter, said that although the European market is of less value at present, he expected rapid growth in the future.

Online marketplaces help companies to become more efficient, as they are able to form closer relationships with trading partners, said Jupiter. Online marketplaces offer shortened product development cycles, and allow collaboration and better planning, which can reduce product costs.

However, suppliers are not convinced of the benefits of participating in exchanges, according to research by MRO Software, an industrial supply chain systems vendor. About a third of UK supply-side firms do not have a formal e-commerce plan, and 42 percent felt they were under pressure from customers to join a B2B exchange.

Alison Barnes, director of marketing communications at MRO Software, said that suppliers are confused over the benefits of B2B exchanges and how to participate in them. Barnes added that they are also put off by the high costs of involvement ­- anything from $50,000 to $5m.

[isaaacc]

Wednesday February 7, 7:16 am Eastern Time
Press Release
Mercator Software Selected By Covisint to Integrate Best-Of-Breed Applications
Leading B2B Exchange Implements Mercator Enterprise Broker to Facilitate Routing of Customer Electronic Documents
WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2001-- Mercator (R) Software, Inc., (NASDAQ: MCTR - news), today announced that Covisint, the e-business exchange for the automotive industry, has selected the Mercator Enterprise Broker to integrate the systems which transport electronic customer documents through its supply chain. Covisint initially is using Mercator for routing documents from a Commerce One web-based purchasing application to an Oracle marketplace engine. With this configuration, Mercator Enterprise Broker enables the transfer of disparate data formats from one system to the next, allowing Covisint to leverage multiple technologies while reducing the requirement for significant programming and interface maintenance.

``We chose Mercator Enterprise Broker because it allows Covisint to execute a strategic technology vision that includes multiple, best-of-breed systems,`` said Bill Penn, chief architect, Covisint. ``Ultimately, thousands of customers will rely on Covisint to link business processes across applications in a seamless, transparent, and cost efficient manner. Mercator was the right choice to meet this requirement,`` Penn added.

Mercator Enterprise Broker provides an industrial-strength platform for integrating multiple applications, legacy systems, databases and data warehouses across an enterprise system. It allows its users the flexibility of accepting multiple messaging formats and data transport languages from both new and existing technologies. Mercator delivers this ``application-to-application`` or A2A solution to organizations in almost every vertical market, including online exchanges.

``Covisint is positioned to be one of the largest electronic market exchanges in the world,`` said Roy C. King, president and CEO of Mercator. ``By selecting Mercator, Covisint not only provides efficient connectivity between the various systems that transport critical customer documents but also the scalability required for a rapidly growing client base,`` King added.

About Mercator

Mercator Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCTR - news) integrates electronic information throughout any business enterprise and with the applications of its customers and partners -- while leveraging current technology investments at every step.

More than 5,000 customers across every industry use Mercator software to accelerate and manage their e-business opportunities. Over 100 partners, including application software providers, systems integrators and Net markets, embed or resell Mercator technology to enhance their product or service offerings. Additional information about Mercator can be found at www.mercator.com

About Covisint

Covisint, LLC is a global, independent e-business exchange providing the automotive industry with leading collaborative product development, procurement and supply chain tools that give its customers the ability to reduce costs and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Developed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One and Oracle, Covisint is currently located in Southfield, Mich. The organization has also established temporary offices in Stuttgart and Tokyo. For more information about Covisint, visit www.covisint.com.

Mercator is a registered trademark of Mercator Software, Inc.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Mercator Software`s beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the growth of the enterprise application market, the demand for the company`s application integration solutions and the speed of deployment of new products, including combined Mercator e-business integration broker products. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the company`s actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as changes in demand for application integration or e-business integration software and the company`s Mercator e-business integration broker suite of products in particular, the ability of the company to expand its international operations, the ability of the company to manage expanded global operations, the ability of the company to continue to add resellers and other distribution channels, and the success of third parties in utilizing and marketing the company`s products, the potential and success of any strategic alliance, the success of the company`s strategy, or seasonality in operating results. Readers should also refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the company`s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements and reasons why results might differ included in this release are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the company as of the date hereof, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement or reasons why results might differ.

[isaaacc]

Industry Sponsored Marketplaces (ISMs) are shaping up to resemble something of a knee-jerk reaction to the rash of independent trading exchanges (ITEs) that cropped up during 2000. (2/6/2001)

As a result, an array of business models has emerged in a fashion that appears to have engaged little forethought. ISMs such as Covisint, made public their plans to muscle out the threat of ITEs by packing their collective buyer punch…and as the case stands today, almost exactly one year following the announcement made by the three big auto makers, very little is stirring on the ISM horizon.

Sure, Covisint made it over the regulatory hurdle; yet in the context of a dormant business plan, such a feat rings fairly hollow. Such industry consortia are nothing new; in fact they have been around for years. This does not suggest however, that the problems incurred down the road to co-optition way back when, are not the same as those being incurred today. The struggle for traditional competitors to throw down their arms and embrace each other as collaborators is hardly the instinctive action of the corporate guru. Indeed, such sentiments have dogged the efforts of many a consortia marking the ISM timeline.

If one is to look at the two different types of ISM model that have emerged, the clarity of issues that tend to weigh heavy on the consortia members becomes apparent. Here, the models are depicted as the NewCo adnd the Co-op.

The Co-op, or shared utility model tends to be more in keeping with the concept of collaboration per se. Consortia members work together to achieve operational efficiencies, which in turn translate into greater cost savings – a factor that IBM found in a recent study to be the source of much cash haemorrhaging from corporate entities. With the emphasis on inward-looking supply chain automation as opposed to the NewCos’ emphasis on value-added services from third party providers, the approach is rather more holistic and focussed on value enrichment. That the co-op scenario offers no exit strategy to speak of, suggests a high level of commitment to long-term plans for growth, with limited access to outsiders and with corporate governance wielded by insiders and sponsors.

The NewCo, or public market model, is a depiction of a business model in which the value capture is derived through capital appreciation from equity investment. As far as the analysts at Jupiter are concerned, ISMs can only benefit from the deep pockets of their corporate sponsors, where the goal is to maximise liquidity and revenues generated by third parties via transaction and subscription fees, and where corporate governance lies in the hands of the autonomous board members. The model has an external focus, with a ‘build out’ approach, and an exit strategy fixed firmly on the public market offering option.

Given that any sound business plan will aim to achieve larger savings and higher revenues, both models provide an appealing avenue for potential consortia. The problems begin to fall however, when a distinction between the models employed becomes blurred. This can lead to in-house squabbling over which direction to take next – or more importantly, which factors form the priorities of the company.

Which brings us to the issue that should perhaps be the first and foremost to be resolved when laying down the foundations of a consortium. That being, of course, corporate governance. Whichever way the governance blows, so to will the nature of the business. Where investors, VCs and shareholders are concerned, whose representatives comprise the autonomous board it is the public market model, or the NewCo model that will comprise the obvious choice.

Such a decision is integral to future operations insofar as some degree of harmony between the ‘competitive partners’ must be achieved. While the benefits of co-optition and ISMs are obvious in the sense that collaboration provides both safety in numbers (against each other, as well as potential competitors) and huge economies of scale, the fundamental reasons for why such collaboration should not work are equally as apparent with each member company fighting their ground to maintain the interests of their company.

The problems surrounding the ISM space will be one of the main focuses of discussion at the Markets and Exchanges Berlin Conference. For details of how to participate, please click here.
http://www.marketsandexchanges.com/index.asp?news=11089

[isaaacc]

Toyota bids to slash procurement costs by 30%
Toyota Motor Corp. is reviewing the cost of components, both those manufactured in-house and those purchased from affiliates, in a bid to slash costs by 30%, or around Y1,000 billion (US$8.7 billion) over the next three years, according to sources at the company. But it is wary of throwing its procurement activities into the Covisint online marketplace.
The company is still drawing up targets for a cost-reduction plan it approved in July. This plan, called `Construction of Cost Competitiveness 21`, calls for the automaker to pay globally competitive prices for 172 categories of parts making up 90% of all its procurement costs.

Since the scheme was okayed by the board of management, Toyota has taken steps to integrate its production technology and procurement departments and has intensified co-operation with its parts suppliers to compare the prices of materials and equipment used by them with materials and equipment the company uses for in-house parts production.

Once the review is complete, Toyota will reallocate parts in the most cost-effective manner between in-house and external production, transferring in-house production to affiliated suppliers if that is most cost-effective. It also intends to move to single sourcing, using one supplier for a particular type of component than than the two or three companies per part it uses today. If these efforts do not reduce costs sufficiently, Toyota will look to suppliers outside of its own corporate network (keiretsu).

There have been several instances of this over the past few years but until now the approach has been piecemeal. This time around Toyota appears to be opting for a more fundamental shift in its sourcing strategy, following a lead set by Renault-Nissan which is beginning to purchase on the open market parts that are too expensive or inefficient to produce in-house or at affiliates, setting an "absolute" price that it is willing to pay for each item.

At the same time, Toyota is not going to abandon its traditional policy of building long-term relationships with vendors. President Fujio Cho said recently that he is cautious about a wholesale adoption of online purchasing systems, especially online bidding for contracts, because they tend to distance the manufacturer from the supplier.

That is why Toyota is hanging back from Covisint, the global online exchange set up by GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler and since joined by Renault-Nissan and dozens of Tier One suppliers. In a recent interview with Business Week, Toyota president Fujio Cho explained his company`s position. "We have received an offer, and we`re studying it," he said. "But I don`t think we`ll join completely... We`d like to participate in portions of the site to be part of creating a global standard but we`re not clear on certain aspects... I`m not sure there`s a network that can cover all of these different aspects of procurement.

"When [Toyota] decides on a company, we plan on dealing with that company for a long time -- five or 10 years. We don`t base procurement decisions on the fact that a certain part is cheap now. We evaluate quality, the company`s technological strength and if the management wants to work with us long-term."

Tadaaki Jagawa, Toyota`s head of procurement, echoes Cho. "Our parts are not purchased through a bidding process," he says. "We buy them by building a relationship with our suppliers over time." Toyota contends that close relationships with suppliers are critical both to its high quality levels and short lead times. Expect Toyota to be a marginal participant in Covisint, probably buying nuts and bolts and office supplies through it.

Yet Cho and Jagawa are fully aware that cost-competition, along with the development of new technologies, are the biggest challenges facing the auto industry. "In the past, we thought of competing in Japan...or in the U.S., but now competition will heat up in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South East Asia," Cho said in a recent interview.

"Because the competition is spreading, we can`t fail to produce high quality cars at low prices. From now on, I believe competition on price will be brutal. We`ll have to work with competitors to share components or reduce the number of the platforms we use to build cars, or to introduce more modularization into our factories. Our lead times will also have an impact on how much we can reduce our base prices."

The heart of Toyota`s procurement process in the future will remain independent of Covisint and based on the `Construction of Cost Competitiveness 21` program. Toyota`s answer to the challenge of brutal cost-competition is supplier integration with its internal business processes, something that will occur through extended face-to-face negotiations and seamless linkages between proprietary systems.
http://www.auto-asia.com/asianeye/asianeye.2001.02.07.01.sht…

[Eboerse]

Some Assembly Required
Ford, GM, Chrysler, Nissan, and Renault were among the first corporate giants to launch an electronic marketplace that would save billions. Can Covisint show other industries how it really works?

February 20, 2001 issue




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Jeffrey Davis
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There will always be drama when enemies convene. Especially when it`s nighttime and the enemies are alone, and especially when they`ve never met.


So it was on one evening last February at Detroit`s upper-crust Townsend Hotel, when Harold Kutner and Brian Kelley, senior executives from General Motors (GM, info) and Ford (FORD,info) Motor, came together for the first time--in secret--at the suggestion of a mutual parts supplier.

The supplier had placed a couple calls a few weeks earlier, to lodge a complaint of sorts, first with Kutner, GM`s worldwide purchasing czar, then with Kelley, president of Ford`s companywide ecommerce initiatives. Look, he told the executives, as a supplier to both of you, I`m being forced to get up to speed on your two new, different, and highly complex online purchasing systems. That`s doubling my effort; isn`t there some way GM and Ford can do this together?

To hear Kutner, 60, recount the tale--and talk about firing his lawyers seven times over or dealing with the dimness of bankers--is to avow, think twice about working for this man, or if you do, don`t screw up. His smile might be boyish, but his voice is news-reel emphatic. "My answer," he booms, remembering the phone call, "was…No."

But Kutner`s eventual evening with Kelley at the Townsend was enough to encourage second thoughts. The men, it turned out, had rapport. And the auto industry, they agreed--mired in a four-year price slump and plagued with so many costly inefficiencies in its supply structure--had a now-or-never opportunity staring it down. That is, build one vast electronic tent under which thousands of auto parts and equipment companies that feed Big Auto`s supply chain could talk and do business together. Create a Web-based, easy-to-access platform across which tens of thousands of businesses can buy and sell supplies, exchange information regarding forecasts, inventory, billing, shipment, and product design--in real time--and you`ll not only gut costs, you`ll turn the auto business upside-down.

Less than a month after Kutner and Kelley`s meeting, Ford and GM fired the shot heard round the B-to-B world: They would abandon their separate efforts to build online empires out of their own camps of suppliers and manufacturers, and instead join hands to launch a single system that would form the world`s biggest online industry marketplace. If DaimlerChrysler signed on as well, the new entity would command $240 billion per year in purchasing power through 90,000 member companies worldwide, generate an estimated $3 billion a year in short-term transaction revenue, and--if you trust some analysts` math--eventually lop off $3,000 from the production cost of your average 21st century car. The same day, DaimlerChrysler dumped its own ecommerce plans to announce that it wanted in, too.

But that was 12 months ago, when e-marketplace mavericks such as VerticalNet (VERT,info) and Ventro (VNTR, info) and more than 1,000 other new electronic business markets were considered serious threats to the back-end business of big corporate dinosaurs such as GM and Ford and so many others. Today, Ventro, the company spun from the now-defunct chemical exchange, Chemdex--which had a first-quarter 2000 market capitalization of $11 billion--needs a lifeline to stay in business as a software vendor. VerticalNet, another original B-to-B bellwether, is similarly mired in a profitless valuation nose dive, and its all-star CEO, Joe Galli, left in January.

Unable to generate the critical mass of transaction volume that the independent e-marketplaces promised, and clearly underestimating the needs and clout of old-line businesses, the independents have become an endangered species in 2001. Fewer than 100, some analysts predict, will be left by the end of the year. To put it bluntly, they`ve been displaced by $3.5 billion in corporate funding, according to Jupiter Research (JMXI, info)sdriving the launch of dozens of new industry-backed exchanges: Covisint in auto, Transora in packaged goods, MyAircraft.com in aerospace, GlobalNet Exchange in retail.

But it`s Covisint that big business will have its eyes on most. Never before has an industry so large and complex--and in many ways, incorrigibly slow--attempted to do so much, so fast. One year out of the gate, having secured an estimated $240 million in corporate funding, more than 200 employees chipped in by the partners, and the Federal Trade Commission`s seal of competitive approval, the performance sheet looks like this: As of mid-January, the mega-exchange had signed up just 20 suppliers. It had conducted 80 supply auctions for seven clients, and managed to get 100 supplier catalogs up and running on servers. While basic purchasing functions have been in place since October, company officials haven`t yet chosen a tech vendor for the much-hyped supply-chain management features; meanwhile, analysts are wondering whether the fragile dÈtente between Covisint`s two competing software partners--Oracle (ORCL, info) and Commerce One (CMRC, info)--will endure as Covisint ramps up. Perhaps most telling of the challenges ahead, the new year passed without an announcement of a long-sought chief executive--one who will be flanked by business partners who, for most of the 20th century, served as vicious combatants.

Regardless, Covisint`s success will begin--or end--with its biggest suppliers, such as $13 billion Dana, which delivers a rolling chassis to GM every 108 minutes, and Johnson Controls, the $17 billion maker of instrument panels. And at least for the moment, ambivalence, rather than startup enthusiasm, seems to prevail. "There are about 250 middleware companies calling us weekly," says Mike Suman, a group vice president at Johnson Controls. "They say, `Hello, my name is X and I`m your e-solutions provider,` and you go, `Oh, really?`" Suman shrugs: "We haven`t heard Covisint`s business model yet."

[isaaacc]

hi eboerse. du willst mein selbstbewusstsein wieder staerken, nachdem ich die wkn bei fuchs uebersehen hatte, oder? das muss der grund sein, warum die weiteren 5 seiten des artikels unterschlägst... danke!

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THE OPPORTUNITY.

An industry stuck in reverse

THE RINGLEADER Harold Kutner GM’s global purchasing czar reiterates the hype: Covisint is “potentially the biggest Internet company in the world.”
Photo: Martaez Photographics
Among other reasons, big business will be watching Covisint to see just how up to the task the B-to-B exchange model really is. The automotive industry, after all, is one of grave complexity: Where a computer comprises about 30 components or SKUs, a car or light truck is made up of about 5,000. GM coordinates production at 29 different far-flung plants, yet the whole system has got to move faster.

Small wonder, then, that in auto`s first century, breakthroughs in truly universal connectivity have been few and far between. While ambitious executives such as Kutner aim to follow Dell (DELL, info) Computer`s example of radically streamlining communication from the customer to the plant, others balk at the analogy. Auto industry analyst Maryann Keller, who left her post recently as head of Priceline.com`s (PCLN, info) auto services, screeches at the mention of it: "Give Michael Dell a thousand parts to deliver and tell him to open a plant in Mexico. Come on! The parts he needs for a year could probably fit in a single 747. The Dell model does not apply to the auto industry!" And for that matter, it doesn`t apply to most other industries now taking aim at the electronic exchange model; the supply structures simply aren`t as complex.

But eventually, something had to give. For four years, despite flush economic times in other industries, the prices of cars and trucks have remained flat; by some measures they`ve dropped. And parts suppliers have watched their own prices fall even between 2 and 3 percent. While SUVs have grown bigger, their makers` margins have shrunk, as an entire industry has watched its forecasters bumble and its products melt down into commodities.

Costly glitches abound in the business of carmaking. Vehicles no one wants sit on dealers` lots, unused raw materials sit in suppliers` warehouses, and an estimated $230 billion worth of excess inventory piles up yearly, largely to cover for scanty information about what consumers want and what carmakers will need to build it. It takes an average of 53 days to get a car built and delivered to its customer today, while only one or two of those days are actually spent on assembly; a full 36 days go by, according to a June 2000 report by Roland Berger, creating a schedule for production, processing orders for materials, and purchasing supplies.

Then comes the paper. Ninety-five percent of the companies in the automotive sector still communicate and transact via snail mail, fax, and telephone. The remaining 5 percent rely on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems, originally developed in the 1960s, but still used only by the bigger companies that can afford them. The result? Higher costs across the board. Where flush Ford might link up with its big-money, Tier 1 chassis supplier, the hose maker down the line works only by fax and phone. The administrative costs alone of procuring materials for a car amount to about $95--multiply that by the 17 million vehicles a year made in North America.

Attacking each of these problems, plus others plaguing the processes of designing new models each year, underscores Covisint`s proposition to the industry. The payoff: a reduction of $2,000 to $3,000 off production costs for every $19,000 car that lands in the lot, according to Gary Lapidus, an auto industry analyst for Goldman Sachs. And even if such figures are wishful--Michael Heidingsfelder at Roland Berger estimates savings closer to $1,200, and most others agree--it still adds up enough to draw investors.

Which is one reason why, in the name of Covisint, age-old enemies such as DaimlerChrysler and Ford began getting chummy a year ago; it`s why this young company, not yet even settled in a permanent location, has continued to promise an IPO in 2001; it`s why bankers got away with closing an equity deal between Covisint and Commerce One that valued the former, still short a CEO and a single paying customer, at $59 billion.


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THE PROMISE.

Collaborate, or else

THE ACCOMPLICE Brian Kelley Ford’s president of ecommerce initiatives, took the secret meeting with Kutner that helped launch the exchange.
Photo: Derek Blagg
Ask most anyone in the auto industry what the Internet will do to change his or her business, and the answer will be broken into three parts: procurement, product development, and supply-chain management.

Procurement promises savings of two types. One is in the actual sticker price. Finding the best sources of a material, pushing down its price, and arriving at amounts and conditions that result in the cheapest deals--these are benefits Covisint offers buyers who use its site. Through the Covisint interface, buyers can search supply catalogs and run reverse auctions (or regular auctions if they`re sellers); they can announce auctions weeks in advance; and adjust deals.

The second potential savings from purchasing will come from the basic costs of processing transactions. If suppliers are note comfortable striking a deal for $500,000 worth of instrument panels online, they can certainly process the paperwork at the site once the deal is done. If a company spends about $80 billion each year on supplies (typical of a Ford or GM), it`s not unreasonable, says the Roland Berger report, to imagine saving $150 million simply by streamlining slow and costly processing.

Where Covisint`s services get less familiar, and where greater potential revenue lies, is in moving product development and demand-forecasting functions online. Today, product development takes two to four years. A single design change, in the world of automotive engineers, takes about five weeks to filter through layers of engineers and managers.

Plus, internal design collaboration is one thing--engineers have to ensure all the right people have signed off, for instance, and that no one is confused about what the latest version is. But from supplier to supplier to original equipment manufacturer (OEM), that communication is especially unwieldy. "You have to put drawings on a disk," says Andy Simpson, a consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, who has been working with Covisint since last August, "FedEx those to your counterpart, and hope they can translate what you sent to their CAD software. Either that, or you get on a plane and have a meeting."

Covisint promises to fix that. "The idea is collaboration," says Suman of Johnson Controls, "where our designers in Japan and Germany and Michigan can search a database and find a sun visor that we already have tooled. We`re going away from episodic events where teams meet every week, flying in from all around the world, to where they never meet and a design launch is virtual."

This is the vision of Covisint`s Virtual Project Workplace, a shared platform for anyone with a stake in, say, how big the handle on a hatchback is or what shape the grip of the stick shift is. Designers can look at pictures; measure parts; consider new specifications; argue about specs; alert colleagues of their tasks; keep out snoops; store every picture or bit of conversation generated; link them to spreadsheets or Word documents; and route serial tasks from person to person. Files from any of the CAD programs used in the industry can be translated through a one- or two-step process, with all the 3-D viewing functions available and networked, so everyone at the same time can watch a shock absorber somersaulting.

So far, 40 top suppliers have looked at the design demo. Six are actually using the tools, though only in-house. But the goal is that Ford engineers will collaborate not just internally but with--just imagine--Firestone tire engineers, as well as with Firestone`s rubber supplier.

Last of the big Covisint promises--and where, for many of these mammoth exchange models, the rubber must eventually meet the road--is to deliver supply chain-speeding tools and services. While software platforms such as Commerce One`s will serve as Covisint`s primary purchasing engine for parts and help generate one-third of the expected cost savings to the automakers, the other two-thirds (and, for Covisint, long-term income) must come from the more complex back-end services, such as features that allow Tier 1 companies to know where a part is and when it is expected to arrive, or simultaneous online demand forecasting, up and down the chain. That`s where auto-business analysts begin to wax truly visionary, picturing a massive upheaval in the industry that starts with made-to-order cars (exactly the way you want them within 10 days of your order) and ends with whole new kinds of factories creating whole new mix-and-match modules.

The operating principle: The more inventory you create that is not to a customer`s liking (whether that customer be a Saturn soccer mom or a transmission-maker buying gaskets), the more money you lose--on dropped prices, marketing efforts, anything that`ll get the unwanted gaskets off the shelf.

Covisint`s grandest business proposition is to make all orders and forecasts immediately and securely available to all the links in the chain, so that participating builders of a car or a part can respond to a need simultaneously. Today, if dealers are asking for more four-wheel drives, the folks at GM will eventually hear about it; but what about Dana, which makes axles? It waits for GM to analyze its needs and send out a release asking for a shipment. By making the same demand data available to the multiple tiers all at once, automakers crunch crucial days and wring dollars out of the cycle.

Says Kutner passionately, "We`ve got to get our supply base sensing what our needs are--not waiting for a release saying on October 1, we need 1,200 parts."


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THE ROAD AHEAD.

Hailing for a chief

THE THIRD WHEEL? Gary Valade head of global purchasing for DaimlerChrysler, steered clear of an equity stake in Covisint, but will contribute billions in business.
Photo: Derek Blagg
Known in its first few months as NewCo, Covisint set up shop in Southfield, Mich., 15 miles from GM`s headquarters in downtown Detroit. Like most startups, which pride themselves on leaving behind old systems, NewCo`s offices were strictly legacy, inherited from some vacated insurance company.

"The staff came in dribbles," explains Rico Digirolamo, Covisint`s acting CEO. Throughout the year, the company assembled close to 100 loaned staffers from the Big Three and several consulting firms, added 100 from tech founders Commerce One and Oracle, and recruited others from outside.

GM`s Digirolamo is a rousing good guy with a casual style, who uses expressions like "geez" and "zillionaires." Along with Alice Miles from Ford and Peter Weiss from DaimlerChrysler, he was tapped to hold down the fort until Covisint at last got its leader.

Which, as of mid-January, it still hadn`t, fueling months of speculation that, given the demise of so many B-to-B marketplaces in late 2000, and the intimidating clout of the partners, no one would take the job. What Covisint needs is somebody who can manage a very large business, who understands information technology and automotive, who won`t alienate suppliers or threaten any one of the Big Three, and who is a diplomat capable of managing bitter rivals.

According to Kevin Prouty, an analyst with AMR in Boston, this last requirement has been the biggest sticking point. "A lot of potential CEOs said, `Do I have what it takes to go up against these fighters?`" One industry insider was much more blunt: "Wake up and get a call from [Ford CEO] Jac Nasser saying, `How we doing?` If I had all the qualifications for the job, I wouldn`t want it." Despite the promise of chairmanship of an independent board, Covisint has taken longer than other new industry exchanges to find its chief.

Covisint insists it is taking its time to find just the right leader, but it repeatedly announced likely timeframes for the hire which have passed. Analyst Keller cuts Covisint no slack. "They announced a year ago," Keller says. "The first thing they should have done was get someone to run it."



Getting cred with the Feds

Closely linked to the fruitless search for a CEO was the FTC`s antitrust investigation, a setback that imposed all sorts of restrictions on the company`s attempt to emerge. Not only was the company barred from signing contracts or making hires during that attenuated period, but its main constituents, suppliers like Dana, were not allowed to do business on the site.

Of most concern to federal regulators at Covisint and in other exchange models is the possibility of price controls. Will the powerful OEMs band together and use their purchasing power as an ultimatum? Lower prices or lose our business. Because Covisint is first and foremost an information-sharing platform, the FTC has reason to question whether the larger companies will share the kind of information that can lead to such collusion.

And although the FTC gave Covisint its blessing last September, it will be keeping its eyes on the exchange as much as big business will. "They`ll be watching for signs of monopsony--pricing through leverage with purchasing power," says Forrester Research (FORR, info) senior analyst W. Daniel Garretson. "If there`s any sort of collusion, they`ll be watching for it, and one thing that would be a red flag is if information is being spread around--not so much deliberately through price fixing, but in a de facto way."


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Fears for the tiers


Another significant challenge on the road ahead: winning over the industry`s Tier 1 suppliers, who are likely to reap the greatest benefit of switching to an exchange, among all the players in the supply chain (see "Who Saves Most?", p83). But their needs are in some ways as complex as the OEMs, and Covisint, they feel, probably won`t be able to serve them all. Suman of Johnson Controls, one of the largest plastic and steel users in the world, puts it vividly: "If you buy 150 tons of steel, it`s very hard to find someone that happens to have that available. For us, using Covisint won`t always make sense."

Early on, the pervasive concern in this sector of the industry was that the goal of Covisint was to put a fatal squeeze on suppliers, especially small ones. But through the institution of a customer council and aggressive pitching, Covisint has won the willingness of at least its biggest trading partners. "One thing this company has done a good job at," says Prouty, of AMR, "is getting the Tier 1 suppliers on board." Neil De Koker, who represents the supplier community at the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, seconds that. "Attitudes are completely different from what they were in March," he says.

But for many suppliers, it`s still hang-back-and-see. Dana, for example, is not only playing choosy with Covisint, it`s getting itself out ahead by creating its own e-marketplace. Back when Covisint was just a press release, Dana ($13 billion in sales, 82,000 employees) was already running transactions over its own exchange. And it was doing it with a couple of the Covisint founders` fiercest Internet rivals, FreeMarkets and Ariba (ARBA, info)s. "The strategy for most in Tier 1," says Doug Grimm, vice president of Global Strategic Sourcing at Dana, "is to have a dual or triple strategy. We`re using some ecommerce systems already, with or without Covisint."

For the smaller suppliers, it`s a different story; unlikely to see a significant boost in their bottom lines if they submit to reverse auctions, they will most likely take their cues from the bigger customers above them. Thus Covisint has spent none of its resources wooing these potential players.

Of the dozen or so smaller suppliers under Covisint`s electronic roof that were contacted for this story--$5 million to $3 billion firms in Tier 2 and below--most either didn`t return calls, didn`t want to talk specifically about Covisint, or didn`t know enough about it to say anything. Says one industry insider: "Among the smaller companies, Covisint wasn`t contacting anyone and wasn`t responsive to those that were trying to get involved."

"It`s the typical auto industry approach of, `I`ll take the profits out of the suppliers down the line,`" adds one auto industry consultant. "I talk to a lot of first-, second- and third-tier suppliers. They`re saying the automakers just want to take profits away from them. It`s not negotiating at arm`s length, it`s holding them by the throat at arm`s length."



Counting on claw-backs

Once you`ve fathomed the scope of Covisint`s promises, you still have to consider its business model. For all its services--auctions, design tools, inventory shrinkage--ready and not yet ready to launch, as of January, no prices had been set for any of them.

AMR estimates that it will take anywhere from $250 million to $400 million to build Covisint to its desired specs. Meanwhile, what Covisint will say about its business prospects is simply hard to believe. GM`s Kutner calls Covisint "potentially the biggest Internet company in the world" and claims it will draw "you know, maybe a trillion dollars in revenue."


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A trillion?


Were Covisint to charge the 0.5 or 1.5 percent the typical e-marketplaces charge for transactions, and were the industry to direct every last dollar of its purchases through the system, that would still leave them about $980 billion shy of Kutner`s mark. Forrester`s Garretson puts it at $3 billion annually, based on 1 percent of transactions, and chuckles at Kutner`s trillion.

Regardless, most important to Covisint`s stability are the formal "claw-back" commitments the five auto founders have made to guarantee transaction volume--the coveted critical mass that eluded so many of the independent Net marketplaces. Kutner says GM alone will contribute $85 billion in business annually into the exchange; Ford and Daimler-Chrysler say they will funnel somewhat lower levels, and Renault and Nissan even less. If any partner fails to comply, it faces a penalty: The founding auto companies` equity is tied to their compliance with claw-backs. "If I don`t put my $85 billion through this exchange," says Kutner, "I`m going to lose part of my equity ownership."

But consider the underpinnings of those claw-back arrangements. The partners lose equity if their participation falls short. But equity in what? In a company that hasn`t decided where its headquarters will be? In a company that hasn`t set prices yet? How difficult would that be to walk away from?



The technology handshake

Where public skepticism about Covisint`s mission has been proven wrong is in the area of melding cultures. To a person, those watching the operation closely agree: The culture conflict between the Big Three has been quieted. While the auto partners settle in, though, the tech companies continue to hash out their relation to the new venture.

Sixty Commerce One employees are camped out in Detroit with a similar team of developers from archrival Oracle. Commerce One`s MarketSet software powers all the transactions on the site, including auctions and supply purchasing, both MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) and direct goods. Oracle is providing its Web-based business application to the exchange, which will handle human resources management, sales, and marketing.

If Kutner, Kelley, and their counterpart at Daimler-Chrysler, Gary Valade, appear to be playing a high-stakes game in racing into the electronic marketplace, Commerce One appears to have more at risk than any of the partners.

In the equity deal hammered out in December, GM and Ford agreed to purchase 14.4 million shares of Commerce One stock for a combined 14 percent equity stake in the software firm, which had a market capitalization of $3.96 billion in mid-January. Oracle chose a different path; like Commerce One, it will take a small (2 percent) equity slice in Covisint, but will be paid in basic licensing and service fees--not a percentage on transactions. Thus, as Covisint goes, many believe, so will Commerce One. "The auto industry is notoriously cyclical," Prouty has said. "If that continues into the second half, Covisint`s funding could be in trouble--as well as Commerce One itself."

Further fueling this rivalry is Commerce One`s race to develop--with one of Oracle`s chief competitors, SAP--the coveted supply-chain management software that Covisint`s long-term promises are based on. Valade won`t commit: "We`ll be looking for the smartest set of tools" before signing any deals. Commerce One and SAP, thanks to their equity relationship in the exchange, hope they`re at the top of the list. Commerce One might, in fact, be praying.

But of course many around Covisint are praying these days. The lower-tier suppliers are praying for mercy as they anticipate competing for business online; dealers are praying for the holy reduction in inventory; the founding partners are praying for critical mass at a marketplace pitted against other new exchanges; and everyone`s praying for an end to an industry-wide slump.

Back in Detroit, Kutner shows no sign of caving to recession-spun conservatism. "We`re going to be connected to 100,000 companies," he asserts without a blink. "The revenue potential is so large that most of the average minds in the banking community cannot even visualize it."

Neither can anyone else.

[isaaacc]

hier noch die quelle:

http://www.business2.com/content/magazine/indepth/2001/02/12…

[isaaacc]

mir neu, gute nachricht auf seite 6:

Regardless, most important to Covisint`s stability are the formal "claw-back" commitments the five auto founders have made to guarantee transaction volume--the coveted critical mass that eluded so many of the independent Net marketplaces. Kutner says GM alone will contribute $85 billion in business annually into the exchange; Ford and Daimler-Chrysler say they will funnel somewhat lower levels, and Renault and Nissan even less. If any partner fails to comply, it faces a penalty: The founding auto companies` equity is tied to their compliance with claw-backs. "If I don`t put my $85 billion through this exchange," says Kutner, "I`m going to lose part of my equity ownership

[Eboerse]

Hi Isaaccc
Danke Dir das Du den Artikel vervollständigt hast,mhmm,war doch noch zu früh für mich heute Morgen?

Da haben wir ja schon einen sehr kleinen Einblick in den Vertrag.
Ich wußte zwar das es bestimmte Auflagen für den Anteil GM an Commerce One gibt,aber nähere Details waren ja bislang unbekannt.
Also wird der Anteil von GM erst von den Treuhändern freigegeben wenn durch GM 85 Milliarden über Covisint laufen.
Und das bis Mitte 2002.
Alle Achtung,sollte es eintreffen,das sie Covisint bis mitte/Ende 2002 auf Transaktions-volldampf bringen dann können wir uns freuen.
Anderen Falls schätze ich das es zu einer Vertragsverlängerung/Änderung kommen würde.
Grüsse

[DimStar]

Das ist ja interessant und war eine der Fragen, die ich mir von Anfang an gestellt habe. Denn wie können kleinere Hersteller / Großlieferanten an Covisint beteiligt werden, weil das für den Erfolg sehr wichtig ist.

Es entstehen neue Outsourcing-Companies, die den Kunden gehören - und das in der Relation wie bedeutsam sie die Outsourcing-Company nutzen - Beteiligungen werden digital angepasst. Vielleicht ein business-modell das wir in Zukunft noch häufiger sehen.

[DimStar]

...trotzdem ist der Kutner ein Spinner... wenn man sich an die anfänglichen Planungen erinnert.

[isaaacc]

Covisint is pleased to announce the debut of the Covisint Connector!

Scheduled for quarterly publication, the Covisint Connector is designed
to enhance our communication with the global automotive industry. Over
the next few months we will be using this new communication channel to
provide information that is relevant, timely, and of interest to our
existing and prospective customers throughout the world.

Future issues will feature stories on such diverse topics as our
international successes, people profiles, and spotlights on new and
existing products.

Please forward any comments on the existing issue, ideas for future
issues, or requests to be removed from our distribution list to:
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]> .


---

2 seitiger pdf.kontaktbrief, erhaelt man, wenn man auf der mailingliste bei covisint steht, automatisch. bestimmt auch bei www.covisint.com downloadbar.
nett und bunt, altbekanntes, termine.

[isaaacc]

Na also! (hoffentlich!)

Covisint close to hiring CEO

Automakers` buying group just getting started overseas
February 14, 2001

BY WILLIAM DIEM
DETROIT FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER





PARIS -- Covisint, the auto industry e-business marketplace, is on the verge of hiring a chief executive officer.


"Covisint is up and running in the United States," said Louis Schweitzer, chief executive of France`s Renault. "It has 200 employees. All it needs is a boss, and I believe it will have one in two or three weeks."


Renault owns 4 percent of Covisint, and Nissan of Japan, Renault`s partner, owns 0.5 percent.


Schweitzer said that while Covisint already is working in North America, it`s just beginning in Europe, and is at the drawing board stage in Japan, because all the software programs written in English need to be redone in Japanese.


Covisint is the auto industry e-business portal dominated by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG. While all the early attention was on its potential as a site for buying parts in auctions, its biggest value may be in saving time and inventory. By putting sub-suppliers and top-tier suppliers into the system, all the companies involved will be able to learn about changes in production orders quickly, for example, and be able to tailor their own productions and adjust their output accordingly.


"If we reduce our inventories by raising the inventories at our suppliers, we have made no reduction overall in the supply chain," said Schweitzer. "Accelerating communication with all the suppliers will reduce lead times and development times. It is an essential part of our ability to make a car in two weeks from the customer`s order."


At a news conference in Paris where he presented Renault`s financial results Tuesday, Schweitzer said Covisint will start to contribute to cost reduction at Renault significantly in five years.


It`s expected that by then, doing business through Covisint will save 2,000 francs (about $280) per car, he said.


In an interview last fall in a European business school magazine, "Link to Business," Renault`s Laurent Bourrelier, director of purchasing, said that Covisint will save less money per car in Europe than in America, because Europe is more efficient already. He said a Covisint study predicted savings per car will be $1,200 in the United States, $650 in Europe and $450 in Japan.


"EDI, which was put into place to provide a first level of information to our suppliers, is less developed in the United States than in Europe," Bourrelier said of Electronic Data Interchange. "In addition, having a vast market at their disposition, the American automakers have often relied less on flexibility of production than we have. Their inventories are therefore larger, and the suppliers are regularly subject to brutal fluctuations."


Renault has sent a handful of workers to Covisint in Michigan, but Ford and General Motors will guide the company in North America, a Renault executive said Tuesday. "We will be co-pilots in Europe with DaimlerChrysler, and Nissan will develop Covisint in Japan," the executive said.
http://auto.com/industry/covi14_20010214.htm

[isaaacc]

hier ist der download zum ersten covisint connector:

http://www.covisint.com/info/downloads.shtml

interessant vor allem einige termine, u.a. covisint webcast im rahmen des commerce one cafes.

[isaaacc]

Will the Automakers Take Commerce One
A Companion Piece to "Commerce One`s Customer Challenge"

by Peggy King
Wednesday, February 14, 2001



Reprinted from Line56
Magazine, February 2001
Subscription Information



Email this article...

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The following is a companion piece to "Commerce One`s Customer Challenge", also by Peggy King
The ownership structure of automotive industry consortium Covisint is complex and bears some resemblance to a Japanese keiretsu-an interrelated cluster of companies, often including competitors, that work together to promote one another`s mutual interests. Covisint partners Ford and GM have each chosen to take a stake of roughly 7 percent of Commerce One`s stock, whereas DaimlerChrysler and Nissan/Renault declined to become stakeholders. The deal also includes a provision for Commerce One to get a 2 percent stake in Covisint and an undisclosed share of Covisint`s recurring revenues estimated to be between 5 and 10 percent for the next 10 years. The revenue-sharing portion of the deal is in lieu of Commerce One`s receiving licensing fees for providing auction and catalog content services. Covisint will also pay Commerce One at least $8 million in fees for licenses of Enterprise Buyer, its indirect procurement software, plus another million or two for consulting services from Commerce One.

But Commerce One`s win as an infrastructure technology provider (Oracle Exchange and Oracle Applications are also part of the deal) could turn out to be a case of "careful what you wish for."

Before Covisint was formed, in late 1999, GM and Ford were working separately on developing private procurement exchanges. Oracle was pitching Ford, and Ariba and Commerce One were both vying to be the e-procurement provider for GM`s TradeXchange, intended to link the automaker with more than 36,000 of its suppliers. In keeping with automakers` typically ruthless negotiating tactics, GM CEO Rick Wagoner wanted to take a stake of whichever software vendor powered the exchange.

Ariba CEO Keith Krach had the inside track to winning this deal. At his last job at GM, Krach had worked for Wagoner, then treasurer of GM. According to the Detroit Free Press, Krach called Wagoner to discuss terms but walked away from the deal, because he was unwilling to give GM a large stake in Ariba. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, Commerce One gave up an estimated 15 percent to GM in exchange for the opportunity to get transaction fees when GM`s trading partners conduct transactions via the Global Trading Web.

It`s little wonder that Krach was unwilling to accept such terms. Although Commerce One`s stock went up on news of the deal, Jon Ekoniak, a senior research analyst at US Bancorp Piper Jaffray, believes that the terms of Commerce One`s deal with GM were even less favorable than those of the Covisint deal that has superceded it. Yet Commerce One paid a dear price for the chance to collect perhaps 5 percent of Covisint`s transaction revenues on a private exchange that would, at best, process less than $100 billion a year of spending.

In light of its role in the Covisint exchange, Commerce One had to restructure itself as a holding company for tax purposes and to preserve the flexibility to acquire stakes and revenue sharing agreements in other exchanges. Oracle did not have to restructure, because it did not enter into a revenue-sharing agreement with Covisint. "Having a couple of automakers on its board does not pose any immediate threat to Commerce One`s autonomy, as long as implementation plans for Covisint proceed smoothly, but if there are problems in the implementation, these board members could use their influence to yank resources from ongoing development projects with other e-market customers," says Kevin Prouty, a research director in automotive strategies at AMR Research.

Ekoniak believes that Commerce One`s deal with Covisint is better than the deal with GM but that it will nonetheless dilute the value of Commerce One`s stock. "Commerce One gave away approximately $1.15 billion worth of stock in return for a 2 percent equity stake and an estimated 5 percent revenue share in Covisint. For the deal to be favorable to Commerce One, Covisint would have to process about $400 billion of transactions. This level seems out of reach for Covisint at this point." Once all suppliers are enabled, Covisint is predicted to handle about $300 billion of transactions annually.

Is Commerce One in for a rough ride with the automakers? Quite possibly. AMR`s Prouty notes that Ford and GM are ruthless negotiators and have been the bane of many of their software suppliers. Ekoniak expects that there will be a continual struggle over how the cost reductions will be split between the automakers and Covisint. On a more personal level, having split a deal with Oracle may remind Mark Hoffman of some of the reasons he left Sybase. And if difficulties enabling the automakers` many suppliers hamper Covisint`s ability to generate revenue from transactions, Hoffman may wish he had followed Larry Ellison`s example in choosing to get up-front fees instead of a share of revenue-or had even taken a tip from Keith Krach and just said no.-P.K.

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2177


dazu faellt mir nur noch eins ein: gut, dass hoffman in westpoint war.

[isaaacc]

Carmakers slow to catch Internet wave
Financial Post - Canada; Feb 14, 2001
BY NIKKI TAIT



Contrary to the hype over Internet-based car retailing and plans for electronic trade exchanges, the automotive industry is lagging other sectors in adjusting to the e-business world.

A study by KPMG, the accounting and consultancy firm, suggests the sector is "far behind" some other industries -- including financial services, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.

The study is based on responses from about 30 leading automakers and suppliers worldwide. Issues identified included tensions between suppliers and automakers, uncertainty over the returns e-business will deliver, worries about the security of information and the costs involved.

"Part of the problem may be cultural ... another major element may be cost," says Brian Ambrose, industry director of KPMG`s automotive practice in the U.S.

In particular, the study found suppliers worried that the cost of parts would become more transparent via a digital trade exchange, allowing manufacturers to negotiate better pricing. It also found there was skepticism over some of the initial estimates of the savings e-commerce could deliver for industry -- up to about US$3,000 per vehicle -- and that the cost savings generally had been "grossly exaggerated."

It also revealed executives were extremely worried proprietary information could be vulnerable to hacking, unethical competitive behaviour or viruses.

The study comes at a time when there is uncertainty over how some of the main e-business initiatives in the industry will fare. Covisint, the giant trade exchange, planned by General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, is still looking for a permanent chief executive and has yet to settle on a permanent headquarters.

Some big suppliers, such as Johnson Controls, the interiors and seating group, are developing their own e-business platforms, which are likely to drain some business away from the larger exchange.

U.S. automakers are also still working out how to sell vehicles online without undercutting or angering existing dealer networks.

Even so, the big carmakers still say the e-business world holds much potential. "We see it as a powerful opportunity to take a lot of time and cost out of the equation," says Jack Smith, General Motors` chairman


mit 2 monaten verzoegerung entdeckt auch die financial post canada die kpmg studie.
http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=01…

[isaaacc]

http://webevents.broadcast.com/commerceone/commercecafe/feb2…


Commerce Café - Upcoming Seminars Procurement and Beyond: Covisint and the Changing E-Marketplace
Find out how Covisint,the e-marketplace pioneered by General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Nissan and Renault, is empowering auto makers and suppliers by reducing purchasing costs and cycle times, expediting "time to market", and linking all members of the supply chain


What:
Procurement and Beyond: Covisint and the Changing E-Marketplace
When:
Wednesday, February 28 @ 10:00 AM in your time zone
Who:
Jacqui Dedo, Covisint Vice President, responsible for Sales and Customer Enablement Activities.

Where:
Your desk
How:
Register Here!


When auto giants like DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Renault and Nissan launch what is anticipated to be the world`s largest e-marketplace, it`s not just the automotive industry that should pay close attention. Known as Covisint, this groundbreaking new exchange is expected to handle up to $750 billion in annual purchases by automakers and suppliers. More importantly, Covisint represents the future of the e-marketplace as it moves from primarily a procurement vehicle to a complete end-to-end system for conducting all business online.

The Covisint slogan-"accelerating the pace of business"-says it all. Created to provide automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers a single, comprehensive global e-marketplace, Covisint is committed to: 1) reduce the time and cost of a purchase order transaction; 2) decrease the product development cycle; 3) maximize the efficiencies of the Internet across the entire supply chain; and 4) dramatically expedite time to market.

To understand the enormous scope and opportunity of e-marketplaces like Covisint, you`ll want to join us at the next Commerce Café, February 28 at 10:00 a.m.: Procurement and Beyond: Covisint and the Changing E-Marketplace.

Speaking at the Café will be Covisint Executive Jacqui Dedo. Highly respected in the automotive industry, Ms. Dedo will provide an inside look at the creation of Covisint and how it is enabling participating companies in new and transformative ways.

[isaaacc]

http://www.covisint.com/info/downloads/pd_tour/vpw/01.html

Covisint Virtual Project Workspace Tour zum anschauen

[Eboerse]

Some Assembly Required

Ford, GM, Chrysler, Nissan, and Renault were among the first corporate giants to launch an electronic marketplace that would save billions. Can Covisint show other industries how it really works?

February 20, 2001 issue




SUBSCRIBE to the B2.0 Lineup

Jeffrey Davis
Martha Baer


There will always be drama when enemies convene. Especially when it`s nighttime and the enemies are alone, and especially when they`ve never met.


So it was on one evening last February at Detroit`s upper-crust Townsend Hotel, when Harold Kutner and Brian Kelley, senior executives from General Motors (GM, info) and Ford (FORD,info) Motor, came together for the first time--in secret--at the suggestion of a mutual parts supplier.

The supplier had placed a couple calls a few weeks earlier, to lodge a complaint of sorts, first with Kutner, GM`s worldwide purchasing czar, then with Kelley, president of Ford`s companywide ecommerce initiatives. Look, he told the executives, as a supplier to both of you, I`m being forced to get up to speed on your two new, different, and highly complex online purchasing systems. That`s doubling my effort; isn`t there some way GM and Ford can do this together?

To hear Kutner, 60, recount the tale--and talk about firing his lawyers seven times over or dealing with the dimness of bankers--is to avow, think twice about working for this man, or if you do, don`t screw up. His smile might be boyish, but his voice is news-reel emphatic. "My answer," he booms, remembering the phone call, "was…No."

But Kutner`s eventual evening with Kelley at the Townsend was enough to encourage second thoughts. The men, it turned out, had rapport. And the auto industry, they agreed--mired in a four-year price slump and plagued with so many costly inefficiencies in its supply structure--had a now-or-never opportunity staring it down. That is, build one vast electronic tent under which thousands of auto parts and equipment companies that feed Big Auto`s supply chain could talk and do business together. Create a Web-based, easy-to-access platform across which tens of thousands of businesses can buy and sell supplies, exchange information regarding forecasts, inventory, billing, shipment, and product design--in real time--and you`ll not only gut costs, you`ll turn the auto business upside-down.

Less than a month after Kutner and Kelley`s meeting, Ford and GM fired the shot heard round the B-to-B world: They would abandon their separate efforts to build online empires out of their own camps of suppliers and manufacturers, and instead join hands to launch a single system that would form the world`s biggest online industry marketplace. If DaimlerChrysler signed on as well, the new entity would command $240 billion per year in purchasing power through 90,000 member companies worldwide, generate an estimated $3 billion a year in short-term transaction revenue, and--if you trust some analysts` math--eventually lop off $3,000 from the production cost of your average 21st century car. The same day, DaimlerChrysler dumped its own ecommerce plans to announce that it wanted in, too.

But that was 12 months ago, when e-marketplace mavericks such as VerticalNet (VERT,info) and Ventro (VNTR, info) and more than 1,000 other new electronic business markets were considered serious threats to the back-end business of big corporate dinosaurs such as GM and Ford and so many others. Today, Ventro, the company spun from the now-defunct chemical exchange, Chemdex--which had a first-quarter 2000 market capitalization of $11 billion--needs a lifeline to stay in business as a software vendor. VerticalNet, another original B-to-B bellwether, is similarly mired in a profitless valuation nose dive, and its all-star CEO, Joe Galli, left in January.

Unable to generate the critical mass of transaction volume that the independent e-marketplaces promised, and clearly underestimating the needs and clout of old-line businesses, the independents have become an endangered species in 2001. Fewer than 100, some analysts predict, will be left by the end of the year. To put it bluntly, they`ve been displaced by $3.5 billion in corporate funding, according to Jupiter Research (JMXI, info)sdriving the launch of dozens of new industry-backed exchanges: Covisint in auto, Transora in packaged goods, MyAircraft.com in aerospace, GlobalNet Exchange in retail.

But it`s Covisint that big business will have its eyes on most. Never before has an industry so large and complex--and in many ways, incorrigibly slow--attempted to do so much, so fast. One year out of the gate, having secured an estimated $240 million in corporate funding, more than 200 employees chipped in by the partners, and the Federal Trade Commission`s seal of competitive approval, the performance sheet looks like this: As of mid-January, the mega-exchange had signed up just 20 suppliers. It had conducted 80 supply auctions for seven clients, and managed to get 100 supplier catalogs up and running on servers. While basic purchasing functions have been in place since October, company officials haven`t yet chosen a tech vendor for the much-hyped supply-chain management features; meanwhile, analysts are wondering whether the fragile dÈtente between Covisint`s two competing software partners--Oracle (ORCL, info) and Commerce One (CMRC, info)--will endure as Covisint ramps up. Perhaps most telling of the challenges ahead, the new year passed without an announcement of a long-sought chief executive--one who will be flanked by business partners who, for most of the 20th century, served as vicious combatants.

Regardless, Covisint`s success will begin--or end--with its biggest suppliers, such as $13 billion Dana, which delivers a rolling chassis to GM every 108 minutes, and Johnson Controls, the $17 billion maker of instrument panels. And at least for the moment, ambivalence, rather than startup enthusiasm, seems to prevail. "There are about 250 middleware companies calling us weekly," says Mike Suman, a group vice president at Johnson Controls. "They say, `Hello, my name is X and I`m your e-solutions provider,` and you go, `Oh, really?`" Suman shrugs: "We haven`t heard Covisint`s business model yet."


(Page 2 of 6)

THE OPPORTUNITY.

An industry stuck in reverse

THE RINGLEADER Harold Kutner GM’s global purchasing czar reiterates the hype: Covisint is “potentially the biggest Internet company in the world.”
Photo: Martaez Photographics
Among other reasons, big business will be watching Covisint to see just how up to the task the B-to-B exchange model really is. The automotive industry, after all, is one of grave complexity: Where a computer comprises about 30 components or SKUs, a car or light truck is made up of about 5,000. GM coordinates production at 29 different far-flung plants, yet the whole system has got to move faster.

Small wonder, then, that in auto`s first century, breakthroughs in truly universal connectivity have been few and far between. While ambitious executives such as Kutner aim to follow Dell (DELL, info) Computer`s example of radically streamlining communication from the customer to the plant, others balk at the analogy. Auto industry analyst Maryann Keller, who left her post recently as head of Priceline.com`s (PCLN, info) auto services, screeches at the mention of it: "Give Michael Dell a thousand parts to deliver and tell him to open a plant in Mexico. Come on! The parts he needs for a year could probably fit in a single 747. The Dell model does not apply to the auto industry!" And for that matter, it doesn`t apply to most other industries now taking aim at the electronic exchange model; the supply structures simply aren`t as complex.

But eventually, something had to give. For four years, despite flush economic times in other industries, the prices of cars and trucks have remained flat; by some measures they`ve dropped. And parts suppliers have watched their own prices fall even between 2 and 3 percent. While SUVs have grown bigger, their makers` margins have shrunk, as an entire industry has watched its forecasters bumble and its products melt down into commodities.

Costly glitches abound in the business of carmaking. Vehicles no one wants sit on dealers` lots, unused raw materials sit in suppliers` warehouses, and an estimated $230 billion worth of excess inventory piles up yearly, largely to cover for scanty information about what consumers want and what carmakers will need to build it. It takes an average of 53 days to get a car built and delivered to its customer today, while only one or two of those days are actually spent on assembly; a full 36 days go by, according to a June 2000 report by Roland Berger, creating a schedule for production, processing orders for materials, and purchasing supplies.

Then comes the paper. Ninety-five percent of the companies in the automotive sector still communicate and transact via snail mail, fax, and telephone. The remaining 5 percent rely on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems, originally developed in the 1960s, but still used only by the bigger companies that can afford them. The result? Higher costs across the board. Where flush Ford might link up with its big-money, Tier 1 chassis supplier, the hose maker down the line works only by fax and phone. The administrative costs alone of procuring materials for a car amount to about $95--multiply that by the 17 million vehicles a year made in North America.

Attacking each of these problems, plus others plaguing the processes of designing new models each year, underscores Covisint`s proposition to the industry. The payoff: a reduction of $2,000 to $3,000 off production costs for every $19,000 car that lands in the lot, according to Gary Lapidus, an auto industry analyst for Goldman Sachs. And even if such figures are wishful--Michael Heidingsfelder at Roland Berger estimates savings closer to $1,200, and most others agree--it still adds up enough to draw investors.

Which is one reason why, in the name of Covisint, age-old enemies such as DaimlerChrysler and Ford began getting chummy a year ago; it`s why this young company, not yet even settled in a permanent location, has continued to promise an IPO in 2001; it`s why bankers got away with closing an equity deal between Covisint and Commerce One that valued the former, still short a CEO and a single paying customer, at $59 billion.

(Page 3 of 6)



THE PROMISE.

Collaborate, or else

THE ACCOMPLICE Brian Kelley Ford’s president of ecommerce initiatives, took the secret meeting with Kutner that helped launch the exchange.
Photo: Derek Blagg
Ask most anyone in the auto industry what the Internet will do to change his or her business, and the answer will be broken into three parts: procurement, product development, and supply-chain management.

Procurement promises savings of two types. One is in the actual sticker price. Finding the best sources of a material, pushing down its price, and arriving at amounts and conditions that result in the cheapest deals--these are benefits Covisint offers buyers who use its site. Through the Covisint interface, buyers can search supply catalogs and run reverse auctions (or regular auctions if they`re sellers); they can announce auctions weeks in advance; and adjust deals.

The second potential savings from purchasing will come from the basic costs of processing transactions. If suppliers are note comfortable striking a deal for $500,000 worth of instrument panels online, they can certainly process the paperwork at the site once the deal is done. If a company spends about $80 billion each year on supplies (typical of a Ford or GM), it`s not unreasonable, says the Roland Berger report, to imagine saving $150 million simply by streamlining slow and costly processing.

Where Covisint`s services get less familiar, and where greater potential revenue lies, is in moving product development and demand-forecasting functions online. Today, product development takes two to four years. A single design change, in the world of automotive engineers, takes about five weeks to filter through layers of engineers and managers.

Plus, internal design collaboration is one thing--engineers have to ensure all the right people have signed off, for instance, and that no one is confused about what the latest version is. But from supplier to supplier to original equipment manufacturer (OEM), that communication is especially unwieldy. "You have to put drawings on a disk," says Andy Simpson, a consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, who has been working with Covisint since last August, "FedEx those to your counterpart, and hope they can translate what you sent to their CAD software. Either that, or you get on a plane and have a meeting."

Covisint promises to fix that. "The idea is collaboration," says Suman of Johnson Controls, "where our designers in Japan and Germany and Michigan can search a database and find a sun visor that we already have tooled. We`re going away from episodic events where teams meet every week, flying in from all around the world, to where they never meet and a design launch is virtual."

This is the vision of Covisint`s Virtual Project Workplace, a shared platform for anyone with a stake in, say, how big the handle on a hatchback is or what shape the grip of the stick shift is. Designers can look at pictures; measure parts; consider new specifications; argue about specs; alert colleagues of their tasks; keep out snoops; store every picture or bit of conversation generated; link them to spreadsheets or Word documents; and route serial tasks from person to person. Files from any of the CAD programs used in the industry can be translated through a one- or two-step process, with all the 3-D viewing functions available and networked, so everyone at the same time can watch a shock absorber somersaulting.

So far, 40 top suppliers have looked at the design demo. Six are actually using the tools, though only in-house. But the goal is that Ford engineers will collaborate not just internally but with--just imagine--Firestone tire engineers, as well as with Firestone`s rubber supplier.

Last of the big Covisint promises--and where, for many of these mammoth exchange models, the rubber must eventually meet the road--is to deliver supply chain-speeding tools and services. While software platforms such as Commerce One`s will serve as Covisint`s primary purchasing engine for parts and help generate one-third of the expected cost savings to the automakers, the other two-thirds (and, for Covisint, long-term income) must come from the more complex back-end services, such as features that allow Tier 1 companies to know where a part is and when it is expected to arrive, or simultaneous online demand forecasting, up and down the chain. That`s where auto-business analysts begin to wax truly visionary, picturing a massive upheaval in the industry that starts with made-to-order cars (exactly the way you want them within 10 days of your order) and ends with whole new kinds of factories creating whole new mix-and-match modules.

The operating principle: The more inventory you create that is not to a customer`s liking (whether that customer be a Saturn soccer mom or a transmission-maker buying gaskets), the more money you lose--on dropped prices, marketing efforts, anything that`ll get the unwanted gaskets off the shelf.

Covisint`s grandest business proposition is to make all orders and forecasts immediately and securely available to all the links in the chain, so that participating builders of a car or a part can respond to a need simultaneously. Today, if dealers are asking for more four-wheel drives, the folks at GM will eventually hear about it; but what about Dana, which makes axles? It waits for GM to analyze its needs and send out a release asking for a shipment. By making the same demand data available to the multiple tiers all at once, automakers crunch crucial days and wring dollars out of the cycle.

Says Kutner passionately, "We`ve got to get our supply base sensing what our needs are--not waiting for a release saying on October 1, we need 1,200 parts."


(Page 4 of 6)

THE ROAD AHEAD.

Hailing for a chief

THE THIRD WHEEL? Gary Valade head of global purchasing for DaimlerChrysler, steered clear of an equity stake in Covisint, but will contribute billions in business.
Photo: Derek Blagg
Known in its first few months as NewCo, Covisint set up shop in Southfield, Mich., 15 miles from GM`s headquarters in downtown Detroit. Like most startups, which pride themselves on leaving behind old systems, NewCo`s offices were strictly legacy, inherited from some vacated insurance company.

"The staff came in dribbles," explains Rico Digirolamo, Covisint`s acting CEO. Throughout the year, the company assembled close to 100 loaned staffers from the Big Three and several consulting firms, added 100 from tech founders Commerce One and Oracle, and recruited others from outside.

GM`s Digirolamo is a rousing good guy with a casual style, who uses expressions like "geez" and "zillionaires." Along with Alice Miles from Ford and Peter Weiss from DaimlerChrysler, he was tapped to hold down the fort until Covisint at last got its leader.

Which, as of mid-January, it still hadn`t, fueling months of speculation that, given the demise of so many B-to-B marketplaces in late 2000, and the intimidating clout of the partners, no one would take the job. What Covisint needs is somebody who can manage a very large business, who understands information technology and automotive, who won`t alienate suppliers or threaten any one of the Big Three, and who is a diplomat capable of managing bitter rivals.

According to Kevin Prouty, an analyst with AMR in Boston, this last requirement has been the biggest sticking point. "A lot of potential CEOs said, `Do I have what it takes to go up against these fighters?`" One industry insider was much more blunt: "Wake up and get a call from [Ford CEO] Jac Nasser saying, `How we doing?` If I had all the qualifications for the job, I wouldn`t want it." Despite the promise of chairmanship of an independent board, Covisint has taken longer than other new industry exchanges to find its chief.

Covisint insists it is taking its time to find just the right leader, but it repeatedly announced likely timeframes for the hire which have passed. Analyst Keller cuts Covisint no slack. "They announced a year ago," Keller says. "The first thing they should have done was get someone to run it."



Getting cred with the Feds

Closely linked to the fruitless search for a CEO was the FTC`s antitrust investigation, a setback that imposed all sorts of restrictions on the company`s attempt to emerge. Not only was the company barred from signing contracts or making hires during that attenuated period, but its main constituents, suppliers like Dana, were not allowed to do business on the site.

Of most concern to federal regulators at Covisint and in other exchange models is the possibility of price controls. Will the powerful OEMs band together and use their purchasing power as an ultimatum? Lower prices or lose our business. Because Covisint is first and foremost an information-sharing platform, the FTC has reason to question whether the larger companies will share the kind of information that can lead to such collusion.

And although the FTC gave Covisint its blessing last September, it will be keeping its eyes on the exchange as much as big business will. "They`ll be watching for signs of monopsony--pricing through leverage with purchasing power," says Forrester Research (FORR, info) senior analyst W. Daniel Garretson. "If there`s any sort of collusion, they`ll be watching for it, and one thing that would be a red flag is if information is being spread around--not so much deliberately through price fixing, but in a de facto way."


(Page 5 of 6)

Fears for the tiers


Another significant challenge on the road ahead: winning over the industry`s Tier 1 suppliers, who are likely to reap the greatest benefit of switching to an exchange, among all the players in the supply chain (see "Who Saves Most?", p83). But their needs are in some ways as complex as the OEMs, and Covisint, they feel, probably won`t be able to serve them all. Suman of Johnson Controls, one of the largest plastic and steel users in the world, puts it vividly: "If you buy 150 tons of steel, it`s very hard to find someone that happens to have that available. For us, using Covisint won`t always make sense."

Early on, the pervasive concern in this sector of the industry was that the goal of Covisint was to put a fatal squeeze on suppliers, especially small ones. But through the institution of a customer council and aggressive pitching, Covisint has won the willingness of at least its biggest trading partners. "One thing this company has done a good job at," says Prouty, of AMR, "is getting the Tier 1 suppliers on board." Neil De Koker, who represents the supplier community at the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, seconds that. "Attitudes are completely different from what they were in March," he says.

But for many suppliers, it`s still hang-back-and-see. Dana, for example, is not only playing choosy with Covisint, it`s getting itself out ahead by creating its own e-marketplace. Back when Covisint was just a press release, Dana ($13 billion in sales, 82,000 employees) was already running transactions over its own exchange. And it was doing it with a couple of the Covisint founders` fiercest Internet rivals, FreeMarkets and Ariba (ARBA, info)s. "The strategy for most in Tier 1," says Doug Grimm, vice president of Global Strategic Sourcing at Dana, "is to have a dual or triple strategy. We`re using some ecommerce systems already, with or without Covisint."

For the smaller suppliers, it`s a different story; unlikely to see a significant boost in their bottom lines if they submit to reverse auctions, they will most likely take their cues from the bigger customers above them. Thus Covisint has spent none of its resources wooing these potential players.

Of the dozen or so smaller suppliers under Covisint`s electronic roof that were contacted for this story--$5 million to $3 billion firms in Tier 2 and below--most either didn`t return calls, didn`t want to talk specifically about Covisint, or didn`t know enough about it to say anything. Says one industry insider: "Among the smaller companies, Covisint wasn`t contacting anyone and wasn`t responsive to those that were trying to get involved."

"It`s the typical auto industry approach of, `I`ll take the profits out of the suppliers down the line,`" adds one auto industry consultant. "I talk to a lot of first-, second- and third-tier suppliers. They`re saying the automakers just want to take profits away from them. It`s not negotiating at arm`s length, it`s holding them by the throat at arm`s length."



Counting on claw-backs

Once you`ve fathomed the scope of Covisint`s promises, you still have to consider its business model. For all its services--auctions, design tools, inventory shrinkage--ready and not yet ready to launch, as of January, no prices had been set for any of them.

AMR estimates that it will take anywhere from $250 million to $400 million to build Covisint to its desired specs. Meanwhile, what Covisint will say about its business prospects is simply hard to believe. GM`s Kutner calls Covisint "potentially the biggest Internet company in the world" and claims it will draw "you know, maybe a trillion dollars in revenue."


(Page 6 of 6)


A trillion?


Were Covisint to charge the 0.5 or 1.5 percent the typical e-marketplaces charge for transactions, and were the industry to direct every last dollar of its purchases through the system, that would still leave them about $980 billion shy of Kutner`s mark. Forrester`s Garretson puts it at $3 billion annually, based on 1 percent of transactions, and chuckles at Kutner`s trillion.

Regardless, most important to Covisint`s stability are the formal "claw-back" commitments the five auto founders have made to guarantee transaction volume--the coveted critical mass that eluded so many of the independent Net marketplaces. Kutner says GM alone will contribute $85 billion in business annually into the exchange; Ford and Daimler-Chrysler say they will funnel somewhat lower levels, and Renault and Nissan even less. If any partner fails to comply, it faces a penalty: The founding auto companies` equity is tied to their compliance with claw-backs. "If I don`t put my $85 billion through this exchange," says Kutner, "I`m going to lose part of my equity ownership."

But consider the underpinnings of those claw-back arrangements. The partners lose equity if their participation falls short. But equity in what? In a company that hasn`t decided where its headquarters will be? In a company that hasn`t set prices yet? How difficult would that be to walk away from?



The technology handshake
Where public skepticism about Covisint`s mission has been proven wrong is in the area of melding cultures. To a person, those watching the operation closely agree: The culture conflict between the Big Three has been quieted. While the auto partners settle in, though, the tech companies continue to hash out their relation to the new venture.

Sixty Commerce One employees are camped out in Detroit with a similar team of developers from archrival Oracle. Commerce One`s MarketSet software powers all the transactions on the site, including auctions and supply purchasing, both MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) and direct goods. Oracle is providing its Web-based business application to the exchange, which will handle human resources management, sales, and marketing.

If Kutner, Kelley, and their counterpart at Daimler-Chrysler, Gary Valade, appear to be playing a high-stakes game in racing into the electronic marketplace, Commerce One appears to have more at risk than any of the partners.

In the equity deal hammered out in December, GM and Ford agreed to purchase 14.4 million shares of Commerce One stock for a combined 14 percent equity stake in the software firm, which had a market capitalization of $3.96 billion in mid-January. Oracle chose a different path; like Commerce One, it will take a small (2 percent) equity slice in Covisint, but will be paid in basic licensing and service fees--not a percentage on transactions. Thus, as Covisint goes, many believe, so will Commerce One. "The auto industry is notoriously cyclical," Prouty has said. "If that continues into the second half, Covisint`s funding could be in trouble--as well as Commerce One itself."

Further fueling this rivalry is Commerce One`s race to develop--with one of Oracle`s chief competitors, SAP--the coveted supply-chain management software that Covisint`s long-term promises are based on. Valade won`t commit: "We`ll be looking for the smartest set of tools" before signing any deals. Commerce One and SAP, thanks to their equity relationship in the exchange, hope they`re at the top of the list. Commerce One might, in fact, be praying.

But of course many around Covisint are praying these days. The lower-tier suppliers are praying for mercy as they anticipate competing for business online; dealers are praying for the holy reduction in inventory; the founding partners are praying for critical mass at a marketplace pitted against other new exchanges; and everyone`s praying for an end to an industry-wide slump.

Back in Detroit, Kutner shows no sign of caving to recession-spun conservatism. "We`re going to be connected to 100,000 companies," he asserts without a blink. "The revenue potential is so large that most of the average minds in the banking community cannot even visualize it."

Neither can anyone else.




Jeffrey Davis ([e-mail]) is the senior features editor at Business 2.0.
Martha Baer ([e-mail]) is a senior contributing editor for Wired.

[isaaacc]

Covisint Director to Speak at SAE 2001 World Congress Sneak Preview Sunday, March 4


WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter A. Weiss, Director,
DaimlerChrysler B2B Exchange Activities for the coordination of Covisint
related activities, will be the keynote speaker at the Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE International) 2001 World Congress Sneak Preview at 2 p.m.,
Sunday, March 4 in Michigan Hall, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan.
Named to his post in May 2000, Weiss represents DaimlerChrysler in the
joint automotive trade exchange project, Covisint, with General Motors
Corporation, Ford Motor Company and Renault-Nissan. He is a member of the
Executive Team and responsible for the Product and Technology development
activities.
Before coming to the Covisint post, Weiss was Project Director, e-Extended
Enterprise, Procurement and Supply, DaimlerChrysler Corporation. In this
position, he developed a joint supply model for worldwide standardization of
all supply/logistics processes, as well as the setup of an Advanced Supply
Chain Engineering Department.
The "Sneak Preview" is designed to give a select audience of automotive
manufacturers and news media an early look at some of the hottest new
technology to hit the automotive market. More than 30 companies that form the
Automotive Computer Technology Showcase (ACT) will be on hand to show their
latest and most advanced computer hardware and software technology. Companies
exhibiting on Sunday include such well-known industry names as FreeMarkets
Inc., Covisint, Infineon Technologies and many others.
Microsoft Corp. is sponsoring ACT for the SAE 2001 World Congress, which
runs March 5-8, 2001 in Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan.
The SAE 2001 World Congress, the world`s largest showcase of automotive
engineering technologies, attracts attendees from more than 50 countries. To
attend, visit http://www.sae.org/congress or call 1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664); outside
the U.S. and Canada, call 1-724-772-4027.



SOURCE Society of Automotive Engineers
Web Site: http://www.sae.org/congress

[isaaacc]

A Closer Look at B2B Exchange Revenues



23 February 2001

By Steve Butler

As noted in a previous article, eMarketer expects a growing stream of B2B exchange revenue numbers to be announced, as third-party and consortia exchanges begin to trumpet their online activity.

Already, the automakers` exchange Covisint claims to have transacted $350 million by the end of 2000, while Interactive Week estimates that $15 billion in goods were traded on Cisco Systems` private exchange during the four quarters ending June 30th, 2000.

But as always, there is much more to the story than the headline-grabbing numbers.

What do these numbers really represent? If an exchange says that it traded $500 million in goods, it could be that 10 million items were traded online. Or, it could mean that just 10 reverse auctions averaging $50 million each were conducted via that online exchange.

Up to this point, almost all of the leading business-to-business exchanges have been tight-lipped about their transaction activity.

An exception is one of eMarketer`s Benchmark Exchanges, eMerge Interactive, which recently released its earnings for the year 2000. The number that immediately jumps off of the page is $801 million -- the company`s gross revenue from cattle-trading activity. eMerge goes on to predict that this figure will grow to between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion in 2001.

Digging deeper, it is apparent that this cattle industry marketplace is seeing substantial transaction activity. In 2000, eMerge Interactive traded 1,716,300 head of cattle, and it is expecting to trade approximately 4 million cattle in 2001, on pace to capture a 14% share of the entire US cattle market.

But how much of these transactions actually take place via the internet? eMerge Interactive has invested in 12 offline livestock marketing and buying facilities throughout the United States, as it uses internet-based technologies to improve the efficiency of cattle trading. As is common among firms that were once defined solely as third-party exchanges, eMerge has changed its business model to become a provider of supply chain technology solutions.

eMerge`s online operations are conducted over the company`s CattleinfoNet, which successfully marketed 120,000 head of cattle in 2000. The company plans to market 500,000 head of cattle via this online system in 2001. Therefore, its online operations account for 7% of the company`s total livestock trade in 2000, with eMerge expecting to steer 12.5% of its cattle trade online in 2001.

One final note: although many of these transactions are conducted via the internet, offline telephone-based assistance plays an important role in settling some CattleinfoNet transactions.

There is a lot more to the story of exchange revenues than meets the eye. Although it would be helpful if all internet exchanges were as open as eMerge Interactive, it is unlikely that we are going to see much besides the big-numbers during the early stream of exchange press releases. The extent to which B2B exchanges are willing to reveal information about their transaction activity will become a significant issue in the coming months, as people will require greater clarity about how businesses are using technology to improve their bottom line.

It will be up to interested observers to keep pressing with the right questions.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


eMarketer analyst Steve Butler wrote the eCommerce: B2B Report. eMail him at [e-mail] with comments, suggestions, and questions.

http://www.emarketer.com/analysis/ecommerce_b2b/20010223_b2b…

[isaaacc]

Arthur Andersen on the Automotive Industry: Creating Value Envy; Arthur Andersen to Host Webcast Today, Feb. 22


DETROIT, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The widespread realization that value is
no longer encapsulated on the traditional balance sheet has turned the
business world upside down -- or perhaps it is right side up, according to
Arthur Andersen.
During the past 20 years, intangible assets have become increasingly
important as wealth creators, while physical assets have diminished in value.
As with Covisint and other forums of information exchange, this new-age
thinking will dramatically impact the automotive industry -- especially as it
relies more and more on intangibles like skilled employees, CRM, leadership,
and patents.
Noting this trend, Arthur Andersen recently conducted a study with over 34
automotive suppliers to find out how their companies compare to the average
automotive industry supplier in value creation through tangible assets -- like
land, buildings, and financial capital -- and intangible assets -- like
customer
channels and organizational leadership.

What is Value Creation?
Sources of value are becoming significantly more intangible -- with the
intangible portion of the market capitalization growing from 6% in 1981 to 74%
in 2000. Companies that leverage more intangible assets became an average of
eight times more valuable than companies that tend to rely on their more
tangible assets.
For the automotive industry, which Wall Street traditionally has not
rewarded (the market to book value for OEMs is 1.79 and for suppliers is 1.3),
better use of intangible assets may be one of the keys to increasing and
optimizing value in the automotive sector.

Companies Manage what they Measure
Companies manage what they measure. Russell Hensley, who leads Arthur
Andersen`s Automotive Competency Center, says "Based on the survey results,
automotive suppliers focus on their tangible assets, namely physical and
financial assets, and focus significantly less on customer, employee and
supplier relationships. The investment community will only begin to recognize
the automotive supply base when it starts to focus on the less traditional
measures and when the industry as a whole measures a calendar year based on
the number of consumer relationships developed and not the number of units
sold!"

Managing Assets, Managing Risk
Many companies focus their risk management process on physical assets and
financial capital. Risk, however, occurs across the entire base of assets --
tangible and intangible. In today`s world, risk from intangible assets, both
the downside threat and the upside opportunity, may be much more important and
much harder to identify. As Randy Miller, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting
partner noted, "the ability to master risk also depends on the quantity and
quality of the information available to the risk taker."
What should the automotive industry do to create wealth in our new
economy?
Hensley adds, "view your organization as a total of all relationships,
considering what assets you are using and the value they contribute,
historical investments in those assets, where the assets reside, how they are
managed, and what assets are needed in today`s economy."

About the Automotive Best Practices Forum
In January 1997, Arthur Andersen established the Automotive Best Practices
Forum. Its mission is to bring together automotive professionals to share
knowledge, evaluate best practices and understand the changing dynamics of the
automotive industry. Arthur Andersen and the Original Equipment Suppliers
Association (OESA) have teamed together to jointly sponsor the Automotive Best
Practices Forum and explore and understand the changing dynamics in the
automotive industry. This partnership gives automotive suppliers, Arthur
Andersen and OESA the opportunity to create new benchmarks for the automotive
industry. Participants include executives from over 120 automotive companies.

About Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen`s vision is to be the partner for success in the new
economy. The firm helps clients find new ways to create, manage and measure
value in the rapidly changing global economy. With world-class skills in
assurance, consulting, corporate finance and tax, Arthur Andersen has more
than 77,000 people in more than 80 countries who are united by a single
worldwide
operating structure that fosters inventiveness, knowledge sharing and a focus
on client success. Since its beginning in 1913, Arthur Andersen has realized
87 years of uninterrupted growth, with 2000 revenues over $8 billion. Arthur
Andersen is a business unit of Andersen Worldwide. Learn more at
http://www.arthurandersen.com .

NOTE: A live webcast will take place from 3-5 p.m. today, Feb. 22, on
http://clickondetroit.com/money . A replay of the webcast will be available
in its entirety from Saturday, Feb. 24 through Friday, March 2.



SOURCE Arthur Andersen
Web Site: http://www.arthurandersen.com

[DimStar]

Pressemitteilung
Vorstand und Aufsichtsrat benannt
SupplyOn AG beendet Testphase - Automobilzulieferer handeln ab Februar im Internet - INITIATIVE VON BOSCH, CONTINENTAL, INA WÄLZLAGER SCHAEFFLER, ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN UND SAP
München, 22. Januar 2001.

http://www.supplyon.com/c_4_aktuelles.html#

[MR.C.MR.C]

Hallo DimStar,
bezüglich SupplyOn AG hab ich eine Frage an Dich: Ist/wird das ein reiner SAP-Marktplatz oder hängt CMRC auch mit drin?

Ciao

[MR.C.MR.C]

Hallo DimStar,
da Du eher ein Nachtmensch zu sein scheinst, habe ich meine Frage nochmals hochgeholt - weißt Du näheres bezüglich des Marktplatzes?
Ciao

[DimStar]

hallo
bei supply-on ist von C1 nicht die Rede, vielleicht will die exchange irgendwann ja aber auf das neue SAP-Produkt upgraden und daran verdient ja auch C1.

http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/threadpag…

[Eboerse]

Renault to Use Covisint Exchange for 20% of Purchases (Update1)
By Tom Pfeiffer

Geneva, Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Renault SA said it expects to purchase 20 percent of raw materials, car parts and other equipment this year using Covisint LLC, an online exchange set up with other carmakers last year, helping it save as much as 600 euros ($554) per car in costs.

Europe`s fifth-largest automaker plans to use Covisint to buy materials and parts worth 15 billion euros ($13.9 billion) out of 2001`s total procurement budget of 75 billion euros, Renault Executive Vice President Pierre-Alain de Smedt said in an interview at the Geneva Auto Show.

Covisint opened in December after Renault, Nissan Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. agreed to pricing and other terms. The participants hope the exchange will cut supply costs and reduce time to design parts.

``The system has been put in place a little slower than we`d imagined, but the Covisint standard has been a very big success as far as the manufacturers are concerned,`` De Smedt said. ``The most spectacular part is the auctioning of commodities sold in large quantities.``

GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler announced in February they would build Covisint. Automakers Renault, Nissan and Toyota Motor Corp. and suppliers Delphi Automotive Systems Corp, Lear Corp., Dana Corp. and others said later they would also take part.

Communications Standard

Renault sees the main benefit of Covisint as a communications standard between automakers and suppliers, making it cheaper and quicker to develop vehicles and regulate the movement of parts along the supply chain.

Covisint`s platform for designing and developing joint products and systems is expected to begin operating between the second half of 2001 and the beginning of 2002, De Smedt said. Within five years, Renault aims for Covisint to be the medium for most of its communications with suppliers.

When Covisint was unveiled, its proponents estimated the system could lead to cost savings of $2,000 per car.

``It has probably been oversold,`` said Renault Chairman Louis Schweitzer in an interview in Geneva. ``These were, in my view, not credible goals. We believe over five years we can make savings of between 500 and 600 euros per car, which is a very large number.``

Renault shares rose as much as 0.45 euro, or 0.8 percent, to 58.05 euros in Paris.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?T=marketsquote99_news.h…

[DimStar]

Wednesday February 28 11:43 AM ET
Covisint - a Year Later - Still a Promise

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010228/wr/autos_covisint_d…

[DimStar]

Covisint Still Fumbling for First Gear
One year on and the flagship B2B exchange for the automotive industry is still stuck in neutral gear, and looks as if it will have to perform a tricky hill start. (3/1/2001)

http://www.marketsandexchanges.com/index.asp?news=12368

[isaaacc]

Peugeot Eyes Covisint
by Demir Barlas, Line56
Thursday, March 01, 2001


Email this article...

Print this article...


Every year, automakers unveil breathtaking new designs at the Geneva Motor Show. This year -- the 71st -- is no different, with Jaguar`s X-type, BMW`s Mini, and Porsche`s Cayenne SUV debuting as three of the hottest cars to grace the world`s roads in 2001 and beyond.
However, the news behind the display floor is not as intriguing as it was last year, when the founding of industry-led exchange Covisint was announced by Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrysler (since joined by Nissan and Renault). So far at the show, which runs until March 11, the only news related to Covisint has been a statement from PSA Peugeot Citroen that it is interested in joining as an equity partner.

Peugeot Chairman Jean-Martin Folz, who has garnered a reputation for not speaking to the press and even skipping car shows, broke character and spoke to Reuters at the show. ``We are looking at the possibility of becoming a partner in Covisint,`` he said, adding ``We have to decide rather quickly, in the coming months.``

Folz`s statement was hailed by a Renault executive who said that Covisint would welcome Peugeot’s participation in the exchange.

Renault itself estimates its saving from online procurement at roughly $200 per car. Folz sees the benefits of auto industry B2B not just in terms of savings, although he believes these will be substantial, but also sees promise in ``relations between first, second and third tier suppliers and the auto makers.``

In a statement, Covisint addressed the participation of OEMs as follows: ``Some OEMs have expressed concern that the exchange will be North American-centric and others are taking a cautious, wait-and-see approach. Covisint is addressing those concerns and will be a global organization open to all OEMs ... Covisint also realizes that there will be other exchanges that both OEMs and suppliers will be asked to participate in, but the fact remains that suppliers want fewer exchanges, so they can avoid redundant systems and costs.``

Kevin Prouty of AMR Research said that Covisint`s assessment might be premature. ``An executive from Toyota has said that if everyone joined Covisint, every car would end up looking exactly the same. Even if that`s an exaggeration, many OEMs consider their supply chains special and proprietary, and see no reason to join an exchange like Covisint.``

Prouty added that early savings estimates were based on the vision that all procurement would take place on Covisint. ``Now we`re seeing that large, complex components like cockpits and front ends aren’t moving through the auction process.`` Still, Prouty was confident that some OEMs, particularly those who wanted to solidify their North American business, would join the exchange.

Covisint was cleared by the FTC in September, 2000, and launched its exchange shortly thereafter. Covisint currently serves 250 customers who use exchange features like catalogs, auctions, and collaborative design.

Oracle and Commerce One are Covisint`s main technology providers. Suppliers include A.K. Steel, BASF, Dana, Delphi Automotive, Flex-n-Gate, Johnson Controls, Lear, Magna International, Plastech, Visteon and Yazaki.

[isaaacc]

Global Automotive Report
Peugeot may buy stake in Covisint marketplace


By Detroit News staff reports and wire services

GENEVA -- French carmaker PSA Peugeot-Citroen will study the possibility of taking a stake in global on-line marketplace Covisint.
The exchange, which promises substantial procurement savings for its participants, was started roughly one year ago by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG -- and joined shortly afterwards by Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan Motor.
Since then, several top car parts suppliers and technology partners - including Commerce One and Oracle Corp -- have signed up, but PSA chief Jean-Martin Folz has remained stubbornly non-committal about his intentions in the area of on-line purchasing until now.
"We are looking at the possibility of becoming a partner in Covisint," Folz said. "We have to decide rather quickly, in the coming months."
Folz confirmed that the partnership under consideration involved taking an equity stake in Covisint -- a move which Covisint partner Renault said it would welcome.
"We are certainly open to new members. I think it would be a very good thing if PSA were to join us," said Pierre-Alain de Smedt, executive vice-president for research, engineering, purchasing and manufacturing at Renault.
De Smedt said the size of PSA`s stake in the exchange, should it decide to become a partner, would depend on the Covisint board of directors.
When Covisint was formed a year ago, some industry analysts said the on-line exchange could save car companies thousands of dollars per car.
Those estimates have been pared back and Renault has estimated its own savings from on-line purchasing at about $200 per car.
http://www.detnews.com/2001/autos/0103/02/b03-194254.htm

[isaaacc]

Covisint "looking for steering wheel"
by: woody288 03/04/01 01:15 pm EST
Msg: 130034 of 130069

Automakers’ e-bazaar for parts still looking for the steering wheel

Sunday, March 04, 2001

By RICK HAGLUND


NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

They may be the metal-bending bastions of the Old Economy, but the Big Three automakers sure got caught up in New Economy hype when they formed their Internet parts-buying exchange.

Covisint, as the company is called, wants to be the biggest business on the Internet. Automakers bragged about their ability to move at "Internet speed" when they announced the venture Feb. 25, 2000.

Unfortunately, "Internet speed" has slowed to a crawl for much of the dot-com economy. Like many other Internet firms, Covisint has hit numerous potholes.

Nearly a year has passed since General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG launched the company. (Nissan Motor Co. and Renault S.A. have since taken ownership stakes.)

Yet Covisint still lacks a chief executive and a permanent headquarters. The company operates from temporary space in a Southfield, Mich., office building.

Analysts have projected that the automakers eventually will buy nearly all of their $300 billion in parts each year from suppliers through Covisint. But the company just started up in December. Officials won’t disclose sales revenue so far.

As a result, questions are being raised about whether Covisint will live up to its promise.

"There’s no question that it’s moved an awful lot slower than all of us expected, but the world’s a lot different than it was a year ago," says Neil De Koker, managing director of the 259-member Original Equipment Suppliers Association.

Though Covisint was envisioned as a leader in the New Economy, its progress has been impeded by a number of Old Economy constraints.

It took nearly seven months for the Federal Trade Commission to decide that Covisint wasn’t a mechanism cooked up by automakers to collude on the prices they would accept from parts suppliers.

Once Covisint obtained FTC approval to operate, three more months passed before the company became a legal entity. Covisint incorporated in tax-averse Delaware, where most major American companies are domiciled.

And just last month, Covisint named 12 corporate executives to a newly formed board of directors. There are still five openings.

While all of that was happening, the company was running on borrowed workers from the Big Three and from its two technology partners, Oracle Corp. and Commerce One Inc.

Covisint was not a happy place, according to De Koker, whose members have been closely monitoring the trade exchange’s progress. Several hundred workers who used to compete with each other suddenly were forced to cooperate in the new company.

"It couldn’t have been much worse," De Koker said in an interview.

But Covisint is starting to hire its own employees from the ranks of its borrowed workers. Company spokesman Dan Jankowski says Covisint will have as many as 500 employees in the United States, Europe and Asia by the end of the year.

One of those employees had better be the chief executive officer. Jankowski says the company is making progress but admitted the search has been difficult.

Essentially, Covisint is looking for a CEO with the technical skills of Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, the management smarts of General Electric Co. Chairman Jack Welch and the diplomatic savvy of Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"On a scale of one to 10, we’re looking for somebody who’s a 12," Jankowski says.

So all Covisint has left to do is to hire one of the country’s top CEOs, find a place to put its headquarters and generate $300 billion a year in sales on the Internet.

Who said this New Economy stuff was so tough?


---

aus dem yahoo-board kopiert.

[isaaacc]

Unternehmen/Covisint//
*ed

Amsterdam (ddp.vwd). Covisint, die gemeinsame
Internet-Einkaufsplattform mehrerer großer Automobilkonzerne, will in
nächster Zukunft eine Tochtergesellschaft in Europa gründen. Wie die
Hamburger Wirtschaftszeitung «Financial Times Deutschland» am Freitag
berichtete, wird Covisint Europe Ltd. im Sommer ihren Hauptsitz in
Amsterdam beziehen. Europa-Chef werde der ehemalige
Ernest&Young-Manager Lars Olrik. Covisint wurde im Dezember
vergangenen Jahres in den USA gegründet. Die Gründungsmitglieder GM,
Ford und DaimlerChrysler halten je 25 Prozent. Der Rest verteilt sich
auf andere Autohersteller sowie die Softwareunternehmen Oracle und
Commerce One. ++
cja/mwo

[dohanics]

12.02.2001: Die Wiederauferstehung der B2B-Giganten
Die Nachrichtenlage ist chaotisch, die Risken sind immens. Intershop und Commerce One sowie viele andere Aktien des Sektors sind am Rande der Wertlosigkeit. Lesen Sie im folgenden Bericht, warum die einstige Super-Branche in wenigen Monaten wieder zu den Top-Performern an den Weltbörsen gehören könnte.


Nach dem schlechtesten Börsenjahr, das der bald vier Jahre alte Neue Markt je erlebte, waren die Hoffnungen der Anleger auf eine Trendwende im Jahr 2001 groß. Doch die Eröffnung der Indizes am Morgen des 2. Januars ließ diese Hoffnungen in den ersten Börsensekunden des neuen Jahres bereits zerplatzen. Der ostdeutsche Softwarehighflyer Intershop hatte eine Gewinnwarnung über die Ticker und somit sich selbst in ungeahnte Kurstiefen geschickt. Mit einem Index-Gewicht von mehr als 7 % rissen die Papiere nicht nur den NEMAX 50 sofort mit, sondern sorgten auch weltweit für noch mehr Panik im B2B-Sektor: Ariba, Commerce One, Interwoven, BroadVision, Vignette und I2 Technologies brachen dem NASDAQ Composite schon zur Börseneröffnung das Genick.


B2B-Aktien nahe ihrer Allzeit-Tiefs

Nach kurzer Erholungsphase gegen Ende Januar stellten am Freitag abend die B2B-Werte an der NASDAQ erneut 52-Wochen-Tiefs auf. Ariba schlossen erstmals seit dem August des Jahres 1999 unter 25 USD und damit rund 10 USD über dem tiefsten Stand aller Zeiten. Den hatte das Papier, das am 23. Juni 1999 mit einem Ausgabepreis von 23 USD sein Börsendebüt feierte, am ersten Handelstag bei 15,25 USD.

Auch die Aktien des Spezialisten für Content-Management (CM) Vignette fielen am 7. Februar gar im Tagestief auf das Niveau der Erstnotiz der Aktie, die Anfang des Jahres 1999 festgestellt wurde. Verglichen mit dem Höchstkurs der Aktie bei fast 101 USD stellt dieser Kurs von 6,68 USD einen Verlust von mehr als 93% dar.


Die Ursachen der Krise

Doch diese Kursverluste, die repräsentativ für die Gesamtbranche sind, haben Ursachen. Zunächst galten die scharfen Korrekturen, die alle B2B-Aktien betrafen, als notwendige Gegenbewegung, die auf eine Kursübertreibung, wie man sie bis in den März 2000 gesehen hatte, folgen musste. Die Analysten, die eine Intershop mit Kursziel 200 Euro empfohlen hatten und aus den namhaftesten Bankhäusern der Welt kamen, passten ihre Kursziele aufgrund der Marktkorrektur nach unten an. Sie hielten jedoch ihre „Strong Buy“-Urteile aufrecht und wurden auch bis in das dritte Quartal hinein durch erstklassige Ergebnisse und atemberaubendes Wachstum in ihren Ansichten bestärkt. Als sich dann aber im vierten Quartal des Jahres 2000 die Wolken am Internethimmel immer schneller verdunkelten, nahmen die ersten Analysten ihre Gewinnschätzungen leicht zurück.

Mit der Gewinnwarnung des einzigen relevanten Nicht-Amerikaners Intershop war dann das Ausmaß der Wachstumsproblematik im Internet klar. Die Jenaer hatten im Abschlussquartal des bis dahin überragend erfolgreichen Jahres 2000 die Probleme in den USA nicht mehr unter Kontrolle halten können. Sodass die Bombe, die im dritten Quartal zu ticken begonnen hatte, als die USA-Strategie plötzlich bedeutend teurer geworden war, als ursprünglich veranschlagt, explodierte. Stephan Schambach - das Wunderkind der deutschen New Economy – ließ über seinen CFO melden, dass man im vierten Quartal mehr Geld verloren habe, als man umsetzen konnte. Die Analysten und Anleger waren geschockt. Parallelen zum Fall EM.TV wurden zunächst schnell gesucht. Doch während EM.TV unabhängig von einer Branchenschwäche sich einfach verplant hatte, stellte sich bald heraus, dass der US-amerikanische B2B-Markt in der Tat einfach langsamer wuchs, als zunächst von allen Experten und Managern angenommen. So brachen die Aktien von Vignette Software nach Vermeldung der Ergebnisse für das vierte Quartal 2000 ebenfalls um mehr als 60 % an einem Tag ein.


Haben die B2B-Manager ihren Nimbus verloren?

Der Fall Vignette weist umfangreiche Gemeinsamkeiten zum Fall Intershop auf. Das Management hatte sein Unternehmen von je her exzellent präsentiert. In den USA wurde die Firma regelmäßig unter den fünf schnellstwachsenden Konzernen des Landes gelistet. Das Produkt von Vignette, die im B2B-Bereich sich mit der Subbranche CM beschäftigen, gilt als technologisch absolut führend. Die Software V/5 hat ähnlichen Status in ihrer Branche erlangt, wie das von allen wichtigen Marktforschungsunternehmen als führend gerankte Intershop-Flagschiff „enfinity“.

Auch die beiden Erzfeinde von Intershop und Vignette, nämlich BroadVision und Interwoven, vermeldeten, gepatzt zu haben. Anleger sollten sich überlegen, ob sie sich trauen, dem bis zu den jüngsten Vorfällen so makellosen Management der beiden Firmen wieder Vertrauen zu schenken. Hierbei muss die Frage beantwortet werden, ob die schlechten Ergebnisse aus dem vierten Quartal nur auf einen schwachen Markt zurückzuführen sind, oder ob das Management auch verheerende Fehler begangen hat.


Gibt es ein Intershop-Comeback?

Intershop hat diese Frage für sich schon beantwortet. Die Ergebnisse auf europäischem Boden waren mit einer Steigerung von 22 % gegenüber dem dritten Quartal sensationell, so dass man bei Intershop das US-Management für die schlechten Zahlen verantwortlich macht. Der Maßnahmenkatalog bei Intershop wird von den Analysten jedenfalls als positiv bewertet. Doch da das Unternehmen nun Anlegervertrauen zurückgewinnen muss und am 31. Januar einen so verhaltenen Jahresausblick gab, finden sich in der Datenbank zu Intershop fast ausschließlich Verkaufs- und Halteurteile. Nicht ganz so schlimm hat sich das Bild bei BroadVision verfinstert. Hier sahen von 25 US-Analysten Mitte Januar 23 in der Aktie einen Kauf. Jetzt sind es zwar nur noch 14, doch als „Verkauf“ wird der Titel immer noch von keinem Analysten eingestuft.

Intershop erfüllt im derzeitigen Kurstal alle Voraussetzungen, um zu einer der interessantesten Turn around-Spekulationen des Jahres zu werden. Ein Top-Produkt, sowie eine dominante Marktstellung auf europäischem Markt und ein globaler Elite-Kundenstamm müssten dem einst so hochgepriesenen Elite-Management der Firma genügen, um die Kurve zu kratzen, zu mal das Cashpolster für eine Sanierung vorhanden wäre.


Der Mythos von der anstehenden Marktbereinigung

Viele Analysten sehen Intershop und Vignette nun als Kandidaten, die eine Marktbereinigung nicht überleben würden. Es bleibt die Frage offen, ob diese Experten sich ausreichend damit beschäftigt haben, was „Marktbereinigung“ wirklich bedeutet. Denn diese hat im B2B-Sektor schon längst begonnen bzw. stattgefunden. Zu den Verlierern dieser Marktbereinigung gehören der ehemalige uneingeschränkte Weltmarktführer Open Market, Gauss Interprise oder Ventro. Letzt genannte Firma galt Analysten noch vor 12 Monaten, als die damalige Chemdex sich in Ventro umbenannte, als das Non-Plus-Ultra der Branche. Das Unternehmen, das zuletzt keine 80 Mio. USD Börsenwert mehr hatte, wurde damals bei einem Marktwert von mehr als 11 Mrd. USD mit angeblichen Kurspotentialen von mehreren 100 % rund um den Globus zum Kauf empfohlen. In Deutschland priesen Hornblower Fischer und „Der Aktionär“ Chemdex als die Verbindung von B2B und Biotechnologie an und sahen in Chemdex den Mega-Konzern der Zukunft.

Heute – nur ein Jahr später – ist die Firma ein Kandidat für die nächste Delisting-Runde an der NASDAQ. Der B2B-Sektor, der dreigegliedert gesehen werden muss, umfasst aktuell sechs weltweit bedeutende Firmen. Im CM und CRM (Customer-Relationship-Management) sind dies Interwoven und Vignette, im B2B-Sellside-Bereich sind dies BroadVision und Intershop und im B2B-Buyside-Bereich sind dies Ariba und Commerce One. All diese Firmen erfüllen die Voraussetzungen, langfristig erfolgreich zu sein. Bei zwei relevanten Spezial-Anbietern pro Branche spielt es kaum eine Rolle, dass hier und da Firmen, wie Siebel Systems, IBM, SAP, Oracle und I2 Technologies sehr engagiert mitspielen. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass der Markt Platz für einen weiteren Anbieter hat, ist vermutlich höher zu bewerten, als die Gefahr, dass eine der genannten Firmen aus dem Rennen rausfliegt.


Die Buyside-Anbieter sind weiterhin fit

Auffälliges Merkmal der letzten Ergebnis-Saison ist, dass die Anbieter von Buyside-Software die geringsten Komplikationen erfuhren. Ihre Ergebnisse und Ausblicke waren im Verhältnis zu den Erwartungen die besten. Dem Anleger, der in B2B investieren und dabei nicht Kopf und Kragen riskieren will, können daher diese Softwaretitel am ehesten empfohlen werden. Bei Ariba wird für das Geschäftsjahr 2000/2001 mit einem Ergebnis von 0,26 USD pro Aktie gerechnet. Im Folgejahr erwarten die Analysten im Konsens 0,46 USD, so dass Ariba mit einem „moderaten“ 2002er KGV von etwa 50 gehandelt wird.

Bei Commerce One, dem Erzfeind von Ariba, der in seinem Geschäft im Gegensatz zu Ariba nicht am Verkauf der fertiggestellten Internetsoftware verdienen will, sondern sich an den auf seinen Seiten generierten Umsätzen beteiligen lässt, wird für 2001 mit einem Minigewinn gerechnet. 2002 will man dann pro Anteil 0,34 USD verdienen. Das Geschäftsmodell ist, wie das Investment in die Aktie, riskanter, aber könnte auf lange Sicht auch mehr Ertrag bringen.

Auch NASDAQ-100-Mitglied I2 Technologies, das mit Ariba und IBM das größte B2B-Projekt der Welt in Form eines Autozulieferer-Marktplatzes realisieren will, sollte in den nächsten beiden Jahren profitabel arbeiten. Für 2002 werden 0,52 USD von den Analysten erwartet. In 2001 sollen es aber auch immerhin schon 0,37 USD sein. Das KGV für 2002 bei I2 liegt also bei stolzen 80.


Die Übernahmephantasie fährt immer mit

Doch auch die Buyside-Anbieter zogen die Wut der Anleger auf sich. Allen voran die eben noch gelobte Ariba. Das Unternehmen meldete am 29. Januar die Übernahme von Agile Software für einen Aktientausch mit einem Volumen von satten 2,5 Mrd. USD! Agile wird die Marktplätze von Ariba, die reine Einkaufsinstrumente darstellen, um die Funktionen des Prozessmanagements verstärken. Doch dies war nicht der Schachzug, den Analysten von Ariba-CEO Krach erwartet hätten. Die hatten nach den Kurseinbrüchen bei Intershop und Vignette mit dem aggressiven Einstieg von Ariba entweder in den Sellside-Markt gerechnet oder aber eben eine Übernahme des Ariba-Kooperationspartners Vignette verlangt. Da halfen weder die Beteuerungen von Ariba etwas, die schon für 2002 von einem „Return on Investment“ in Form entsprechender Ergebnisbeiträge sprachen, noch dass die Analysten selber nur wenige Tage später ausrechneten, dass Ariba weitere Übernahmen tätigen müsse.

Neben Intershop und Vignette gilt vor allem Commerce One schon seit langem als Übernahmekandidat. Interesse an den genannten Firmen werden vor allem SAP, Siebel Systems, Oracle und IBM nachgesagt. Im Falle SAP scheint die realistischste Variante zunächst der Kauf von Commerce One zu sein, die eine umfangreiche Kooperation mit SAP und Intershop unterhalten. Grundsätzlich darf aber weiterhin sehr umfangreich spekuliert werden. Doch nachdem letzten Donnerstag der nächste Knaller bekannt wurde, beginnt jetzt wohl der richtig heiße Tanz. Freemarkets, Betreiber von Auktionsplattformen im B2B-Bereich, kaufte den Konkurrenten Adexa. Die US-Investmentbank Wedbush Morgan empfahl daraufhin den Titel mit einem 12-Monats-Kurspotential von - mal eben so – 300 % (!) zum Kauf. Analysten rechneten nach der Übernahme vor, dass Ariba Gefahr laufe, in den Ranglisten der technologisch besten Produkte aus den Top 5 herauszufallen.

Zu den damit gefährdetsten Übernahmekandidaten ist Manguistics (NASDAQ-Ticker: MANU) aufgestiegen. Dem Unternehmen wird nachgesagt, für Großkunden eine der interessantesten Technologieplattformen überhaupt anzubieten. Sollte der Druck auf Ariba tatsächlich so groß sein, wie die einst für den B2B-Sektor noch so euphorischen Analysten behaupten, dann ist dieser Schritt für Ariba nur eine Frage der Zeit.


Fazit

Die sechs in diesem Artikel schwerpunktmäßig behandelten Aktien sind Wertpapiere von Unternehmen, die langfristig interessante Grundlagen bieten, um im Wettbewerb überleben zu können. Während die Buyside-Spezialisten dabei auf Sicht von mehreren Jahren wieder akzeptable fundamentale Bewertungen aufweisen, besteht das Kurspotential bei Intershop und Vignette in der denkbaren Überraschung, dass der Geschäftsbetrieb ab Mitte des Jahres die gedämpfte Erwartungshaltung schlagen kann. Scheitern diese Firmen trotzdem, so spielt die Übernahmephantasie in hohem Maße mit hinein. Die Ariba-Übernahme von Agile, für die das 45fache des 2000er-Umsatzes von Agile bezahlt werden musste, beweist, dass in der Branche weiterhin Geld für Unternehmen vorhanden sein müsste, die „nicht einmal“ mit dem 10fachen ihrer 2000er-Umsätze bewertet werden und dabei weltweit führende Technologien verkaufen.


David Khalil, FinanzNachrichten.de-Redaktion

[kleftiko]

15.03. 11:03
Commerce One`s Covisint mit Pressekonferenz
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(©BörseGo - http://www.boerse-go.de)

Der B2B Marktplatz im Automobilsektor Covisint dessen technologiesche Basis von Commerce One gelegt wurde, wird am heutigen Donnerstag von 11.30am bis 12.15pm ET eine Pressekonferenz abhalten. Covisint`s CEO Digirolamo soll einen neuen Technologie Anbieter im Bereich Supply Chain Management vorstellen. Weitere Einzelheiten wurden noch nicht bekannt. Eines der marktführenden Unternehmen im Supply Chain Segment ist i2 Technologies

[DimStar]

Covisint Selects SupplySolution for Supply Chain Execution Applications
Agreement provides automotive suppliers immediate benefit through shared applications

March 15, 2001

DETROIT/STUTTGART - Covisint today announced it has selected SupplySolution, Inc., as the exclusive provider of its "Supply Chain Event, Exception and Execution Management (SCE3M)" applications. Under the agreement terms, SupplySolution`s current supply chain execution applications, including the company`s premier i-Supply Service, will be made available to all current and future Covisint customers worldwide. In addition, Covisint and SupplySolution will jointly explore the development of future supply chain product offerings such as real-time ordering, planning and logistics.

"This is the first of many steps to implement Covisint`s best-of-breed supply chain strategy. This relationship provides instant access to services and applications that streamline supply chain execution, and technology that enhances and complements that of Covisint," said Chris Steele, Supply Chain Lead, Covisint. "Supply Solution`s service offerings are quick to deploy and easy to use. Measurable benefits in inventory reduction and associated costs are visible within 90 days."

"Our agreement with Covisint validates the strength of our solution, which is to develop technologies and applications that deliver immediate value to our customers in the area of supply chain execution," said SupplySolution President and CEO Chris Moritz. "This is our company`s most significant agreement to date. We see exceptional market potential in extending these offerings to Covisint`s customers."

SupplySolution`s current supply chain execution offering contains three components:

i-Supply Service, a real-time direct material fulfillment application providing suppliers, manufacturers and distributors with instant information from their customers` Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or other legacy systems, allowing them to effectively manage inventories and work collaboratively with their supply chain partners.
i-GetIt, a technology platform that solves the requirement for real-time secure data extraction and/or delivery of data to and from ERP, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and legacy systems, and
The SupplySolution Global Infrastructure which addresses the requirements for real-time messaging and message transformation, data/content management, user profiles, views and transaction management.
SupplySolution`s offerings will be available immediately to all Covisint customers worldwide on a subscription basis. Current SupplySolution customers, including Valeo, Faurecia, Lear Corporation, Dana Corporation, Donnelly Corporation and Tower Automotive, will be offered the opportunity to join the Covisint exchange at their contract anniversary date or sooner if the customer elects.

"We have been evaluating SupplySolution for several months and have been impressed by the value their customers are achieving," said Ted Wozniak, vice president, Information Technology and executive director, Materials Management, Magna Corporation. "Adding this valuable service to Covisint, the premier automotive exchange, will revolutionize the automotive supply chain."

"We are pleased to see that Covisint and SupplySolution have reached an agreement," said Dan Holland, e-Business Technology Director at Delphi Automotive Systems. "This is an important step forward in the evolution of Covisint`s supply chain management vision. The SupplySolution product has the potential to lower inventories and reduce supply chain costs for Covisint`s customers."

About SupplySolution:
SupplySolution is the only supply chain execution company currently delivering value to manufacturers, distributors and suppliers through the implementation of the i-Supply Service, i-GetIt and the SupplySolution Global Infrastructure . Today, i-Supply is the most widely used real-time direct material fulfillment tool in the automotive industry, with over 750 manufacturing organizations as current subscribers. Within eight weeks, i-Supply is capable of driving significant cost savings and process improvements within supply chains such as a 30-70% reduction in inventory, a 50-90% reduction in premium freight costs and 40-80% reduction in administrative tasks. The company`s technology headquarters are located in Santa Barbara, Calif. and sales and service headquarters are located in Southfield, Mich. For more information, visit http://www.supplysolution.com.

About Covisint:
Covisint, LLC is a global, independent e-business exchange providing the automotive industry with leading collaborative product development, procurement and supply chain tools that give its customers the ability to reduce costs and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Developed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One and Oracle, Covisint is currently located in Southfield, Mich. The organization has also established temporary offices in Stuttgart and Tokyo. For more information about Covisint, visit www.covisint.com.


# # #
Note to editors: i-Supply, i-GetIt are trademarks of SupplySolution.

http://www.covisint.com/info/pr/supplysolution.shtml

[DimStar]

Thursday, March 15, 2001, 3:49 PM ET.

Covisint Makes Supply Chain Move
By Chuck Moozakis
Automotive exchange Covisint Thursday added supply chain management capabilities to its roster of services by signing a deal with SupplySolution Inc. SupplySolution`s I-Supply supply chain software will be immediately available to Covisint members, according to Chris Steele Covisint`s supply chain lead.

I-Supply is a familiar commodity to the auto industry. More than 750 auto suppliers already use the application, which lets companies manage inventories and work collaboratively with their business partners.

Covisint said it would work with SupplySolution executives to tweak the app to include real-time ordering, planning and logistics support.

I-Supply will be made available to Covisint members on a subscription basis. Current SupplySolution users--including such companies as Lear Corp., Dana Corp. and Tower Automotive--will be able to join Covisint and use I-Supply apps through the exchange at their contract anniversary date or sooner if the customer elects.

Terms of the agreement and details of how much it will cost Covisint members to use I-Supply weren`t disclosed.Supply chain management is a key area for Covisint, which thus far has concentrated on e-procurement and design collaboration.

http://www.internetwk.com/story/INW20010315S0007

[DimStar]

Covisint names European head
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-5217846.html?tag=cdshrt

Deloitte Consulting signs master services agreement with Covisint

http://www.dc.com/obx/pages.php?Name=pr_covisint&seshid=0259…

[DimStar]

Monday April 2, 2:38 pm Eastern Time
Covisint spending $12 million a month - report
DETROIT, April 2 (Reuters) - Covisint, the fledgling automotive parts-ordering Web site, is spending $12 million a month and is not expected to break even before the end of 2002, Forbes magazine reported.

Covisint`s owners have already spent $170 million on the Internet exchange, and expect to spend up to $350 million before it is profitable, Forbes said in an article in its April 16 edition.

Covisint officials declined to discuss the figures in the story. The company is jointly owned by five automakers -- General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news), DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSECX - news), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news), Renault SA , Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. -- and Commerce One Inc. (NasdaqNM:CMRC - news) and Oracle Corp. (NasdaqNM:ORCL - news).

GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler announced the formation of Covisint a year ago, promising that it would revolutionize the way parts are bought and vehicles are developed. However, the company quickly hit regulatory snags and has had difficulty finding a chief executive officer.

Forbes reported that three people have turned down the CEO job, and a fourth, approached last month, is still deciding whether to take it.

Covisint`s business plans call for $186 billion in revenues this year, Forbes said, but the company only pulled in $1 million in February. Furthermore, Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler made only a combined $1.5 billion in purchases through Covisint last year, but say they will ramp that up to $75 billion.

Covisint officials have said they eventually want to take the company public.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/010402/n02347692_2.html

[moneyhype]

Forbes Magazine


Harder than the Hype
Robyn Meredith, Forbes Magazine, 04.16.01


Despite its promise, an auto B2B struggles.


By Early morning on Feb. 25, 2000 Ford dealmaker Douglas R. VanDagens had already drenched his best suit in sweat. Ford and General Motors were about to unveil plans to team up with DaimlerChrysler to build a massive parts-ordering Web site—but Daimler hadn`t yet signed on. So VanDagens repeatedly ran up and down two flights of stairs between his office and the executive suite, trying to get the final terms approved. A press conference was set for 11 a.m. This was no time to wait for elevators.


At the last minute DaimlerChrysler joined, and GM executives proudly staged a surprise appearance with the brass from their two biggest rivals to announce the joint Web assault. Covisint, as the venture later was named, could carry the big three`s entire supply chain, with up to half a trillion dollars in annual purchases from 8,000 suppliers coursing through its electronic veins. In an industry that struggles to save pennies by leaving a car`s ashtrays unpainted, Web buying and online supply chain management promises to save $1,500 to $3,600 per vehicle. Even a 2% savings would add $1.6 billion in profits each for Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler, which had combined net income of $13 billion last year.


No Web site anywhere had ever tried to harness such huge scale. For Detroit the new company was a chance to give a digital pulse to three stalwarts of the Old Economy—and land a gazillion-dollar dot-com valuation just when B2Bs were hot. In the debut press release GM executive Harold R. Kutner hailed it as "the largest Internet business ever created. Nobody will be better. Nobody will be faster. Nobody will offer more to everyone involved." Insiders predicted the site would be up and running in 90 days.


Fourteen months later, nothing has worked as smoothly, as quickly or as profitably as planned. The B2B exchange is floundering and has no hope of living up to its hype. Covisint`s search for a CEO has turned into Waiting for Godot. It is run by a troika of co-chiefs, one from each founding automaker. Three people have turned down the top job, and a fourth, approached last month, is weighing whether to take it.


Covisint`s owners have spent a combined $170 million on their fat company, including a $50 million feeding frenzy by a pack of consulting firms. The site now burns through $12 million a month. Partners expect to spend up to $350 million before Covisint breaks even, which they hope will be before the end of 2002. And for all that cash Covisint last year handled less than 1% of the carmakers` purchases. This year it aims for 30%, or $75 billion, a nearly impossible goal.


Now even Covisint`s biggest stakeholders are getting impatient. "If they don`t find a CEO and they don`t get a firmer footing, they`re in trouble," says Ford Chief Jacques Nasser, who quickly adds: "I`ve got great confidence in the long-term future of Covisint." The B2B will likely transform the way the auto industry does business, but over the next decade, not overnight. Covisint`s struggles to build a new kind of business, navigate among enemies and tame the technology teach hard-knocks lessons for companies trying to harness the Web. "The world completely underestimated how difficult it is to do an exchange," says one of Covisint`s co-chief executives, Enrico Digirolamo of GM.


The automakers persevere because the potential gains are riveting. A car has 5,000 parts on average, and the auto industry has one of the world`s most complex and antediluvian supply chains. A car giant processes 1 million invoices a year, at $150 apiece. Covisint cuts that to $15 apiece. Executives fantasize about a day when they can build a car to order, just like Dell builds computers. Inventory savings alone would be massive. On any given day GM has $25 billion on the shelf. It could cut that in half by 2005 if it knew which cars customers really wanted.


Still, in some ways it is remarkable that Covisint has survived this long. It was created for the wrong reason—as much to cash in on a dot-com stock sale as to overhaul parts-buying. It was born to a dysfunctional family of three parents given to fierce infighting. Its technology comes from two companies with a poisonous rivalry, Oracle and Commerce One. Auto suppliers, its would-be customers, view Covisint as a transparent attempt to divert their profits to carmakers, forcing Covisint to resort to discounting and arm-twisting to bring them on board. Even Covisint`s mission is split: It must be both a cooperative cost-cutting tool and, eventually, a profitable, stand-alone company.


Covisint`s genesis came during the fall of 1999 when dot-coms were hot. GM was working on its own B2B, GM TradeX-change. It had hoped to use Oracle`s technology but demanded a sweetener: a 5% stake in Oracle. Oracle balked, so GM signed up Commerce One, a Web firm willing to cede GM a 20% stake, worth $824 millionat the time. Once spurned, Oracle offered Ford the deal it had fashioned for GM. To beat its crosstown rival, Ford agreed, rushing out a press release on its new B2B, AutoXchange, on Nov. 2, 1999. Fuming at being upstaged, GM announced its gm TradeXchange three hours later. For the next couple of months GM refused to buy anything from Oracle.


Two months later two GM strategists, Alan Turfe and Raymond Pollard, made a fateful phone call to their boss, GM`s Kutner: Had he thought of linking arms with Ford to form a monster B2B? "Are you crazy?" Kutner asked. Two hours later he called them back to map it out. He wanted an efficiency machine with purchase orders, invoices, requests for bids and 3-D design tools, all online. Another upside: "The value of an IPO of two versus one was better," says Kutner.


He soon met with a counterpart at Ford. Kutner, 60, a blustery Detroit veteran known for strong-arm tactics and salty language, and Brian Kelley, 40, a boyish outsider whom Ford hired from General Electric just two years earlier, hit it off.

By early February 2000 Ford and GM began holding secret meetings cloaked in all the power and swagger of Detroit. About 20 people—car guys, tech-heads and investment bankers—holed up in conference rooms at the Ritz-Carlton. They wore cryptic name tags: GM executives were with "Galaxy," Ford tags read "Fireball." Commerce One was "Comet" and Oracle was "Orion." They had such high expectations that they code-named the new outfit "Excalibur."


Ford and GM didn`t trust each other. So Ford privately approached DaimlerChrysler to suggest teaming up online—without revealing the Ford-GM plans, and without telling GM about the overture. GM made an approach of its own to DaimlerChrysler, similarly hiding the GM-Ford alliance plans and not letting Ford know about the overture. DaimlerChrysler, ever discreet, didn`t tell either suitor. Daimler purchasing chief Gary C. Valade says being the swing vote "gave us the most bargaining power."


As they raced to come to terms, unwise compromises emerged. GM didn`t want to ditch Commerce One as a technology provider because its 20% stake would take a hit. Ford didn`t want to walk away from Oracle. So the car companies elected to use both vendors—never mind that they hate each other. "Asking us to work with Oracle is like asking good Christian California guys to work with the ayatollah," says Commerce One`s chief strategist, Chuck J. Donchess.


Melding the system from both of them was painful. Commerce One pushed its forte: online auctions and catalog-ordering. Oracle, stronger in database design, lobbied for broad capabilities in collaborative engineering and supply-chain management. To mediate, Covisint wanted to bring in more consultants. It already had hired Boston Consulting Group. Ford had brought along Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. GM used PricewaterhouseCoopers, and there were a handful of geeky code-crunching shops, too. But this Solomonic assignment was so perilous that some firms turned it down.


Two weeks before the three-way exchange was announced, DiamondCluster International of Chicago took on the thankless task of divvying up duties between Oracle and Commerce One. And by May the firm was so frustrated by the fractious structure of Covisint that it pretty much fired the client.


DiamondCluster`s North American president, Adam Gutstein, issued a May 1 letter to the exchange`s leaders and auto company overseers, saying Covisint "is being managed by an unusually large and a potentially impossible, complex number of organizations." He said "too many" decisions weren`t being viewed through "an unbiased lens, but are rather the result of complex political and economic maneuverings." To simplify the environment, he wrote, DiamondCluster would step aside. Diamond got no argument from Covisint.


In retrospect, the binge of consultant contracts was "an expensive way to staff it upfront, and we`d never do it again," says Ford`s Kelley. "It is easy to look back and say we made some big mistakes at the start that we wouldn`t repeat."


Covisint even hired a consultant to oversee all the consultants. It turned to Thomas P. Colberg, the automotive e-business partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He signed on to run things for a 12-week assignment. Instead, he found himself in Detroit for seven months, flying home to Chicago every weekend. Meanwhile, chief executive offers were spurned by former Oracle president Raymond Lane and others. Last fall Colberg left, handing Covisint back to the big three`s co-chief executive trio.


The leadership search was hampered by the Federal Trade Commission, which spent seven months investigating Covisint`s antitrust implications. As the review dragged on, one serious candidate stayed put because of the uncertainty.


The FTC finally cleared the deal last September. The review added $35 million to Covisint`s expenses, but it cost Detroit much more. During the investigation the dot-com bubble burst, and any shot at a fast, easy IPO disappeared. "It was disheartening that the inquiry took so long," says Alan Turfe, who left GM to run another B2B, MetalSpectrum. "Had they IPO`ed this thing, they probably would`ve had a market cap north of $50 billion" making Covisint as valuable as GM.


With Web-stock euphoria long gone, Covisint had to content itself with the digital drudgery of trying to make the technology work. First up:building software on-ramps to the backshops at scores of sites for GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler. The first GM on-ramp took three months of work by half a dozen programmers. After that, a team of three took 30 days to build each of the next 36 needed for GM alone. Fourteen months after Covisint was formed, DaimlerChrysler`s on-ramps are finished, GM`s are nearly there and Ford`s will be built by May, says Covisint`s chief technology officer, Kevin Vasconi.


Similarly, putting each parts catalog online takes 30 to 120 days of programming. Covisint has put up 250 catalogs listing 2.5 million items for sale. It will have 3,000 up by the end of this year, with thousands left to go. Covisint says 800 of the 8,000 car suppliers have registered to use the exchange, and many will need at least simple on-ramps.The suppliers have been recalcitrant partners. They fear the auto companies will use online auctions to whittle away their profits or learn their secrets. Many of them continue to use online auctioneer FreeMarkets, giving it enough business to ensure Covisint will have a competitor.


Suppliers might be more enthusiastic if they, too, held equity in Covisint, but the big three ruled that out—against the advice of some of their consultants. The suppliers studied forming their own exchange, but dropped the idea after GM`s Kutner, who controls $86 billion in spending, told them to get onboard or lose billions in GM business.


"They bullied everybody into joining, but they haven`t provided a thing," grumbles one supplier chief exec. More vendors are expected to join up soon, since they don`t have much choice. Says the ever-blunt Kutner: "If they want to sell to me, they have to connect." To entice them, Covisint named five suppliers to its board in January. It also has agreed to pay them volume-based rebates, although it had to give the same deal to automakers.


Some prospective customers complain they can`t get a definitive answer on what Covisint charges. Covisint says it charges 1% of the final price of an order bought online in a reverse auction (in which, say, a carmaker posts a request for bids to build its windshield wipers), with a cap of $40,000. If a company puts an item out for bid at a seller auction—say, a used stamping press—Covisint takes a 4% cut with no cap.


The vagueness reigns because Covisint is a work in progress. Auctions and catalog orders now account for 90% of Covisint`s business because those are the easiest to offer. Even getting those started was expensive: In December Covisint spent $100,000 per auction by sending consultants to bring suppliers up to speed on how to use its services. The cost has since come down. Still, "procurement may be free two years from now," says Ford`s Kelley, a mere giveaway to entice customers to spend on other features. In the future Covisint aims to emphasize its online supply chain management and automated back-office services.


Covisint`s first year was tougher than anyone expected. It blew past its first-year budget of $89 million and has spent $120 million so far. The second year won`t be much easier. Most of its goals seem impossibly grand: The business plan calls for $186 million in revenue this year, but in February it pulled in just $1 million. Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler made only $1.5 billion in purchases through Covisint in 2000, but claim they can hit $75 billion this year, making it the most commerce ever done on any Web site.


One reason Covisint has cost so much is that it can handle that volume. "Seventy-five billion dollars doesn`t scare me," says Vasconi, who insists he has the systems in place to scale up quickly. "We are unique and fortunate that our parent companies gave us a way of investing a large amount of money in infrastructure before the demand was there."


The automakers` brute financial force may ensure that Covisint succeeds—eventually. They say they will continue to plow in millions even if the economy falls into a recession, for the efficiencies are too compelling to retreat. Last year if a worker at a GM factory needed to order more screws, he had to fill out Form 2207 and send it to a clerk to enter into a computer, triggering a purchase order. That would be faxed, mailed or zapped to a supplier, triggering more paperwork. On Covisint it takes an instant; soon it will be as easy as ordering a book from Amazon. The cost: $15 per invoice, down 90% from the old method.


As Covisint enters its second year with no boss, it still looks great—on paper, mainly. DaimlerChrysler`s purchasing head, Valade, puts it best: "This thing is going to work. We know it is going to work. We`ve just got to get it going."


The Big Reach
Carmakers and suppliers buy a half-trillion dollars of parts annually-potentially dwarfing other B2Bs.

Annual purchasing
COVISINT OWNERS Stake ($bil)
General Motors 30.66% $861
Ford Motor 30.66 85
DaimlerChrysler 30.66 80
Renault/Nissan 4.00 50
Oracle 2.00 NA
Commerce One 2.00 NA
Industry`s 8,000 largest suppliers NA 325
Potential Covisint market

[DimStar]

hallo moneyhype
guter artikel, hast du einen link ?

[moneyhype]

Hallo DimStar
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/0416/188.html
du musst dich vorher anmelden, was aber im gegensatz zu anderen sites sehr schnell geht

[Eboerse]

Eins zu Eins Umtausch.

Pursuant to a formation agreement entered into among Commerce One, Ford
Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, New Commerce One Holding and, for
certain purposes, DaimlerChrysler AG and Covisint, LLC, Commerce One agreed to
conduct the reorganization into a holding company structure, subject to
stockholder approval, by merging a wholly owned subsidiary of New Commerce One
Holding with and into Commerce One. New Commerce One Holding agreed to form New
C1 Merger Corporation and enter into a merger agreement with New C1 Merger
Corporation and Commerce One.

New Commerce One Holding also issued shares of its common stock to Ford and
GM in return for all of the outstanding interests in CVX Holdco, LLC and an
equity interest in Covisint. In the event the reorganization is not completed
prior to November 8, 2001, Commerce One will engage in an alternative
transaction in which it will issue shares of its common stock to Ford and GM in
exchange for the shares of New Commerce One Holding common stock on a
one-for-one basis.

[Eboerse]

http://www.informationweek.com/832/covisint.htm

Steering Around The Wreckage

Covisint tries to succeed where other online marketplaces have failed

By Steve Konicki ([e-mail])

More on Covisint:

Real-Time Software Drives Covisint`s Supply Chain (3/26/01)

Covisint To Use SupplySolution Infrastructure Software (3/15/01)

InternetWeek: Auto Trading Exchange Still Stuck In Low Gear (4/2/01)

ovisint LLC, the auto industry`s online exchange, is ramping up even as other E-marketplaces close down and as business-to-business platform vendors such as Ariba Inc. and Commerce One Inc. signal slowing sales. Can Detroit`s expensive and highly ambitious technology project succeed where others have failed?

Top managers at Covisint, founded last year by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors, remain upbeat. "The pressure for adoption is big" among the automakers, says Rico Digirolamo, Covisint`s acting CEO. "These guys want to move to the Internet as fast as they can." The goal: To have all of the industry`s top suppliers on board by year`s end.

The exchange, which already supports procurement and auctions, is adding higher-level functionality that could draw in more participants. Last month, it added supply-chain services, which are needed to support its vision of connecting automakers and suppliers in real time to manage the supply and fulfillment processes. And Covisint`s first design collaboration projects, based on technology from NexPrise Inc., are in test mode. The company expects both services to be generally available within a few months.

There are other signs of progress for the year-old marketplace, which launched with $150 million in funding. In the first quarter, Ford and GM quietly transitioned their private trading exchanges, which did $1.5 billion in procurement last year, over to Covisint. Covisint says it has commitments to join from a third of the automakers` 150 largest (or tier-one) suppliers, and another 30 are close to signing. That would make more than half of tier-one suppliers "anchor" tenants, potentially pulling along thousands of second-and third-tier suppliers. Another step in that direction: 750 auto suppliers who already use SupplySolution Inc.`s supply-chain software, which Covisint has adopted, will automatically become members of the exchange this year.

"We see a lot of potential savings in [using Covisint to] connect the supply chain with automakers," says Dan Holland, E-business technology director at Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. in Troy, Mich. That jibes with other cost-cutting efforts under way at the tier-one supplier, which is selling or closing nine plants and eliminating 11,500 jobs.

But Covisint faces challenges. In the fourth quarter, automakers used the exchange to manage only $350 million of business, mostly for maintenance, repair and operational supplies. And despite months of looking, Covisint has no permanent CEO. DaimlerChrysler hasn`t moved its private exchange, FastCar, onto the shared marketplace. And Ford is considering using 3-D modeling tools other than Covisint`s.

All this sends mixed signals to Bill McCreary, VP of technology with Pilkington plc, a tier-one glass supplier in Toledo, Ohio. "We`re assuming Covisint won`t deliver" everything promised, he says. Gartner analyst Karen Peterson agrees that the automakers` continued B-to-B activity outside Covisint makes it "obvious" they still question whether Covisint can deliver the seamless design collaboration and supply-chain platform it promises.

International Truck and Engine Corp. in Terrace, Ill., has its own set of concerns. Art Data, International`s VP of IT, questions the extent to which the automakers will use Covisint to design cars, procure parts, or manage inventory. But the tier-one engine supplier and truck manufacturer isn`t waiting for the answers. It`s testing NexPrise`s design-collaboration application with Ford on Covisint. "We aren`t letting the fact that there are growing pains stand in the way of our taking full advantage of what Covisint will offer," Data says.

Indeed, acting CEO Digirolamo, who hails from GM, insists there are strong reasons for suppliers to make Covisint a priority. "Early adopters gain a competitive advantage by being able to do business with the automakers using the tools automakers want to use," he says.

Covisint insiders say automakers plan to use the exchange to manage up to $75 billion in spending on vehicle parts this year, which would translate into $100 million to $200 million in revenue for Covisint via subscription and transaction fees and licenses.

There`s still millions of dollars of integration work to do. Late last month, Covisint signed contracts with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Deloitte and Touche to help with that, and with revamping business processes--critical if manufacturers are to achieve faster product development. "You can`t expect to use new tools in the same way that you`ve run your business and expect to get dramatic benefits out of them," says J. Kevin Vasconi, Covisint`s chief technology officer.

Covisint`s vision of connecting the entire supply chain must also encompass smaller suppliers that couldn`t afford to adopt past online efforts, such as electronic data interchange. A recent study of more than 400 Ohio auto suppliers by the Technology Policy Group found that none of the tier-three respondents intends to do business on the exchange. Covisint says that should change once those suppliers realize they need only a Web browser to use its supply-chain component.

And here`s something for those small suppliers to consider: Digirolamo says once upper-tier suppliers adopt the exchange, lower-tier suppliers that want to continue doing business with them will have no choice but to join. Just ask Goldman Industrial Group Inc. in Boston. Last year, Ford stopped buying machine tools from one of its subsidiaries that couldn`t do business electronically. Jack Lowry, group VP of IT and materials, built up the E-business infrastructure, and Goldman is winning back business. Now, the company wants to join Covisint to expand into building auto parts.

Says Lowry, "It will take some convincing that we`ve gone from nowhere to being fully connected so that we can interact with them at a much higher level, but we can."--with Alorie Gilbert ([e-mail])

[Eboerse]

Covisint Uses Powerway.com to Cure the Pain
By Randy Scasny



Last October, Covisint, the automakers` online trading exchange, launched with much industry fanfare and a flurry of announcements outlining its goals, strategies and so-called "best-of-breed" partnerships.

While most of these announcements have focused on companies that offered transactional and e-procurement technologies for the online exchange, today`s announcement with Indianapolis-based Powerway hopes to forge new technology landscape and, in the process, soothe the biggest pain point of the auto industry--the communication of engineering changes during product-development, all in the pursuit of design quality.

Consider this: When you have perhaps hundreds of outsourced design engineers developing thousands of components for a new vehicle, the job of ensuring that everyone is on the same page is an insurmountable challenge--30 days is the often-quoted time required to transmit information from one automotive supply-chain tier to another. (This pain point can cause production and quality problems such as production rework because sub-component parts were manufactured without the latest engineering changes, i.e., specifications.)

However, with Powerway`s Web-based collaboration software, an automaker will be able to see what all the supplier tiers are doing, giving immediate knowledge about changes, parts availablity, production issues or quality problems.

This tool hopes to help the automakers achieve, through Covisint, what the automakers have been talking about for years: the 12-month, vehicle design cycle. Right now, the average cycle time is 36 months.

According to the agreement, Covisint will use Powerway`s Web-based product, Powerway.com, to provide quality-performance tools for its customers. The tool will allow customers to work together as virtual enterprises and will "web-enable" compliance to the complex Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval Processes (PPAP), reducing paperwork and providing real-time access to mission-critical quality information.

"Effective communication of quality performance data for the automotive industry has become the critical factor to ensure on-time, high-quality engineered products," John Casey, Quality Management Product Lead, Covisint. "The Powerway.com product is already in use by DaimlerChrysler and its suppliers to manage the quality development process in line with industry standard practices. The Covisint product offering will be shaped to match the specific needs of other OEMs and suppliers to provide customers with a proven quality tool. "

The companies are so hot about this solution that both have said they plan to co-develop document authoring tools for the APQP and PPAP processes.

Covisint is also outlining plans for complementary quality tools to support the automotive industry including solutions for quality configuration management worldwide, daily problem communication and resolution, warranty analysis and communication.

"The breakthrough technology of Powerway.com holds enormous potential for the automotive industry," Mike Campbell, Powerway CEO, said today. "Visibility deep into multiple tiers of the supply chain coupled with real-time communication will fundamentally change the way the industry recognizes and corrects potential quality problems before products are brought to market. As a result, automakers will not only satisfy their market demands but also will save millions of dollars in unnecessary warranty costs each year." http://chicago.internet.com/news/article/0,2326,5401_737931,…

[DimStar]

Wednesday April 18 2:16 PM ET
Covisint Names Ex-CSFB Exec As CEO
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010418/wr/tech_covisint_dc…

[kleftiko]

Auto-Parts Exchange Finally Has a Driver
By Joe Bousquin
Senior Writer
4/18/01 12:36 PM ET




After months of searching, Covisint, the big auto-parts exchange between Ford (F:NYSE - news), GM (GM:NYSE - news), DaimlerChrysler (DCX:NYSE - news) and other car makers, finally has someone at the wheel.

It`s just that the driver doesn`t have much experience in the auto biz.

Kevin English, 48, a former executive of Credit Suisse First Boston and former CEO of TheStreet.com (TSCM:Nasdaq - news), will lead the fledging online-exchange as it pushes to revolutionize the way business is done in the auto industry.

The venture is also backed by Commerce One (CMRC:Nasdaq - news) and Oracle (ORCL:Nasdaq - news), which are supplying the underlying technology platform for the exchange. George Santana, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities who rates Commerce One a buy, said it`s good news that the joint venture has finally gotten a leader. But he was also somewhat skeptical of the announcement, because it took so long for the company to get someone in the job.

"You have to wonder if the proper incentive structure is in place, because if the idea is to take Covisint public at a later date, if it`s really that great of an idea, why couldn`t they find anyone to join?" Santana says. His firm hasn`t done underwriting for Commerce One.)

Covisint, formed in February of 2000, had hoped to name a CEO by October. But squabbling between the automakers -- they have yet to decide on a permanent headquarters for the company -- combined with antitrust hurdles and a tumultuous market, pushed the search out. The exchange, which only started operating in December, was initially expected to handle $300 billion in transactions annually.

In March, the company said it had handled $1 billion in transactions in 2001.

The automakers have said they want to take Covisint public within the next two years.

English lined up TheStreet.com`s May 1999 IPO, but left six months later, with the stock 76% below its first-day trading highs

[DimStar]

Ich habe mir gerade nochmal den Q1-Conference Call angehört. Hoffman sagte u.a., daß Covisint ihre erste 1 Mio $-Umsatzwoche hinter sich gebracht hat. DaimlerChrysler absolvierte 27 Auktionen für 500 Einzelteile mit einer durchschnittlichen Einsparung von 17 %. Bei einer Umsatzbeteiligung von 5-10 % (lt. CFO) ergäbe das schon in diesem Anfangsstadium einen C1-Jahresumsatz von 2,6-5,2 Mio $. Es wird interessant sein, dies weiter zu verfolgen.

[isaaacc]

Thu, 03 May 2001, 4:14am EDT


Fuji Heavy to Start Buying Supplies Over Internet, Nikkei Says
By Desmond Hutton

Tokyo, May 1 (Bloomberg) -- Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., an affiliate of General Motors Corp., plans to start buying office and industrial supplies over the Internet to cut costs and free up labor from administrative operations, the Nikkei Industrial Daily reported.

The maker of Subaru-brand cars will begin online purchases of items including work gloves and stationary products in the current business year, which ends in March 2002, the report said without citing sources.

Automakers are using Internet-based procurement to trim operating costs. Covisint LLP, an online parts purchasing service set up by General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG said it has handled more than $1 billion worth of transactions so far this year.

Workers affected by the move will be shifted to sales and manufacturing operations, the report said.

(Nihon Keizai newspaper, 5/1, p. 7)

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?T=finer99_auto.ht&s=AOu…

------------------------------------------------

First Things First
Linking e-markets is fine in theory, but far away in practice

by Howard Baldwin Line56.com
Sunday, April 15, 2001


Artwork by Noah Woods

Reprinted from Line56
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Think about the poor guy making car door handles. When it comes to e-markets, he probably wants to be part of Covisint but he`s likely also to be interested in being part of E-Steel. Faced with the challenge of integrating with Covisint and knowing that Covisint is likely to link to E-Steel, he`s undoubtedly wondering why he can`t just get to one through the other? Why does he have to link to both of them separately? There, in a nutshell, is the logic behind linking multiple e-markets. Once you`ve hooked into Marketplace A, the logic goes, and Marketplace A is linked to other marketplaces, you should be able to buy and sell on all of them, taking advantage of not only your investment in integration but also the e-markets` ability to attract participants.

Naturally, the vendors of exchange building software- such as Ariba, Commerce One, RightWorks, and Calico Commerce-are touting the idea as a way to ply the network effect: If you link into one e-market built with our software, the logic goes, it`ll be easy to connect to another without creating a new, separate connection.

In fact, this process, known as marketplace-to-marketplace (M2M) integration, is key to the goals of everyone in the exchange- building software space. Commerce One has partnered with 23 companies to create the Global Trading Web Association, targeting global electronic commerce. Ariba already has a capability called "punch-out"-reaching from a company`s internal enterprise systems into an e-market-and that`s just "junior M2M," says Alan Naumann, CEO of Calico Commerce. "That`s the baby step into the marketplace." The problem is, even while companies are talking about the potential of this linkage, the reality of M2M is still a tad sketchy. It still has much to overcome in terms of integration before logging onto an e-market is as easy as going to the mall.

Happy Talk

As with many aspirations in B2B e-commerce, industry insiders gush about the value and logic of M2M. "It`s the judo of e-commerce," says Kevin Schick, vice president of product marketing for Commerce One. "It`s using the other person`s weight as an advantage." That is, if a smaller e-market can link to a bigger e-market and tap into the latter`s liquidity, everybody wins.

From the standpoint of syndication-where information is created and then reused multiple times-the concept is highly efficient. "I can publish data once, and people can access it from anywhere," says Schick. "Then I have to change what I publish in only one place, and it`s immediately available in its modified state. This reduces the cost of proliferation and enhances the value to the customers, because they`re seeing what merchandise I really have to offer at that moment." For instance, returning to the Covisint example, E-Steel would only have to post a special deal on premium grade steel on its own site to have it propagated on Covisint`s site as well, where the door handle guy can see it.

Schick also envisions the M2M model as a significant catalyst for international trade. Multinational companies will first create domestic e-markets and once they are fully formed, link them for efficiencies around the globe to leverage their business relationships in multiple countries. "We don`t see North America as the only place where e-commerce is happening. You`ll start to see megaexchanges such as the Trade Alliance compete in Japan, Singapore, and England."

The Trade Alliance, a joint venture between Singapore`s Sinar Mas and Japan`s Nissho Iwai, uses Commerce One software to run two e-markets, one for food and one for paper. Worldwide availability of e-markets starts to open up goods and services that may have been bound by social or geographical constraints, time zones, or political issues. Global M2M works when you`re buying raw materials, shipping internationally, or calculating diverse tax systems. Different business services will reside in different locations to take advantage of global, local, and regional environments.

But even Schick acknowledges obstacles, especially on the international scene, where a logical concept such as syndication gets gnarly. "The fallacy of syndication is that you can do it from one place and have it apply globally. Syndication is applicable only when the syntax and semantics are the same," says Schick, noting that syndication works best with direct goods and commodities sold in a raw state-such as pig iron or steel. As soon as something becomes specialized, the universe of its potential buyers shrinks.

As for the challenges of integration, they`re resolved somewhat with XML. But it`s just a markup language; the real challenge lies in communicating between dissimilar e-markets, because for them to transfer information, they have to delve down into what`s known as the semantics of XML, which is where its variations lie. "We`re the only industry," Schick laments, "where if we say the word standard, it`s always plural." A company may brag that it can overcome the integration challenge through the XML standard, but in reality, that`s more complicated than it sounds. To put it another way, you may know a whole bunch of German words, but if you`re clueless about the language`s grammar and can`t put together a sentence, you`re not going to make any sense to a native speaker. "A purchase order is not a purchase order, even in the EDI world, because it changes from industry to industry."

Hub of the Universe

Those without a vested interest in selling M2M are bluntly skeptical. "The essential issue is, `Who the hell is ready for this?`" says Josh Greenbaum, senior consultant at Enterprise Applications Consulting. "Name me the e-market with enough critical mass to justify building links to another one. It`s not there."

Equally important, insists Greenbaum, is that there aren`t enough connections or linkages as you move down any given supply chain. "There`s no critical mass on the network, not enough second-and third-tier suppliers to call anyone a real net market." The e-markets are focusing on getting marquee names signed up-certainly a logical strategy-but the tens of thousands of companies down the supply chain (the door handle manufacturers and all their brethren) have to be included as well.

Greenbaum doesn`t see M2M coming to pass until a lot more intelligence is built into e-markets, not only as it relates to participation up and down the supply chain but also in terms of intelligently tracking all the information an e-market generates. "We`re still in phase 0.9 of this whole B2B world. We`ve worked out transactions, but it`s not just about transactions-it needs to be about the right transactions." He argues that within an e-market, companies must be able to access who promised what after transactions are completed-who delivered and who didn`t. "The next time, the sellers either get favored-partner status or they don`t get included. Intelligence has to be built in." Even then, you need to be able to forecast supply and demand between multiple levels of the supply chain.

Greenbaum asserts that M2M will require a "hub of hubs"-similar to the role Covisint would play in our opening example of the door handle manufacturer dealing with E-Steel. This "hub of hubs" will allow a supplier to link into multiple e-markets. Greenbaum says that companies such as ECcompany, Haht Commerce, SeeCommerce, or Viquity are the likely developers of software to create these hubs (each of them focuses on the ability to collaborate effectively with partners). Until it`s easy for a small supplier to make these connections, there will always be a gap in the ability of an M2M e-hub to deliver the liquidity that would come from connecting multiple entities.

But even liquidity doesn`t guarantee success, argues another consultant, reflecting the financial difficulties that exchanges are currently encountering. Simply put, there has to be a sustainable business model, says Ben Smith, a vice president at A.T. Kearney who covers e-markets. The connections for M2M will be driven not by large companies deciding they want their e-markets together but by a new horizontal business model. "Somebody`s got to figure out how to capture value from being the person that wires together e-markets," Smith argues, insisting that the cost of integrating marketplaces is too high for any company to do it altruistically. "Marketplaces won`t be wired just because it`s a good idea. A business model will have to support that investment. Who`s going to make the money?" (For more on possible business models, see "Swap Meet," in the Dispatches section). Smith cites some venture capital investment in software companies targeting cross-marketplace connections, such as RedKnife.

Will It Fly?

Commerce One`s Schick remains optimistic. He sees a building-block escalation of collaboration over time. First, the consortia-based e-markets will begin to work together; then complementary industries will begin to work together (think Covisint working with E-Steel, driven by Ford`s partnership with the latter). "From a competitive standpoint, it will never be perfect," notes Schick, "because you never think your competitor is as astute in its schema as you are." But he maintains there will be industry-based agreement driven by what he calls the megaverticals-consortia of companies in the same industry. "When you get industry players together, they carry clout and are motivated to standardize."

But right now we`re in the same state as the cellular industry, whose customers can`t use American phones in Europe. Once we get those kinds of communication obstacles ironed out, M2M will become more of a reality. Schick predicts that this will happen over the next few years, but given that the cellular industry may not even figure out how to deal with its problems in that time frame, it`s hard to be optimistic about M2M.

LINE56 EXECUTIVE EDITOR HOWARD BALDWIN KNOWS GERMAN VOCABULARY BUT NOTHING ABOUT GERMAN GRAMMAR.

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2443

------------------------------------------------------

Can new CEO drive suppliers to auto hub?
Covisint taps industry outsider for coveted role
by Philip B. Clark

Ending the most closely watched executive search in b-to-b exchange history, Covisint L.L.C. this month selected Kevin English as its chairman-CEO.
With his background in publishing and investment banking, English was an unexpected choice to run Covisint, the year-old exchange created by the Big 3 automakers to link with their suppliers. Some analysts questioned whether English, who most recently was CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston Corp.`s e-commerce division, was an appropriate choice. His perceived lack of experience in dealing with auto industry suppliers—a group not wholly convinced of Covisint`s value—was routinely cited as a detriment.

Convincing suppliers that they need Covisint is English`s biggest challenge. So far, only 40 of the auto industry`s 30,000 suppliers have signed on. English, whom some analysts praised as a brilliant diplomat and technologist, must focus on bringing aboard more suppliers from his first day on the job—tomorrow.

In a wide-ranging interview with BtoB, English, who brought financial news company TheStreet.com Inc. public in 1999 as CEO, said that making Covisint a supplier-focused company will be his top priority. He also answered his critics, noting his years spent working with auto suppliers and the Big 3 as a technology vendor.

BtoB: Some analysts question whether you are the right person for the job. What would you say to them?

English: Having done start-ups and having been in financial services and having been in publishing as well as high-tech companies, both dealing in the auto industry and a wide range of other industries, it`s given me a broad perspective on how to build companies successfully.

I bring a high sense of urgency to get things done quickly and to really jump start Covisint into being a very successful company in the short term.

Way back when, I worked in the industry, lived in Detroit and ran the local office for a company called Computer Vision. We sold extensively to General Motors, Ford and, to a limited extent, Chrysler. We also sold to a number of very important suppliers to the auto companies as well. That was back in the early and mid-80s.

Then, toward the late 80s, I was VP of sales at a company called Aries Technology. It was an advanced mechanical engineering company. It was heavily oriented toward Detroit.

I spent a fair amount of time in Detroit working with the supply chain and with the automotive companies directly.

BtoB: What are your goals? What type of leadership tone do you intend to set at Covisint?

English: I want to focus the entire organization, from every aspect, from sales and marketing to technology, around customers. I think what you`ll find is that based on my strong general management and sales and marketing background, I`ll bring a customer focus to the Covisint community.

In respect to my leadership style, first of all, I`ve lived in Detroit. I`ve had a fairly large amount of experience dealing with the auto companies and the supplier chain. And so I have a reasonable understanding of the issues. I`ve got a good grounding in technology, and after all, Covisint is primarily a technology company. p> I should mention that I`m taking over a team of spectacular management that comes out of DaimlerChrysler, General Motors and Ford, that also have industry experience and will be complementing that with people that come from outside the auto industry.

BtoB: What`s your message to suppliers and potential new Covisint partners?

English: I can`t wait to begin. In fact, I just scheduled my first customer appointment this morning, with a large supplier to the auto companies.

My message is that I`m going to be out there, visible to them, accessible to them. I`m going to take the entire organization of Covisint and wrap it around customers. We`ll do everything in our power not only to acquire customers, but also retain customers.

By retaining customers, I mean treating them with the respect and TLC that they deserve, making sure they`re getting trained properly and receiving a level of integration services and technology support they need.

Covisint`s a win for suppliers, because they`re closer to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers]. It`s a win for OEMs because they`re closer to suppliers.

BtoB: How important is marketing to Covisint?

English: I think marketing`s very important, particularly as it relates to the auto industry initially and then how it relates to other transportation industries, like marine, trucking, aerospace and so forth. I wouldn`t say that we`re planning to go out in a business-to-consumer sense. I want people in the supply chain to recognize Covisint and appreciate it is an important aspect of building their business.

BtoB: Some industry watchers question the value of b-to-b exchanges and doubt most will ever gain significant traction. Plus, many exchanges have failed or are failing. What will make Covisint different?

English: I think a lot of things will make it different, and I think you need to differentiate between industry-sponsored exchanges and guys starting out in their garage and saying, `Let`s build a b-to-b exchange for an XYZ industry.` The difference is at Covisint, because of the sponsorship that we have and the funding that we have and because of the scale of the size of the auto industry, it`s a tremendous opportunity. Though, I should add, that I`m not taking industry sponsorship, or size and scale, for granted.

We have to, as a young, aggressive, hungry company, demand a lot of ourselves with respect to treating our customers with the best possible service that we can. We need to have a high sense of urgency in how we manage our business, and we have to flawlessly execute with respect to every piece of business, with every department of Covisint, including sales and marketing.

BtoB: What`s your biggest challenge?

English: Any time you build a company from scratch, there are hundreds of moving parts, and that`s what`s going on at Covisint. p> What it`s going to take at this point is some discipline, leadership and decisiveness at the top to bring this all together. So, when we face the customer as an organization, we appear united, so that the customer can see we are an integrated company, that we`re focused on them and their success and that we`ve got our act together.

I don`t think we`re all the way there yet. But no company after six months of operating experience is there yet. We won`t be there in another 30 or 60 days. But I hope that when BtoB and I talk maybe six months or a year from now, that we`ll be able to point to very tangible progress in terms of bringing Covisint together and being an extremely viable company.

top

http://www.btobonline.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=5831

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Understanding how Covisint will improve our cars, our life


By James V. Higgins / The Detroit News

I know -- you don`t care if something makes an auto industry purchasing agent`s life easier. You just want a car that`s put together right and stirs your juices and you don`t feel like you`ve been robbed.
Therefore, you`re not much interested in Covisint, the auto industry`s Web-based purchasing consortium. But maybe you should be.
There are many reasons why U.S. new vehicle sales set a record last year, and should be exceptionally strong again in 2001 for the seventh consecutive year. One of the biggest is productivity.
You know the story. New technologies (such as computer-based engineering and design systems and factory robotics) combined with new methods (such as statistical process control and lean inventory systems) and a rededication to building it right the first time have kept the price of new motor vehicles in reach.
Covisint is pure productivity. It`s one of those things that people initially don`t know they need, but soon find indispensable.
Take the simplest part of a car -- a gas tank, for instance. Well, it isn`t that simple. It requires a certain grade of steel; has a complex system of internal baffles to help contain spillage in an accident; and is equipped with anti-static devices, sensors and a variety of electrical and electronic hookups for fuel gauges, pumps, and so forth.
If you hired someone to build a gas tank, you can see how an exact description of what you wanted could run into hundreds or even thousands of pages of drawings, specifications, performance requirements, price targets, delivery logistics, privacy agreements, references to federal and state regulations, performance bonds, legal liabilities, with copies to five or six potential suppliers.
Now multiply that by 15,000, and that gives you an idea of the purchasing task for a new car.
Thousands of parts manufacturers are at the other end, and most of them buy parts from their own suppliers. Now we`re into untold trillions of pieces of information flying back and forth every day around the world.
Today, this is being done on a broad spectrum of systems: computers with a variety of non-interfacing programs at all levels of sophistication, telephone calls, meetings after long overseas air travel, faxes, Fedexes -- a process so unwieldy its surprising that cars get built at all.
Now imagine you could put all this traffic onto one paperless system that everyone in the industry could read instantly and understand -- even small mom-and-pop widget suppliers who today can barely afford computers, not to mention sophisticated purchasing and production control software.
That`s a powerful productivity gain, and Covisint will soon begin to offer it for sale around the world.
The company has suffered from misguided expectations. It never will be, and never was meant to be, one of the hot dot-coms that rode soaring stock prices into the public imagination then flamed out.
It will be a successful and profitable company with revenue of a few hundred millions of dollars per year. And there are excellent prospects that it will go public at some point.
Don`t look for fireworks on the Nasdaq when that happens. But you can expect a continuation of the trend that has given new cars and trucks increasing amounts of quality, emotional appeal and value.

You can reach James V. Higgins at [phone] or [e-mail].

http://www.detnews.com/2001/autos/0105/01/b01-217869.htm

[isaaacc]

May 3, 2001 10:39am

Tech world casts critical eye on new
CEOs

By Rachel Konrad, special to ZDII

When Patti Hart was named the new CEO of Excite@Home, Wall
Street shrugged. Investors questioned her ability. Co-workers
didn`t know what to expect. Even Hart acknowledged that she
faced an extraordinary challenge.

"I feel enormous pressure," Hart said of her appointment April 23,
the same time that the Redwood City, Calif.-based Internet access
provider had to accept $75 million from AT&T (NYSE: T), its
majority stakeholder, to stay afloat. "There shouldn`t be a day that
goes by that the board members don`t put pressure on me...The
moment that they don`t, I will start to question whether they have
all the facts."

Hart may be unusual for her candor, but she is certainly not the
only new CEO whose credentials are under scrutiny. Business
experts, Wall Street analysts and employees are looking critically
at technology`s newest crop of chief executives, including Hart,
Covisint`s Kevin English and Yahoo`s (Nasdaq: YHOO) Terry
Semel.

Specifically, they wonder whether companies have been forced
to settle for managers with limited experience in their new
businesses because the dot-com meltdown has scared off
potentially stronger candidates. The skepticism is not unfounded:
Executive recruiters say many top-notch business leaders are
avoiding Internet companies because of the industry`s slowdown.

"There`s definitely increased circumspection on the part of
executives," said Mark Kesic, vice president for technology
recruitment at executive recruitment firm Christian & Timbers.

"There`s a lot of risk-aversion, especially in early-stage
companies," said Kesic, who is based in the firm`s Cleveland
office. "It`s all tied to the fact that it`s no longer a slam dunk that
you`re going to ride a hyperactive market and make a lot in the
equity markets. In questionable times, folks look for a safe boat in
rough waters. There`s a lot of, `Let`s wait and see. I`m well
regarded here, so I`m going to sit tight for a while.`"

Other recruiters agree, noting that what would have been a
one-month search in late 1999 or 2000 now takes six months or
longer. A board`s first choice--and increasingly its second and
third--is more likely to take a pass than he or she would have been
a year ago.

At the same time, Christian & Timbers researchers say the number
of CEO searches in the technology industry conducted by outside
recruitment firms leaped 63 percent from 1999 to 2000. Although
statistics have not been crunched yet this year, experts say
heightened demand for CEOs has continued, if not accelerated.

Many CEOs command salaries exceeding $1 million per year, but
the majority rely on stock options and bonuses for the bulk of their
compensation. When the economy is not expanding, the stock
market tends to stall--making it tougher for companies to show the
kind of gains from options that lured new executives in the late
1990s and early 2000.

This is particularly bad news for the technology industry, which
has a relatively smaller pool of potential CEOs, even in good times.
That is because most of its companies prefer executives with
technological backgrounds, not all-purpose people managers.

"There are fewer good, really top-notch people making the move to
CEO right now, and if you look at technology, there are even
fewer leaders who are real standouts," said Art Resnikoff, a
consulting psychologist and executive vice president at Foster
City, Calif.-based Hagberg Consulting Group, which specializes in
training tech managers to lead companies. "If you get somebody
with excellent technological expertise, that doesn`t necessarily
equate to good leadership; in fact, they`re probably negatively
correlated. So when demand for CEOs goes up, the technology
industry feels it even more."

Indeed, the handful of universally lauded tech managers who
seem to be on every recruiter`s "A-list"--Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL)
veteran-turned-venture capitalist Ray Lane, AOL Time Warner
(NYSE: AOL) Co-Chief Operating Officer Bob Pittman, Sun
Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) President Ed Zander, and Carolyn
Ticknor, a recently retired president of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:
HWP)--do not seem eager to find new challenges. Why would
they leave their stable positions or come out of early retirement
when the new company`s stock options are more likely to stagnate
or sink than fund their next yacht?

No wonder they`re scared

Regardless of what`s shrinking the pool of CEOs, it`s clear that
tech companies are going to great means to buoy the best
contenders.

Spencer Stuart, the executive recruitment consulting firm used by
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Yahoo, knew it was in for a long search
when the leading Web portal decided to look for a new chief
executive. The agency went so far as to accept resumes from the
general public on a Web site.

The Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM) CEO post took roughly six
months to fill. Hart was rumored to be reconsidering her
acceptance of the Excite@Home position after the company
announced that it needed money from AT&T to stay afloat, though
she dismissed this in an interview with CNET News.com.

Southfield, Mich.-based Covisint, the automaker`s giant online
business-to-business exchange, took the better part of a year to
fill its CEO spot, and the company`s founders admitted that the
search was tougher than they had anticipated. They offered the
position to at least two executives who declined the offer before
English, previously a managing director and chief executive officer
for e-commerce operations at investment bank Credit Suisse First
Boston and chairman and CEO of online financial site
TheStreet.com (Nasdaq: TSCM).

A brief examination of the situation may reveal why the other
candidates, including Oracle veteran Lane, turned down the
position: The U.S. economic slowdown is likely to sting the
ever-cyclical automobile industry particularly hard, and several
suppliers have already tried out rival exchanges. Covisint`s CEO
will also have to answer to an unusually large board that includes
veteran auto executives whose companies, in some cases, have
been cross-town rivals for more than a century.

Even English admits he was reluctant at first. At the time, he was
building an online portal for CSFB`s wealthiest patrons and was
still smarting after a difficult tenure at TheStreet.com. The
company`s stock soared in 1999 and then plummeted to a fraction
of its original value, leaving many executives with worthless
options.

"When I came into the job interview, I said, `My gosh, we`ve got
three vicious competitors that are the founding companies,
suppliers who are customers and also competitors, and a
17-member board,`" English said. "I went into this thinking, `Is this
going to be like herding cats?`"

English spent several months in negotiations, during which time he
said the board dispelled most of his concerns. He also grew more
confident in learning that he would be chairman as well as CEO.
Having the chairmanship implied to him that the board wants the
company to be independent from any single automaker or supplier.

Still, English faces a highly skeptical marketplace. Even though he
does not have to answer to Wall Street investors or venture
capitalists because Covisint is private and funded by the
deep-pocketed automakers, his appointment drew sharp criticism
from manufacturing and supply experts. They questioned his
credibility to lead what could become the world`s largest
e-commerce operation.

"I would think they would have picked someone who had at least
supply-chain experience, heavy on the procurement side of the
business, if not the auto industry specifically," said Rick Carman,
managing director and head of supply-chain practice at
Northbrook, Ill.-based consulting firm Dechert-Hampe.

Executives of other companies don`t have it any easier. Yahoo`s
Semel, who declined to comment for this article, has already come
under attack by institutional investors. Equity analyst Jordan Rohan
of Wit SoundView spoke for many confused investors when he
struggled to come up with an assessment other than "curious."

Derek Brown, e-commerce analyst at San Francisco-based
technology-oriented investment bank WR Hambrecht, elaborated:
"On the positive side, he`s clearly a media-industry heavyweight,
has deep relationships and a proven ability to build global
franchises. On the negative side, Yahoo`s most urgent need is in
advertising sales, and Mr. Semel doesn`t jump out as a person
ideally suited to spearhead a rejuvenated sales effort."

A dearth of "home-run CEOs"

Although Covisint and Yahoo have particular challenges that might
have scared off more obvious candidates, it is clear that the
dearth of highly qualified, high-profile chief executives has
pervaded the entire industry. A frequent complaint among Wall
Street analysts and venture capitalists is the paucity of so-called
home-run CEOs.

The problem is especially acute in e-commerce because of its
volatile nature, said Jon Holman, founder of The Holman Group, a
San Francisco-based technology-oriented executive search firm.
He said virtually no small to medium-sized business-to-consumer
company is able to recruit its first-choice CEO candidate, and
boards are painfully aware of it.

"You don`t know which of these companies is going to survive,
and who wants to be CEO of a company that isn`t going to make
it?" Holman asked rhetorically. "Let`s compare it to a couple of
years ago, when we thought the only direction we could go was
up...when you could call someone up and people got stars in their
eyes and had visions of being worth $100 million a year from now
on. Now you`ve got people reading every magazine, from
Women`s Wear Daily to Wired, saying dot-coms are dead, they`re
all going to go out of business."

Recruiters, psychologists and business veterans are split on what
effect the CEO shortage will have on the high-tech industry.

Those who say the issue is detrimental also tend to believe that
CEOs should be like rock stars: charismatic, high-profile, bold.
When CEOs lack these qualities, they say, companies will not be
able to build top-notch management teams and establish a clear
corporate culture.

Others, however, note that some of the best-run companies--Intel
(Nasdaq: INTC) and Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), for
example--are not necessarily led by people who fit that mold.

Thomas Steding, former chief executive of Metacode Technologies
and a veteran Silicon Valley consultant, writes in a new book on
management that the worst companies to work for are those run
by CEOs who fashion themselves as cults of personality.

Steding derisively dubbed the CEO in this category a "cowboy"--a
person who "shoots from the hip, never admits he doesn`t
understand something or know something, intimidates the troops,
and thinks fear is a good way to motivate people. He changes his
mind without explanation, communicates only when convenient to
him, and basically has a more or less imperious attitude toward his
role."

Don`t write them off so quickly

Just because the newest crop of CEO appointments doesn`t ring
bells on Wall Street doesn`t mean the new leaders are not up to
the task. Several recruiters defended recent appointments and
said the executives will eventually prove themselves to be
competent leaders.

In some cases, the relative obscurity of a candidate may actually
make his or her job easier--particularly at a company such as
Covisint, which was founded by Detroit`s Big Three automakers,
Renault, Nissan and the auto industry`s largest suppliers. Had
Covisint picked a CEO who was a Detroit veteran with significant
experience at any automaker or supplier, he or she would be
perceived as being biased against all other companies participating
in the exchange, board members said.

English`s Wall Street background may give him an air of neutrality
that will encourage suppliers to believe that the exchange is
independent from its founders, auto industry experts said. He also
takes the helm of a growing company that has been without a CEO
since its inception nearly a year and a half ago.

"They couldn`t have picked anyone from the inside or anyone who
even appeared to be from the inside, so to that extent the choice
makes sense," said Dave Cole, director of the Ann Arbor,
Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research. "I`m not sure of
Kevin English`s credentials, but one thing is very clear: Covisint is
ready to be led, and that at least should make English`s job easier."

Brad Marks, CEO of executive search firm Brad Marks International
in Los Angeles, said he would never be skeptical of a CEO who
was not the board`s first choice. In fact, he said, a board that gets
its first choice is a rarity--and probably reflects little more than
rigidity.

"When we start on a search, our clients and we develop this
bionic human being in writing--this perfect person who has a cape
and can leap off buildings. As the search progresses, we create
new features together with the client and their perspective
changes somewhat," Marks said.

"Suddenly, that piece of paper is more like a police rendering than
an etched-in-stone portrait of this caped wonder. The person the
board eventually picks may not be like the first person they had in
mind at all, and that`s a good thing."

http://www.zdii.com/industry_list.asp?mode=news&doc_id=ZE508…

[boerseaugsburg]

neues zu covisint:

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-5893856.html?tag=mn_hd

gruss ba

[isaaacc]

PricewaterhouseCoopers Announces Agreement With Covisint To

Accelerate Pace of Business

-- Increased Commitment to Help Auto Companies Harness the Power of
e-Business Exchange --

NEW YORK, NY, May 7, 2001 -- PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world`s largest
professional services organization, announced today that it has signed a Master
Services Agreement (MSA) with Covisint, the e-business exchange for the
automotive industry. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been integrally involved in
advising and consulting on the formation of Covisint for over a year. The MSA
broadens the current relationship between PricewaterhouseCoopers and
Covisint, and governs continuing and future services that
PricewaterhouseCoopers can provide to the automotive exchange and its
members.

Under the agreement, PricewaterhouseCoopers will be able to offer a full
range of e-business services to Covisint and its members, including strategy
formulation, business case assessment, deployment of product
development, procurement and collaborative supply chain tools, as well as
technical and process integration of these product offerings.

Any of the automotive manufacturers or suppliers participating in Covisint
may now work with PricewaterhouseCoopers to help determine which
Covisint services best meet their needs. Based on the services selected,
PricewaterhouseCoopers can also support the implementation of any
Covisint e-business and technical tools, and manage their use of these tools
and services to maximize the benefits of their chosen level of participation.

"Our relationship with Covisint started literally at the beginning," said Tom
Colberg,

e-Business automotive lead partner, Management Consulting Services,
PricewaterhouseCoopers. "We understand Covisint`s potential and value
proposition, and, as a result, we are strongly positioned to advise
automotive companies on how they can best participate in Covisint and
assist with implementation."

PricewaterhouseCoopers already has a long history of working successfully
in a consulting role with Covisint. Initially engaged by the Covisint Founding
Partner Advisory Board, PricewaterhouseCoopers advised Covisint`s
executive team on matters such as an organizational structure, and the
design of processes to address technical architecture, software selection,
and business planning. PricewaterhouseCoopers consultants have also
provided technical support for selected Covisint auction events and catalog
purchasing service offerings. In addition, PricewaterhouseCoopers
consultants have been involved in the rollout of Covisint and its
predecessors` offerings around the globe - in the United States, South
America, Europe and Asia.

"PricewaterhouseCoopers is a leader in e-business and e-market delivery,
and brings extensive automotive industry knowledge to the table," said
Doug VanDagens, senior vice president, Strategy and Business
Development, Covisint. "We`ve tapped their global capabilities to assist in
deploying Covisint products and services around the world, and we look
forward to broadening our relationship as we focus on creating value and
efficiency for the industry."

By drawing upon its global reach, industry knowledge, systems integration
experience and relationships with Fortune 500 organizations,
PricewaterhouseCoopers is strongly positioned to design, develop and
deliver these e-market and B2B solutions. PricewaterhouseCoopers is
currently involved in the planning, design, introduction, operation and
hosting of more than 30 e-markets across many major industries, including
aviation, consumer products, forestry, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, retail,
and technology.

About Covisint

Covisint, LLC is a global, independent e-business exchange providing the
automotive industry with leading collaborative product development, procurement
and supply chain tools that give its customers the ability to reduce costs and bring
efficiencies to their business operations. Developed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford,
General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One and Oracle, Covisint is currently
located in Southfield, Mich. Covisint Europe is headquartered in Amsterdam. The
company has also established an office in Tokyo. For more information about
Covisint, visit www.covisint.com.



About PricewaterhouseCoopers

The Management Consulting Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers helps
clients maximize their business performance by integrating strategic change,
process improvements and technology solutions. Through a worldwide network of
skills and resources, consultants manage complex projects with global capabilities
and local knowledge, from strategy through implementation.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwcglobal.com) is the world`s largest professional
services organization. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of more than 150,000
people in 150 countries, PricewaterhouseCoopers helps its clients solve complex
business problems and measurably enhance their ability to build value, manage risk
and improve performance in an Internet-enabled world. PricewaterhouseCoopers
refers to the member firms of the worldwide PricewaterhouseCoopers organization.
# # #

Note to editors: The name PricewaterhouseCoopers is one word, with upper case
P, upper case C, and all other letters in lower case.


uto Suppliers Shun E-Hubs
by Richard Brown, Line56
Monday, May 07, 2001

Europe’s leading auto suppliers have little interest in trading
on e-marketplaces, says a new study due to be published
later this week.

Consultants Cap Gemini Ernst & Young quizzed almost 60
tier-one auto component and engineering groups in Europe
and found that nearly two-thirds have yet to implement a
strategy - let alone the technology - for online procurement
or to take part in e-hubs.

Also, the survey discovered that only 27 per cent of tier one suppliers in Europe had
heard of Covisint, the auto industry sponsored marketplace. And these suppliers are
significant players, employing over half-a-million staff and generating annual sales of $43
billion.

Dan Jankowski, a spokesman for Covisint, remarks that since the full report has yet to be
published, he is unable to comment intelligently on its findings. He adds that the survey
respondents’ apparent lack of awareness of Covisint could be attributed to the date the
survey was conducted.

Covisint launched its European operation in March, when it named Lars Olrik as managing
director of its European arm. Ironically, Olrik previously worked for CGE&Y, U.K., where
he was vice president and a member of the European B2B industry practice with
responsibility for the automotive industry.

According to the CGE&Y study, most suppliers blamed implementation costs as the
principal reason for relegating e-marketplaces in their list of priorities. In addition, to
stimulate participation in e-hubs like Covisint, respondents said greater trust was required
between companies in such exchanges.

Among those that were aware of the ISM, most believed Covisint would help cut
transaction costs and improve access to information. But they cautioned that it could take
up to nine months for them to join the project.

Earlier this year, CGE&Y signed a master services agreement with the ISM to continue
with the programs of strategic consulting, systems design and internal systems
integration it has overseen since Covisint launched in February 2000. Deloitte Consulting
has a similar agreement with the ISM.
http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2470

[isaaacc]

DaimlerChrysler Initiates Largest Online Bidding
Process

Order volume of over EUR 3,5 billion during four days
Passenger Cars materials purchasing takes online bidding
process beyond traditional standard parts for the first time
Covisint online exchange proves its worth

Stuttgart, Germany, May 15, 2001

Last week DaimlerChrysler conducted what was, to the best of its knowledge, the
largest online auction to date at an Internet exchange. The Internet-based bidding
process determined the prices of parts for two future products.

After careful preparation, the five participating suppliers took part in bidding that proved
to be very competitive. Over four days, 1,200 parts were traded in 80 combinations
worth up to EUR 2 billion a piece. The total volume of orders that will be placed as a
result of the event was on the order of EUR 3.5 billion. Covisint provided the Internet
application for the bidding and successfully managed the event without any technical
problems.

It again became evident that, even in the case of this large volume of orders, online
bidding processes shorten procedures considerably both for Purchasing and for the
bidders. In addition, it makes participating bidders aware of their price position
compared with their unnamed competitors, allowing them to draw corresponding
conclusions.

Whereas in the past online bidding processes involved only products that could be
standardized or were not very complex, such as car batteries, starters or oil baffles,
DaimlerChrysler has now proved that this process can successfully be used for
situations where complex orders must be placed. The suppliers who participated in the
online bidding process were selected by Purchasing after a thorough analysis. On the
basis of the results of the online bidding event, Purchasing will now make the final
decision regarding the placement of orders. Factors such as the technology, logistics
and quality performance of the bidders are also taken into account during this process.

Johannes Rudnitzki, head of Purchasing - Passenger Cars for Mercedes-Benz and
smart, comments: "We are extremely satisfied with the results of this event. Online
bidding has proven to be an outstanding purchasing tool even when the placement of
the orders is this complex. But the precondition for this was a detailed description of
the object of the bidding. Without a doubt this promising tool will now be widely used by
our purchasers."

In addition to the use of Internet-based catalogues, the online bidding processes are
among the most important e-procurement activities at DaimlerChrysler. They form a
central component of the DCXNET initiative.


Back to businessconnect








©1998-2001 DaimlerChrysler. All rights reserved.
Privacy Statement, Legal Notices and Terms

[isaaacc]

Mr. English describes his first week as "drinking from
a fire hose" in terms of information absorbed.

Send an Email
to the Editor>>
Covisint CEO Senses `Healthy Impatience`

5/14/01

By Tom Murphy


When the Big Three automakers announced in February 2000 they would create
a virtual marketplace that would become the "mother of all exchanges,"
expectations ran high.

Perhaps too high, says Kevin W. English, the newly hired chief executive whose
job is to fulfill Covisint’s potential. In his first interview since arriving in Detroit
May 1, Mr. English tells Ward’s that Covisint must prove itself independent of its
deep-pocketed parents.

"The swagger that was part of Covisint 12 to 14 months ago, because we’re
supported by the Big 3 and by Renault-Nissan, we’ve got to get the swagger out
of our step and go out as a young, aggressive, hungry company and earn our
customers’ business every day," Mr. English tells Ward’s.

In his first week, Mr. English met Covisint employees at the company’s
headquarters in Southfield, MI, and attended an Original Equipment Suppliers
Assn. event. Mr. English describes his first week as "drinking from a fire hose" in
terms of information absorbed.

On May 3, he met with the Covisint board of directors. The board has 13 seats
with members representing automakers and Tier 1 suppliers. "I sensed with the
board what I call a healthy impatience — like, let’s get going here, let’s get
some traction," Mr. English says.

Four seats on the board remain unfilled, and Mr. English says he would like to
see more diversity, including women and minorities.

"My ultimate vision is for Covisint to be the single point of contact for automotive
procurement and for supply-chain management and engineering and
manufacturing collaboration for the auto industry and ultimately to extend it to
potentially other transportation industries," Mr. English says. An initial public
offering for Covisint will wait until at least 2002, he adds.

http://www.wardsauto.com/default.asp?action=ar&aid=514200182…

[isaaacc]

FRANCE: Peugeot may announce Covisint tie-up within
weeks
17 May 2001
Source: Reuters


e-mail this to a
colleague
printable version
send us some
feedback


PARIS, May 16 (Reuters) - Peugeot said on Wednesday that it was close to deciding
whether to join the global online car makers` Internet market place Covisint.

Europe`s second-biggest automaker watched from the sidelines when General Motors ,
Ford Motor and DaimlerChrysler formed the exchange early last year, joined later by Renault and its alliance
partner Nissan .

Covisint is already being used for online auctions and will eventually allow manufacturers to exchange ideas and collaborate
on parts design. Renault has said online auctions have helped it cut the cost of some supplies by 15 percent.

"If we have been considering it for such a long time then obviously we find some interest," Peugeot Chief Executive
Jean-Martin Folz told journalists at the carmaker`s annual general meeting in Paris.

He said a decision would be made within "weeks".

Folz told Reuters in February that he was considering joining Covisint, which would involve taking an equity stake in the
venture. French rival Renault said it would welcome the move.

In the euphoria of Covisint`s debut, some industry analysts predicted it would cut thousands of dollars off a car`s production
cost. In a more recent and sober judgment, Renault estimated the potential economies at $200 per car.

The five automakers that hold stakes in Covisint plan to funnel their combined $300 billion in annual supply and material
purchasing through a single Internet portal.

Suppliers could eventually add another $500 billion of their own annual purchases, making Covisint potentially the world`s
largest business-to-business exchange.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.

http://www.just-auto.com/news_detail.asp?art=28330&app=1&c=1

[isaaacc]

Covisint`s CEO Talks Shop
By Eric Young
May 18 2001 05:00 AM PDT

Kevin English will try to steer the online auto
marketplace in the right direction.


In February 2000, when
companies in dozens of
industries were forming online
marketplaces, it was easy for
Ford, General Motors and
DaimlerChrysler – the world`s
largest automakers – to talk
about creating the world`s
largest Internet exchange, which
they named Covisint. The hope
was that Covisint would serve as
the technology platform through
which automakers could share
data and conduct transactions
with their thousands of
suppliers.

The effort cleared some major
hurdles, not least of which was
an antitrust probe by the Federal
Trade Commission last year, but
the toughest work still lies
ahead. Several automakers said
they don`t want to join Covisint,
and many auto industry suppliers already have set
up their own private Internet exchanges.

Last month, Covisint picked its first CEO, Kevin
English, 48, who recently was managing director for
e-commerce at investment bank Credit Suisse First
Boston and before that was CEO of financial news
Web site TheStreet.com. English, who must
overcome a skeptical auto industry and satisfy a
board that includes cutthroat competitors Ford, GM
and DaimlerChrysler, spoke with TheStandard.com
about his plans for Covisint:

The Standard.com: What did you do in your first
hour on the job?

English: My first day on the job was spent
sequestered in a conference room with my senior
staff going through departmental presentations –
really looking at the top initiatives per department.
I basically did a deep dive my first day for literally
10 hours-plus with my direct staff and tried to get
up to speed.

Q: What`s the biggest surprise you`ve had since
coming on board? Or what are the lessons you`ve
learned since starting?

A: The surprises have been more of a positive
nature than anything else. When I look at what the
team here at Covisint accomplished since the FTC
gave the go-ahead on this last fall – in terms of
building the technology platform, building the
relationships with key strategic partners such as
Commerce One, Oracle, Powerway, SupplySolution,
NexPrise – and in looking at the robustness of the
platform, the security that is inherent in our
platform, the scalability of it, I was extremely
impressed at how this team had ramped up quickly
with almost a skeleton team here to get this thing
up and running.

We`ve gotten significant traction and momentum in
the marketplace. For example, last week we put
billions of dollars through our transaction engine.
We`ve had our best revenue week ever last week.
It looks like we`ll better that this week.
DaimlerChrysler put 3 billion euros through our
system last week.

Q: Why haven`t more carmakers and suppliers
signed up with Covisint so far?

A: First of all, we`re just really getting to market
with a lot of our products. It`s not like we`ve been
out there for a year selling this. Let`s face the
facts, much of what we represent is revolutionary,
not evolutionary. It requires people to change the
way they process information and do their jobs on
a daily basis, and to some extent, old habits die
hard. So I think it`s really our ability to go out and
evangelize with both OEMs and suppliers on the
benefits of using Covisint products and services
that will really start to give us additional traction.

It`s just going to take some time. This is heavy
lifting. You have to remember that when this was
announced 14 months ago it was during height of
Internet euphoria, and I think there was a certain
expectation that Covisint would be a billion-dollar
market cap within 10 minutes and go public within
20 minutes. In the end, what we`re building here is
a scalable, durable, sustainable approach to
building a great company. That will take time.

Q: Some carmakers, like Volkswagen and Toyota,
say that at this point they want to go it alone with
the Internet initiatives they have going. Do you
plan to change their minds, and how do you make
your case?

A: Absolutely. I`d like every auto company to be
part of Covisint because then I think we can really
recognize the scale this company can represent. I
think some of these people made that decision
when Covisint was in its infancy or before Covisint
was even formed. Hopefully over time, as the
benefits become more obvious about Covisint, I
think hopefully we can persuade some of these
people to join forces with us. At least in the case
of Toyota, they haven`t said no.

To the extent we can articulate that vision and
value proposition to the likes of Volkswagen or
BMW or Toyota – whomever – I think that hopefully
we willl persuade them to say: "Look, this thing is
real, it`s big, it`s the granddaddy of all b-to-b
exchanges. We`d be crazy not to sign on." I don`t
know how Volkswagen`s doing with theirs, but I`d
be surprised if they are getting the traction we`re
getting right now.

Q: Who`s your biggest customer so far? Earlier this
week, Chrysler issued a press release reporting
that it did $3 billion in procurement via Covisint.
What`s the biggest auction GM has done? And
Ford?

A: I`m not in a position to divulge. These are highly
secure transactions and we maintain that security,
so I`m not really able to talk about them. Suffice it
to say I`m comfortable with the volume going
through right now and I don`t see any let-up. In
fact, I see an acceleration. To me, this represents
broad customer adoption of Covisint. And it`s not
just procurement – we`re getting into supply chain,
into engineering collaboration. Our pipeline is
improving on a regular basis. It`s been good stuff
here.

Q: Do you think it`s necessary that Covisint link to
private Internet exchanges like what Volkswagen
has or what some auto-parts suppliers already
have?

A: We have no current plans to do that. That would
be sort of outside our charter, I think. On the other
hand, I`m open-minded to any number of
discussions.

Q: What value of goods and services do you think
will flow through Covisint in 2001? 2002?

A: I`m not prepared to talk about that. We have a
business plan that shows steady, highly
accelerated growth throughout the remainder of
this year and next and into 2003 and beyond. When
and if Covisint becomes a public entity, we`ll
certainly include those sorts of things. For now,
we`re a private company. We`ll keep that stuff
confidential. When you look at the scale of the
automotive industry, it`s just enormous. It`s
hundreds and hundreds and billions of dollars worth
of procurement, and we want the lion`s share of
that. That`s why we were put into business.

Q: When do you think Covisint will turn a profit?

A: I`m not prepared to talk about when that would
be.

Q: Do you see employment at Covisint holding
steady? Increasing?

A: Increasing. We`re somewhere between 100 and
200 people now. We`ll be north of 200 people in six
months.

Q: What will be Covisint`s next technology
offerings?

A: I don`t want to preannounce products. I`m sitting
through very detailed reviews of the products we
have today and the enhancements we intend to
make to those over the next year or two. I`ve also
been sitting with a group called Incubate, which is
a fairly rigorous testing group, and there`s a
healthy list of priorities we have there to bring
value to our customers.

Q: Let`s talk about your bosses, the board. How
difficult do you see it being to build consensus
between representatives from DaimlerChrysler, Ford
and GM? And has there been a board meeting yet?

A: There was. There was a board meeting my third
day. It was a long day, to say the least. I wish I
had had a month under my belt because I`d know a
lot more than I knew. But I can tell you the board
that recruited me really spoke with one voice. It
was almost to the point where some of them could
complete each other`s sentences, even though they
compete on an everyday basis. But in respect to
Covisint they were clearly united. It was refreshing
to me.

Q: How do you expect the slowing economy to
affect Covisint?

A: I think that we`re going to experience explosive
growth over the coming months and years. The
auto industry is being affected. Hopefully, this will
be a short-lived downturn for the economy. But as
we get going, there is so much opportunity, so
much bandwidth we have not captured yet. I still
think we`ll see very explosive growth.

Q: Have you taken any cues from other
industry-backed exchanges, such as Transora in the
consumer packaged goods industry, about things to
do or avoid?

A: No, not yet. But I`d like to reach out to my
colleagues at places like Transora. I know Judy
Sprieser runs that. At some point I`d like to sit
down with her and other CEOs who are in the
b-to-b business to compare notes. Look, we`ve all
skinned our knee a little bit on a couple occasions,
but we`ve also done some things really right, and
to the extent we can collaborate because we`re not
in competing exchanges that would be a good thing
for both of us, I think.

Q: What would you say to people who have
criticized your time as CEO of TheStreet.com?

A: I think I did a great job at TheStreet.com. I
think we took it from a fledgling private company to
a thriving public company with a big bankroll. We
put strategic relationships in place with the New
York Times, with News Corp. We had begun our
international expansion; we put a joint venture
together in Israel. We had relationships with
people at AOL and Yahoo, eTrade, DLJ Direct. That
was all done during my tenure.

We were considered to be one of the highflying
new-media companies. I left when the stock was
well into the 20s. I don`t have to repeat where the
stock is now – you can look and see where it is. I
can`t really speak for what`s happened since I left,
but during my tenure there we took TheStreet.com
to all-time highs. They have tried to narrow their
focus a bit. I still read it. I think it`s still a great
financial publication. It`s got a lot of personality.
It`s got some wit. It`s got real-time reporting,
which I love. I still think Dave Kansas is one of the
best damn editors in the financial world, and he`s
built a great team. I`ve got nothing negative to say
about TheStreet.com.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,24589,00.html

[DimStar]

Covisint Talks Trash
By Mike Cleary, Interactive Week
May 21, 2001 5:38 AM ET
http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2762165,00.…

[isaaacc]

BOING!

Tuesday May 22, 10:57 am Eastern Time

Peugeot joins online exchange Covisint

(UPDATE: Adds analyst comment in paras 6 and 10)

By Tom Pfeiffer

PARIS, May 22 (Reuters) - Europe`s number two carmaker PSA Peugeot-Citroen has joined online auto marketplace
Covisint, but opted for its own design and supply-chain platform to communicate with suppliers, the company said on
Tuesday.

Peugeot`s vice president of purchasing Herve Guyot said the car maker had taken a stake in Covisint
that was ``big enough to influence strategy``. He declined to give further details but said it had a seat on
Covisint`s European advisory board.

Covisint, set up by General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news) and
DaimlerChrysler AG early last year, is already up and running as an auction platform to help members
cut supplier costs.

The venture, which also counts Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co as members, hopes eventually to
handle the partners` entire supply and material purchasing budgets, worth $300 billion not including
Peugeot`s.

On May 16, DaimlerChrysler announced it had held a week of auctions during which it acquired parts
and services worth three billion euros ($2.60 billion).

``For a manufacturer of (Peugeot`s) scale, you have to be a member if everyone else is,`` said Xavier
Gunner, an analyst at UBS Warburg in London. ``Of the big players, only Volkswagen is now left out.``

But as a platform for close and confidential collaboration between an automaker and parts firms, Covisint has so far met with less success.

Some industry executives have indicated they won`t throw out their in-house design systems to make way for Covisint.

Peugeot`s announcement of its own separate portal is the latest sign that, though manufacturers recognise collaboration as a competitive advantage,
they are still unwilling to throw all their eggs into the Covisint basket.

``It makes sense,`` said Gunner. ``These companies prefer to keep a firm hand on design, because if you succeed on the design side you`ve already won
half the battle.``

OWN PLATFORM

Peugeot is pushing ahead with its own platform, px2001.com, which enables it to work in real time with established suppliers to develop parts and
modules. This, and not Covisint, will be ``the single point of entry for its supplier relations,`` the company said in a statement.

Making px2001.com a success would allow Peugeot to keep a cap on research and development costs even as it speeds up the launch of new models
to a rate of 25 over the coming three years from nine between 1998 and 2000.

To make that possible, it aims to cut the time it takes to develop a new car to two years from three. Having tighter control of its supply chain will allow it to
adapt quicker to fluctuations in customer demand for certain models and optional features.

``Cutting development times will allow (Peugeot) to increase its market share,`` said Guyot. ``We`ll be able to deliver cars to customers quicker as we`ll
be able to better manage our supply chain.``

The Paris-based car maker accounts for five percent of world car production. It has 450 suppliers, of which 20 account for half of its annual 25.6-billion
euro procurement budget.

Peugeot Chief Executive Jean-Martin Folz told Reuters in February that he was considering joining Covisint and Renault said then it would welcome the
move.

E-business consultancy Commerce One and software firm Oracle Corp have each said they have a two percent stake in Covisint. Renault said in
February that it and Nissan Motor held a combined five percent stake.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/010522/l22146510_4.html

[isaaacc]

http://www.covisint.com/info/downloads/newsletters/Connector…

2. contact letter

[St.Paulianer]

Pressemitteilung
Covisint wählt Mercator Software zur Integration erstklassiger Anwendungen
Die führende B2B-Einkaufsplattform implementiert Mercator Enterprise Broker für das leichtere Routing elektronischer Kundendokumente

7. Februar 2001

WILTON, CT - Mercator® Software, Inc., (NASDAQ-Tickersymbol: MCTR) gab heute bekannt, dass Covisint, die Internet-Einkaufsplattform für die Automobilindustrie, Mercator Enterprise Broker zur Integration von Systemen gewählt hat, die elektronische Kundendokumente durch ihre Supply Chain leiten. Covisint verwendet Mercator zunächst, um Dokumente von einer Internet-basierten Commerce-One-Beschaffungsanwendung an einen Oracle-Marktplatz-Server weiterzuleiten. Mit Hilfe dieser Konfiguration ermöglicht Mercator Enterprise Broker die Übertragung unterschiedlicher Datenformate von einem System zum anderen. Dies erlaubt Covisint den wirksamen Einsatz unterschiedlicher Technologien, bei gleichzeitiger deutlicher Senkung des Wartungsbedarfs von Programmierungen und Schnittstellen.

"Wir haben uns für Mercator Enterprise Broker entschieden, da er Covisint die Verwirklichung einer strategischen Technologievision ermöglicht, die mehrere erstklassige Systeme umfasst", erklärte Bill Penn, Hauptarchitekt von Covisint. "Letztlich werden Tausende von Kunden darauf vertrauen, dass Covisint geschäftliche Abläufe anwendungsübergreifend, nahtlos, transparent und kostenwirksam miteinander verbindet. Mercator war die richtige Wahl zur Erfüllung dieser Anforderungen."

Der Mercator Enterprise Broker bietet eine Industrieplattform zur Integration verschiedener Anwendungen, Legacysysteme, Datenbanken und Datenspeicher in einem Unternehmenssystem. Er ermöglicht die flexible Nutzung unterschiedlicher Nachrichtenformate und Datentransportsprachen sowohl neuer als auch älterer Technologien. Mercator bietet diese "Application-to-Application"- bzw. A2A-Lösung sich in fast allen vertikalen Märkten betätigenden Unternehmen an, einschließlich Online-Einkaufsplattformen.

"Covisint ist in der Lage, eine der größten Internet-Einkaufsplattformen der Welt zu werden", so Roy C. King, President und CEO von Mercator. "Durch die Entscheidung für Mercator gewährleistet Covisint nicht nur eine effiziente Verbindungsfähigkeit zwischen verschiedenen Systemen zur Weiterleitung wichtiger Kundendokumente, sondern auch die für einen schnell wachsenden Kundenstamm erforderliche Skalierbarkeit."

Über Mercator:
Mercator Software, Inc. (Nasdaq-Tickersymbol: MCTR) integriert elektronische Informationen von Unternehmen mit den Anwendungen ihrer Kunden und Partner -- wobei die Software bei jedem Schritt aktuelle Technologie-Investitionen nutzt.

Mehr als 5.000 Kunden in allen Industriezweigen verwenden die Mercator-Software zur Beschleunigung und Abwicklung ihrer E-Business-Möglichkeiten. Über 100 Partner, einschließlich Anwendersoftware-Anbieter, Systemintegratoren und Internetmärkte, betten die Mercator-Technologie ein oder verkaufen sie weiter, um so ihre Produkte und Dienstleistungsangebote zu verbessern. Weitere Informationen zu Mercator finden Sie unter www.mercator.com.

Über Covisint:
Covisint, LLC ist eine globale, unabhängige Internet-Einkaufsplattform, die die Automobilindustrie mit führenden Tools in den Bereichen kooperative Produktentwicklung, Beschaffung und Supply Chain beliefert. Diese Tools erlauben den Kunden eine Senkung ihrer Kosten sowie eine effizientere Gestaltung ihrer Prozesse. Covisint wurde von DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One und Oracle entwickelt. Die Hauptverwaltung von Covisint befindet sich vorübergehend Southfield (Michigan, USA), ferner wurden vorübergehende Niederlassungen in Stuttgart und Tokio eröffnet. Weitere Informationen zu Covisint finden Sie auf unserer Website: www.covisint.com.



###

[Crash@MASTER]

ja kann es sein, daß da so etwas wie eine positive stimmung in sachen C1, sich auf dem board breit macht??

[St.Paulianer]

Alter Artikel, aber sehr aufschlußreich.
Außerdem auf deutsch


eNews internetaktien.de
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13.12.2000 / 07:51
Commerce One erhält Mrd.-Beteiligung

Commerce One Inc. (NASDAQ: CMRC, WKN: 924107): Der weltweit größte Anbieter von B2B-e-Commerce Lösungen, Commerce One, schließt in Zusammenarbeit mit der Online-Plattform Covisint eine technologische Partnerschaft mit den Autoherstellern General Motors und Ford. Der Kooperationspartner Covisint betreibt einen virtuellen Marktplatz, über den General Motors, Ford sowie DaimlerChrysler, Nissan und Renault den Austausch von Ersatzteilen organisieren wollen.
Im Zuge der Vereinbarungen werden General Motors und Ford einen Aktienanteil von rund 1,26 Mrd. USD oder 14 Prozent an Commerce One erhalten. Bis 2002 darf die Hälfte der Aktien jedoch nicht gehandelt werden.

Commerce One wird sich in eine Holding umstrukturieren, das heisst, sämtliche Stammaktien des ursprünglichen Unternehmens werden im Verhältnis 1:1 in Aktien der Holding umgewandelt.

Commerce One wird die Technologien für das gemeinsame Vorhaben liefern und Wartungsarbeiten durchführen. Commerce One erhält als Gegenleistung eine Umsatzbeteiligung (vorerst 10 Jahre lang)von Covisint. Da der Umsatz der Online-Plattform auf 300 Mrd. USD geschätzt wird, könnte es sich hier um eine beachtliche Summe handeln.

Commerce One wird anschließend einen Anteil von 2 Prozent am Aktienkapital von Covisint zugestanden, der aber erst nach einer erfolgreichen Umstrukturierung des B2B-Softwareanbieters, freigegeben werden soll. Bis dahin werden die Aktien beim Treuhänder hinterlegt.

Die Aktie von Commerce One verlor am Dienstag an der Nasdaq 7,7% und schloss bei 40,375 USD. (TIR/BAU)


Gruß St.Paulianer

ps: Hätten die wohl nicht gedacht, daß die 14% an C1 nur 100 Mio $ zum heutigen Zeitpunkt ausmachen.
Sonst hätten die für Ihre 2% an Covisint wohl 200% an C1-Anteilen verlangt (also 1,3 Milliarden $) !!!

War doch wohl ein sehr guter Deal für unsere C1

[isaaacc]

vielleicht waren einige der aelteren schaetzungen doch richtig:
2001 sieht b2b gegen jahresende wieder licht am ende des tunnels, 2002 gehts weiter, 2003 ist b2b voll da.


http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20010718S0005

Covisint Books `Impressive` Procurement Volume
With the year barely half over, auto-industry exchange Covisint LLC reports that it has already managed transactions worth more than $33 billion. That`s equal to about 13% of the $240 billion worth of procurements that the Big Three automakers sign off on each year.

DaimlerChrysler AG recently said it has used Covisint for $3 billion in procurements. Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. each had been doing $2 billion to $3 billion on their own private exchanges before those operations were rolled onto Covisint earlier this year. Kevin Prouty, automotive analyst for AMR Research, says a handful of large auto suppliers that he declined to name have added to Covisint`s total. Prouty says he`s "surprised and impressed" by Covisint`s early transaction volume. Based on its slow performance last year, Prouty says, he had expected the exchange would reach the $40 billion level by the end of next year.

Prouty says most of the procurement handled by Covisint this year has been for highly engineered parts and strategic materials used in finished automobiles, the services that are at the core of Covisint`s mission. According to figures the exchange released Wednesday, Covisint`s 1,000 registered users conducted 420 auctions during the first six months of this year--primarily for strategic materials. Fully 2.5 million individual items were bought, using the exchange`s 200 catalogs, in 20,000 individual transactions. Those items included parts and materials used in finished products and parts for maintenance, repair, and operational supplies.

Covisint also has inked a co-marketing agreement with E-Steel Corp. under which Covisint and E-Steel will each pitch the other`s services, but won`t integrate those services. Prouty says on its surface, the deal looks like co-advertising, but is likely to result in E-Steel`s operation being integrated into Covisint in the near future. Covisint says only that the relationship with E-Steel may be deepened in the future. Ford uses E-Steel for procurement of $30 billion to $40 billion in steel each year. "It would be huge" for Covisint to be able to collect transaction fees on Ford`s steel purchases alone, Prouty says.

In another development, Covisint says it has formally incorporated its Japanese subsidiary, Covisint Japan K.K., which will be headquartered in Tokyo.

-- Steve Konicki

[DK41282]

@ all

Hi Leute

Ich war 2 Wochen im Urlaub in Spanien und habe auf alle Medien verzichtet...kein Internet...kein Fernseher...keine Zeitung....keine AKTIENKURSE !!!!

2 Wochen habe ich mich erholt und nun der 1. Tag wieder im Internet und ich fühle mich genauso angespannt wie vorm Urlaub...

Das ist ja wohl alles nicht wahr ?? Was ist das für ein Q2
Und was für Kurse ?????


I2 10,02$ ... -0,16$/Aktie bei 241 Mio$ Umsatz
C1 3,85$ ... -0,31$/Aktie bei 101,25 Mio$ Umsatz
Arba 4$ ... -0,10$ oder -1,1$*/Aktie bei 85,3Mio$ Umsatz

* einmalige Kosten


Ich muss mich jetzt mal erholen (schon wieder)

[canadian1]

Brüssel genehmigt Internet-Markt der Automobilriesen


BRÜSSEL (dpa-AFX) - Nach dem deutschen Bundeskartellamt und den US-Behörden hat nun auch die Brüsseler
EU-Kommission den Internet-Marktplatz der großen Automobilkonzerne gebilligt. Die Automobilhersteller DaimlerChrysler ,
Ford und General Motors und Renault/Nissan dürfen jetzt über das Gemeinschaftsunternehmen Covisint Teile im
Milliardenwert kaufen, entschied die EU-Kommission am Dienstag in Brüssel.

Covisint stehe allen Unternehmen der Autobranche offen; deshalb sei das Joint Venture wettbewerbsrechtlich
unbedenklich, schrieb die Kommission. Die Anteilseigner könnten auch andere so genannte
Business-to-Business-Marktplätze nutzen. Die Konzerne kontrollierten das Gemeinschaftsunternehmen "weder allein noch
gemeinsam".

Die Kommission interessierte sich besonders dafür, ob möglicherweise bestimmte Gruppen der Branche diskriminiert oder
vom Markt ausgeschlossen werden. Dies sei nicht der Fall. Insgesamt sieht die Kommission die Internet-Marktplätze positiv,
da sie die Märkte durchsichtiger machen und damit mehr Wettbewerb bringen.

Die Unternehmen kaufen nach früheren Angaben jährlich weltweit für 300 Mrd. US-USD (669 Mrd DM/342 Mrd Euro) Teile
und anderes Material ein. Covisint gilt als eines der größten Internetprojekte der Welt. Software-Partner sind Oracle und
Commerce One./DP/aa


31.07. - 14:02 Uhr

[boerseaugsburg]

Monday August 6, 3:09 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America Launches eBusiness Relationship with Covisint
NORMAL, Ill., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc., (MMMA) is accelerating use of the Internet and related business-to-business technologies by conducting pilot programs with Covisint, the e-business exchange for the automotive industry.

Covisint facilitated two trial online auctions July 17 between MMMA and 11 of its suppliers.

``One element to becoming profitable over the past two years has been our commitment to reducing and controlling costs. Covisint`s online auction process helps us do just that and ensures that our supplier partners are onboard with pricing that is market-driven,`` MMMA President and Chief Operating Officer Rich Gilligan said.

In addition to providing market-driven pricing, online auctions for suppliers will significantly increase MMMA`s purchasing efficiency, compressing weeks of bid analysis and negotiations into hours.

``The total impact on efficiency is enormous,`` Gilligan said.

The results of the July 17 auctions were so encouraging that MMMA plans to pilot other Covisint tools, MMMA Executive Vice President of Procurement & Supply Keith Lawrence said. Trials are being planned for Catalog Services, which is designed to increase the efficiency of MMMA`s internal purchasing activities, and Virtual Project Workspace, a design and development collaboration technology to help reduce new model development time.

``We are pleased to share in the recent successes of Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America and look forward to introducing the company to Covisint`s tools for product development and supply chain management,`` said Kevin English, Chairman, President and CEO, Covisint. ``The time and cost savings realized by Mitsubishi are significant, but not atypical. We encourage all in the automotive industry to follow Mitsubishi`s lead and take our suite of products for a spin.``

Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc., which manufactured its first vehicle in 1988, currently produces five models: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible, Mitsubishi Galant, Chrysler Sebring coupe and Dodge Stratus coupe. In 2003, MMMA will begin production of Mitsubishi`s next generation sport utility vehicle, the successor to the Montero Sport. Annually, MMMA spends nearly $2 billion on production parts from approximately 250 North American suppliers.

Covisint, LLC is a global, independent e-business exchange providing the automotive industry with leading collaborative product development, procurement and supply chain tools that give its customers the ability to reduce costs and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Covisint was developed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One and Oracle. Since its inception, PSA Peugeot Citroen has also joined the initiative. Covisint is located in Southfield, Michigan. Covisint Europe B.V. is headquartered in Amsterdam. Covisint Japan K.K. is headquartered in Tokyo. For more information about Covisint, visit www.covisint.com.

[boerseaugsburg]

Covisint sees collaberation with Toyota, Honda
Tuesday August 7, 2:45 PM EDT


DEARBORN, Mich., Aug 7 (Reuters) - Covisint expects to see Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (7267) and Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. (05380) use its services in the future, the chief executive of the automotive online exchange said on Tuesday.

However, other automakers, notably Volkswagen AG (VOWG), remain reluctant to join the company, said Covisint Chief Executive Kevin English.


"My guess is that over time, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota and so forth will use aspects of Covisint, and hopefully BMW, Porsche will as well. But Volkswagen, I have no clue at this point," English said at the J.P. Morgan/Harbour Auto Conference.

Covisint was???ar by General Motors Corp. (GM), Ford Motor Co. (F) and DaimlerChrysler AG (DCXGn) with the promise to revolutionize the industry by changing the way automakers and suppliers source products and collaborate.

Other automakers PSA Peugeot Citroen

[boerseaugsburg]

http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2836

[Sial]

hi c1`ler

meint ihr c1 könnte jetzt endlich mal den ausbruch schaffen?

[Augustinus]

Warum sollten sie nach oben ausbrechen?
Nur weil Du es Dir so wünschst bzw. ich auch ?
Normal bricht eine Aktie bei guten Nachrichten nach oben aus
und die sehe ich für dieses Jahr nicht mehr.

[Sial]

nunja, ich gehe kommende woche von einer sehr positiven nasdaq aus. da wird C1 mitgehen und muss ausbrechen. man wird kaufdruck sehen und C1 einen sprung nach oben machen und danach wohl noch tiefer fallen?

ist aber alles nur ne theorie von mir, ich hab mich (zum glück) noch nie mit der aktie beschäftigt, bin reiner techniker und wollte nur mal die stimmung testen

gruß

[adson]

interessante Neuigkeiten...

Covisint Poised for New Industries
by Richard Brown, Line56
Friday, August 10, 2001

Auto industry sponsored marketplace Covisint has formed a holding company to enable the ISM to expand into other industrial sectors.

Covisint’s chairman, president and CEO, Kevin English, says the new company, Covisint Inc., is critical to Covisint L.L.C’s long-term growth.

He adds “Covisint`s core competencies have direct relevance to the heavy equipment, farm equipment, marine, trucking, motorcycle and similar industries worldwide. We see ourselves capable of providing support to those industries in the coming years... after we have established ourselves as the recognized partnering leader for the global automotive industry.”

Paula Argento, counsel with DeMartino, Finkelstein, Rosen & Virga in Washington, DC says that a holding company is the perfect vehicle for a firm that seeks to diversify into other businesses. “It protects the core company from the risks of running any new business by shielding core assets from creditors. It also helps separate management’s focus and is good for going into different countries because of tax and licensing advantages.”

The holding company appointed Dwaine Duckett as senior vice president of Global Human Resources; Alice Miles as senior vice president, Global Customer Collaboration; Peter Weiss as its senior vice president, Global Alliances and Business Development; and Dan Jankowski as Covisint Inc.’s vice president of Global Communications.

In a note issued this morning, AMR Research considers the changes reflect recently-installed English, a former investment banker and publisher, making his presence felt in the automotive world. “Mr. English continues to get Covisint`s house in order and get the automakers` investors off Covisint`s back while trying to send a value message to users.”

The note’s author, Kevin Prouty, adds that AMR`s findings suggest some technology partnerships Covisint forged in its first year are today compromised.

For example, the analyst hears that Oracle is being outmaneuvered by SAP`s relationship with Commerce One, which with clients like Volkswagen, BMW, PSA, DaimlerChrysler, and Renault make it a stronger business partner than Oracle. Covisint launched its European operation in March, while SAP has a pact with SupplyOn, an exchange for suppliers in Europe.

AMR also detects strain in another partnership. NexPrise, which is the basis for Covisint`s Virtual Project Workspace, is apparently being surpassed in favor of MatrixOne, whose strength lies in Product Lifecycle Management and has auto industry clients like Johnson Controls.

Tom Hill, spokesman for Covisint, denied the allegations in AMR’s note. “I don’t know where they get the connection with SAP. We have a relationship with Commerce One. Oracle is a primary technology partner and has a stake in Covisint. And Nexprise is behind our Virtual Project Workspace. MatrixOne is a well-regarded company with a lot of Tier 1s as clients. Covisint’s policy is to go with best of breed.”

[wagstefan]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13.08. 14:46
Covisint - Gründung einer Holding, Erfolg spürbar?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(©BörseGo - http://www.boerse-go.de)

Covisint ist die große Onlinebörse der Autoindustrie und wurde von General Motors, Ford Motors., Daimler Chrysler, Renault SA, Nissan Motor und Technologiefirmen wie Commerce One und Oracle ins Leben gerufen.
Der Vorstandsvorsitzende Kevin English von Covisint, sieht eine Steigerung des Unternehmenswertes seiner Firma, durch den Ausbau der Onlineauktionsfunktion während des zweiten Quartals. Covisint wickelte im zweiten Quartal Auktionen von Gütern und Dienstleistungen im Wert von 35 Millarden Dollar ab. Im ersten Quartal waren es „nur“ 1 Milliarde Dollar. Mr. English geht davon aus, dass sich die Menge dieses Jahr noch steigern lässt. Analysten prognostizieren etwa 45 Milliarden Dollar Volumen bis Ende 2001.

Am Freitag verkündete Covisint noch eine Reorganisation der Unternehmensstruktur indem man eine Hoding, die Covisint Inc. gründete. Die Holding Gesellschaft ist Teil einer langfristigen Strategie, sie soll nicht nur für die Autoindustrie arbeiten, sondern auch für andere Schwerindustrie Sektoren.

Covisint hatte in ersten Jahr des Geschäftsbetriebes etwas Probleme mit der Akzeptanz bei den Lieferanten. Aber inzwischen zeigen sie laut Mr. English mehr Interesse. Es sind im Moment 1700 Lieferanten registriert- Anfang des Jahres waren es noch 1000.


Tools für Ihren Börsenerfolg! Aktuelle Analysen zu Hightechwerten!



Vielleicht steht es ja schon irgendwo, vielleicht auch im englischen, aber wollte es nocheinmal reinstellen.......

[Natriumglutamat]

@all

Ich weiß, es wurde bestimmt schon mal erklärt, aber könnte mir nochmal jemand erklären wie C1 von den Covisint Umsätzen profitiert. Ich weiß, das C1 jetzt in irgendeiner Weise mit 2% beteiligt ist. Das sich die 2% logischer Weise nicht auf die 35 Milliarden $ beziehen ist mir schon klar.
Es wäre also nett, wenn mir jemand vorrechnen könnte was da für C1 herausspringt.

Vielen Dank im vorraus.

Gruß,
Ng

[isaaacc]

GM Buys $96 Billion In Materials Via Covisint
General Motors Corp. has used Covisint, the giant auto exchange, to buy $96 billion worth of raw materials and parts for future auto models, bringing the value of transactions managed this year by Covisint to more than $129 billion.

GM joins DaimlerChrysler AG in pushing procurement of raw materials and future-model parts through the exchange. The previous largest transaction came in May, when DaimlerChrysler used the exchange to procure $3 billion worth of highly-engineered parts for future models.

Ford, which hasn`t revealed the value of the transactions it has conducted on Covisint, says it has used the exchange to save $70 million, which it says is more than its initial investment in the exchange. The automaker says it expects to save $350 million this year.

AMR Research analyst Kevin Prouty says GM clearly has been the most aggressive among the Big Three in using Covisint, but all three automakers are showing they place a high priority on moving as many supply-chain transactions as possible through the exchange. Says Prouty, "Ford and GM are on the verge of completely restructuring their procurement operations around Covisint, and this is the shift that needs to happen."

-- Steve Konicki
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20010816S0001

[kermitl]

Hallo Leute, ich schliesse mich der Bitte von Natriumgl. an.
Wie genau und in welcher Form profitiert CMRC von den Umsätzen die bei dieser Plattform gemacht werden.

Habe mir zwar diesen Thread schon öfters durchgelesen aber irgendwie stosse ich immer wieder auf Widersprüchlichkeiten.

Über eine klare Antwort wäre ich sehr sehr dankbar.

[isaaacc]

@kermitl und ng:

leider kann die genaue antwort keiner geben: die genauen modalitaeten wurden nicht offengelegt.

grundsaetzlich ist zu erwarten, dass covisint eine umsatzbeteiligung erhaelt. an den gewinnen von covisint ist c1 beteiligt, dazu muss covisint aber erst mal gewinne machen.

zusaetzlich erhaelt c1 gebuehren oder aehnliche zahlungen als mit-plattformbetreiber und techniklieferant, aber in welcher hoehe, ist ebenfalls offen.

die faszination liegt in den hohen betraegen:

129 mrd. us dollar umsatz ueber covisint bis jetzt in 2001, der loewenanteil davon in den letzten 3-4 monaten.

1 prozent der umsaetze fuer covisint waeren immerhin schlappe 1,29 mrd. dollar.

2 prozent davon entspr. dem anteil von c1 an covisint waeren 25,8 mio dollar. nur wie gesagt, covisint wird nicht unbedingt gewinne schreiben, aber die breakevenschwelle sollte nicht ewig entfernt bleiben.

interessant sind in diesem zusammenhang die strafvereinbarungen: die grossen 3 bei covisint zahlen strafen, wenn sie nicht best. mindestumsaetze erreichen.

schoene gruesse
isaaacc

[isaaacc]

GM Spends $98BN Via Covisint
by Richard Brown, Line56
Tuesday, August 21, 2001


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General Motors, one of the five founding firms behind industry-sponsored marketplace (ISM) Covisint, has announced that, since January, it has used the exchange to purchase $96 billion worth of raw materials and parts for prospective auto models and an additional $2.2 billion in auction purchases.
GM used Covisint Quote Manager, a direct sourcing tool, to elicit RFQs up to the end of July for parts for future auto designs, according to Covisint spokesman Tom Hill.

David Barnas, a GM spokesman, adds that the firm used Quote Manager to select suppliers of parts for vehicles it plans to unveil years down the line. “Going out, four, five and even six years from now, these are the systems and components we know we’re going to need for future models.”

Barnas says seats and instrument panels are the types of items that may have been sourced. The further $2.2 billion on auction and catalog purchases of indirect goods on was funnelled through Covisint between January and July.

The news comes three months after DaimlerChrysler claimed it had conducted an auction for 1,200, highly-engineered vehicle parts worth three billion euros ($2.74BN). That announcement followed rumors that DaimlerChrysler was not committed to Covisint.

Last month, a Ford spokesman claimed Covisint delivered $70 million in indirect materials procurement efficiencies last year - surpassing the automaker’s initial investment in the ISM. Ford expects to save $350 million through Covisint this year.

According to the Southfield, Michigan-headquartered ISM, by the end of July 2001, over 1,700 companies were registered on the exchange that has generated more than $37.6 billion in auction volume from over 640 online bidding events. Covisint says it has hosted over 26,000 transactions from more than 200 catalogs with 2.5 million individual SKUs.

Earlier this month, Covisint announced it had formed a holding company to enable it to expand into other industrial sectors. Ford, General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, Nissan/Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen are partners in Covisint. Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America recently conducted two trial auctions on Covisint.


Comments? Questions? Email our Editors...

www.line56.com

[kermitl]

Vielen Dank isaaacc für Deine Antwort. Aber wenn ich mir die
Zahlen ansehe, wäre das ja gerade eine lächerliche Summe
die CMRC dafür erhält. Die stecken doch viel mehr Geld rein, als dass sie verdienen.

Das Beispiel liest sich zwar gut, aber ich dachte CMRC
ist nur am GEWINN beteiligt und nicht am Umsatz?
Ich hoffe jedoch dass ich mich täusche!!!

Trotz der Meldungen (hohe Umsätze, gute Akzeptanz etc) verliert CMRC regelmässig, was einerseits bei der momentanen Verfassung der Nasdaq auch nicht ganz verwunderlich ist, aber wenigstens ein paar Mal sollte sie noch oben ausbrechen. Chartechnisch wirds ja schön langsam sehr brenzlich.
Wenn ich mir die letzten Zahlen anschaue, bekomme ich doch ein bisschen Angst. Die Cashburn rate ist ziemlich hoch und die cashreserve wird immer kleiner. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit dass CMRC in den nächsten 2 Jahren schwarze Zahlen schreiben wird, ist genauso gross als wenn mein Depot wieder auf 0 kommt.
Liege ich da richtig oder gibts da was, was ich hoffentlich übersehen habe???

[Natriumglutamat]

@ isaaacc

Vielen Dank auch noch von meiner Seite!

@ kermitl

Ich gehe auch mal davon aus, das C1 mit Covisint nicht viel Geld verdienen wird. Zumal ich auch schon irgendwo mal gelesen habe, das C1 nur am Gewinn von Covisint beteiligt ist. Aber da Covisint bei Weitem noch keine Gewinne Schreibt (glaub` ich wenigstens), wird es auch noch recht lange dauern, bis auch C1 (in welchem Maße auch immer) von Covisint profitieren wird.
Ich glaube, das Covisint eher als Prestigeprojekt angesehen werden sollte. Schließlich wird hier eindeutig und eindrucksvoll gezeigt, das das Modell der virtuellen Marktplätze funktioniert und zu erheblichen Kosteneinsparungen führt.
Vielleicht wirkt sich das positiv auf die anderen Plattformen von C1 aus. Denn ich glaube, das C1 erst Gewinne schreiben wird, wenn so ziemlich alle Plattformen zu "laufen´" anfangen.
So langsam glaube ich aber das es dann zu spät für C1 sein wird.
Aber na ja. Schaun wir mal.

Gruß,
Ng

[isaaacc]

beitrag nr. 50 auf seite nr. 8.

dort findet sich die kirzbeschreibung des deals.
ein ungenannter teil an den "revenues", also einnahmen, nicht turnover=umsatz.

gruesse
isaaacc

[Wuschel1]

Hab ich zwar schonmal hier rein gestellt , aber einige wissen halt immer noch nicht wie das mit Convist funktioniert, deswegen hier nochmal :

Commerce One baut gegenwärtig über 100 Marktplätze auf, darunter mehrere Mega-Börsen mit einem Umsatzpotential von über 100 Mrd. USD und bis zum Jahr 2005 könnten bereits über 400 Marktplätze in den Auftragsbüchern stehen. Das beeindruckendste Vorzeigeprojekt ist dabei zweifelsohne Covisint, eine industrielle Beschaffungsplattform der Automobilkonzerne General Motors, Nissan, Ford, DaimlerChrysler und Renault, für die Commerce One die E-Procurement- und Transaktionstechnologie und Oracle die Datenbanktechnik, CRM-Tools, Securityfunktionen und allgemeinen ERP-Komponenten zur Verfügung stellt. Der Zuschlag bei der B2B-Software kann sogar als ein Sieg des David Commerce One gegen Goliath Oracle bezeichnet werden. Die Bedeutung dieses Deals zeigt sich auch darin, daß Commerce One seine Rechtsform ändert. In den nächsten Monaten wird Commerce One in eine Holdinggesellschaft umgewandelt, die das operative Geschäft (die heutige Commerce One) als eine Tochtergesellschaft führt und darüber hinaus neben Covisint noch an zahlreichen anderen Marktplätzen beteiligt wird. Aufgrund des niedrigen Börsenkurses von Commerce One können die Bedingungen dieses Deals als günstig angesehen werden:

Die Commerce One Holding wird zu 2 Prozent an der Plattform beteiligt. Covisint erwirbt Lizenzen für die Softwareprodukte Marketsite und Enterprise Buyer Desktop Edition und wird auch Serviceleistungen (Schulung und Wartung) von Commerce One in Anspruch nehmen. Als besonders attraktiv erachten wir die Beteiligung an 5 Prozent der laufenden Umsätze von Covisint. Doch die ganze Sache hat natürlich auch ihren Preis und zwar in Form von jeweils 14,4 Mio. Gratisaktien für General Motors und Ford (gegenwärtiges Volumen ca. 280 Mio. USD bzw. 14 Prozent der Anteile). Diese Verwässerung mindert auf den ersten Blick den Wert des Unternehmens, doch unter dem Aspekt einer ewigen Rente in Form laufender Provisionszahlungen kann hier eher von einer Lizenz zum Geldverdienen gesprochen werden. Nehmen wir an, daß bis Ende 2003 sämtliche Technologien implementiert und alle Organisationsstrukturen umgestellt wurden und wie erwartet ein Handelsvolumen von 300 Mrd. USD über diesen Marktplatz abgewickelt wird, dann könnten davon 0,4 Prozent an Transaktionsgebühren auf die Plattform entfallen. Dies entspricht einem Jahresumsatz von 1,2 Mrd. USD, an dem Commerce One zu 5 Prozent beteiligt wird. Alleine diese Einnahmen führen innerhalb von 4 Jahren und 8 Monaten zu einer vollständigen Kompensation der Verwässerung in Form liquider Mittel. Teilweise noch günstigere Verträge hat Commerce One mit zahlreichen kleineren Plattformen abgeschlossen. Angesichts dieser Tatsache und der erfolgreichen Partnerschaft mit SAP steht einem Break Even im zweiten Quartal nur noch ein begrenztes Risiko gegenüber.

Kursziel 20 Dollar auf sicht ende nächstes Jahr , gar nicht mal übertrieben

[Wuschel1]

PS: Der Artikel ist vom 18.03.2001 und das Kursziel von mir , gehört also nicht zum Artikel

[Cybermausi]

: US-Behörde genehmigt Anteilserhöhung von SAP an Commerce One auf 20%


WALLDORF (dpa-AFX) - Die US-Wettbewerbsbehörde hat die 20-prozentige Beteiligung von SAP am US-Unternehmen Commerce One genehmigt. Dies teilte der Walldorfer Softwarekonzern am Freitag mit. Nach früheren Angaben liegt der Preis bei 225 Millionen Dollar (rund 265 Mio Euro/517 Mio DM). Der Anteil von SAP an Commerce One steigt von rund vier auf "geringfügig mehr als 20 Prozent". Die Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung für die ersten beiden Quartale muss SAP entsprechend anpassen. Die Zahlen sollen zusammen mit der Bilanz für das dritte Quartal am 18. Oktober veröffentlicht werden.

Wegen seiner Beteiligung an Commerce One hatte SAP seinen am 19. Juli veröffentlichten Gewinn wenige Tage später kräftig nach unten korrigieren müssen. Danach reduzierte sich das SAP-Finanzergebnis der ersten beiden Quartale um insgesamt 93 Millionen Euro (181,8 Mio DM). Dies betreffe jedoch nur das Finanzergebnis, das operative Geschäft bleibe davon unberührt, hieß es. Im Juli hatte Commerce One für das zweite Quartal einen Nettoverlust von 2,06 Milliarden US-Dollar bekannt gegeben.

Commerce One ist einer der führenden Anbieter elektronischer Marktplätze. Die Allianz mit dem US-Unternehmen spielt eine zentrale Rolle in der Internet-Strategie des größten europäischen Softwareherstellers. Im vergangenen Jahr hatte die SAP AG für die ersten drei Prozent der Commerce One Aktien 250 Millionen Dollar bezahlt./DP/aka/

[isaaacc]

Great Sites: Covisint
Covisint, once a concept struggling for converts, has transformed into a Web-based exchange that manages procurement transactions for the Big Three automakers.

By Steve Konicki ([e-mail])

ovisint LLC has surprised many of the most skeptical pundits, analysts, and auto-industry experts with how quickly it transformed itself from a concept struggling for converts to a Web-based exchange that manages large procurement transactions for the Big Three automakers that founded it.

This year, Covisint has managed more than $129 billion in transactions--nearly 53% of the estimated $240 billion spent last year by founders DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor, and General Motors. GM says it has pushed $96 billion worth of procurement for current and future auto models through the exchange, via Quote Manager, Covisint`s online negotiating tool.

AMR Research analyst Kevin Prouty says these deals signal that automakers have placed a high priority on moving as many supply-chain transactions as possible through Covisint, which went live last October. The biggest single purchase so far came in May, when DaimlerChrysler procured $3 billion worth of highly engineered parts for future models through Covisint. Ford, which has used Covisint to save $70 million to date, expects to save $350 million this year. And "Ford and GM are on the verge of completely restructuring their procurement operations around Covisint," Prouty says.

Lately, Covisint officials have dusted off some of their biggest goals for the exchange--helping automakers cut costs by more than $1,000 a car by linking their operations to thousands of suppliers, speed new-car design and development time, drive out inefficiency, and slash inventory.

Covisint LLC
Traffic: 1,700 users and 10,000 transactions valued at $129 billion (year to date)
2000 Revenue: Not available
Business goals: Help automakers cut per-vehicle production costs by $1,000 (short term); achieve 12-month new-vehicle development cycle and mass-customize vehicles for delivery in days or weeks (long term)
Competitors: None
Strengths: Helps speed supplier selection, shorten contract negotiations for raw materials and highly engineered parts, and cut costs
Weaknesses: Requires complex technology integration for participants; offers relatively rudimentary capabilities in some online tools; hasn`t sold many large and small suppliers on idea that they`d benefit from participating
Spearheading the resurgence of those efforts is Covisint`s CEO, Kevin English, appointed in April. Prouty says English shows signs of being the strong leader industry observers have said Covisint needed. "He has shown himself to be much stronger than many people thought he would be," Prouty says. "He has isolated automakers from the day-to-day operation of Covisint, and that has really cleared up the logjam on technology and the exchange`s sales strategy."

English began shuffling the management structure by appointing Peter Weiss, an acting co-CEO during Covisint`s infancy, as senior VP of global alliances and business development, replacing Doug VanDagens. A Covisint spokesman says English is also reorganizing the sales organization.

And some of the software commitments Covisint made before English`s appointment are being re-evaluated. In June, vendor webMethods Inc.`s enterprise-application-integration software replaced EAI products from Oracle and Mercator Software Inc. NexPrise, which provides software for Covisint`s design-collaboration offering, is facing stiff challenges from MatrixOne Inc., a product-lifecycle-management software vendor. PLM vendor Parametric Technology Corp. says it, too, is in talks with Covisint. Structural Dynamics Research Corp. is also rumored to be gunning for Covisint business.

There are other signs that Covisint`s momentum is building. Johnson Controls Inc. on Aug. 22 announced it would deploy Covisint`s supply-chain software to all 86 of its North American manufacturing facilities and thousands of its own suppliers. Delphi in July said it would use a private portal running on Covisint to conduct business with more than 5,000 of its own suppliers. In the past 11 months, Nissan, Renault, and PSA Peugeot Citroen have signed up. As many as 30 of the top 40 auto suppliers already use Covisint.

At the same time, Covisint`s most ambitious objective--a supply chain so well-connected that it will let auto buyers order custom-configured vehicles on a massive scale and take delivery in just days or weeks-- remains an elusive goal. Analysts say Covisint may be years away from helping automakers produce mass-customized vehicles.

One reason English is focused so sharply on technology is that some Covisint tools are relatively rudimentary. Ford uses Structural Dynamics product-lifecycle-management and design-collaboration apps, as well as Dassault Systemes` CATIA 3-D modeling tools, while Covisint offers NexPrise and CAD viewer technology rather than real-time CAD modeling.

Another barrier to adoption of Covisint by some suppliers is that Covisint expects large suppliers to drive adoption by their own, smaller suppliers, as only Delphi and Johnson Controls have announced they will do. "What Covisint hasn`t been able to do is get a cohesive message out to the smaller suppliers about how Covisint works for them, what Covisint`s vision is for them, how much will it cost, and what benefits it will bring," says Prouty.

But suppliers that maintain a wait-and-see stance may find themselves left behind. A study by the Center for Automotive Research found that 77% of tier-one automotive suppliers expect the number of lower-tier suppliers they use for raw materials and parts to shrink significantly in the next year. The lower-tier suppliers most likely to survive will be those who can do business Covisint-style.

[isaaacc]

Ford Extends Covisint to Suppliers
by Demir Barlas, Line56
Thursday, August 30, 2001


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In 1998, Ford launched the Ford Supplier Network (FSN). FSN`s goal was to share information and applications with Ford suppliers over the web and, ultimately, to reduce vehicle delivery times.
FSN, which currently enables over four thousand suppliers, has now committed to adding functionality and creating a single point of entry with the help of Covisint, the automotive industry marketplace formed by Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrysler early last year.

FSN will henceforth be able to pull applications from Covisint and update their profiles on Covisint (allowing instantaneous broadcast to all OEMs).

Kevin Prouty of AMR Research says that Ford is interested in "making Covisint a significant piece of managing the technology around suppliers." However, he said the announcement also had symbolic value for Ford: "They`re letting people know they`re committed to using Covisint strategically. They`re going to force their own employees to commit to it."

As for Covisint`s value to suppliers on the FSN, Prouty said the functionality addressed information flow rather than procurement. "It doesn`t make much difference to suppliers right now, but eventually they`ll be able to use collaborative tools, demand management, and other features that Covisint`s building."

One of FSN`s chief goals is to decrease vehicle delivery times by increasing the flow rate of information -- like engineering change notices and component lists -- that largely travel via electronic data interchange (EDI) or phone/fax/e-mail today.

Says AMR`s Prouty, "The goal is to have a single sign-on for suppliers. You`ll see GM and Daimler using this approach too. They`ll use their own applications behind the scenes, and Covisint will layer on top of it to make it look like one big application."


http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?NewsID=2896&ml=2

[adson]

Covisint Chooses MatrixOne
by Tom Kaneshige and Demir Barlas, Line56
Wednesday, September 05, 2001

Automotive industry marketplace Covisint picked MatrixOne to be its collaboration software specialist today. The key factor in the deal was MatrixOne`s traction in the automotive space, where it already counts Honda, Johnson Controls, Fiat, and Porsche as customers. Covisint also claims that supplier input was an important component of the decision.
Covisint will use MatrixOne tools in its virtual project workspace, an online project management environment. This environment currently supports workflow and routing of documents, strategic sourcing, online conferencing, 3D visualization, among others. Industry watchers say MatrixOne will expand this feature set to include things like managing CAD (computer-aided design) drawings and product descriptions. “It was expected,” says Kevin Prouty of AMR Research. “The decision was basically a realization that Covisint needed broader collaboration tools.”

The decision to go with MatrixOne may also have been politically driven, AMR`s Prouty adds. He says many of MatrixOne’s competitors employ CAD systems that are already used by major automotive companies, making MatrixOne a more neutral-friendly choice.

Covisint and MatrixOne plan to complete the first phase of their deployment in sixty days. The ultimate goal is to reduce automobile development times. The process, from concept to production, is often held up by wait times for communication and information sharing -- a pain point that MatrixOne addresses directly, as company president and CEO Mark F. O`Connell noted at this morning`s conference call.

He added that MatrixOne could help Covisint members realize thirty to forty percent faster automobile development times.

The big loser in the Covisint-MatrixOne deal appears to be NexPrise, a collaboration software vendor that had been the incumbent at Covisint. During a conference call, Covisint CEO Kevin English confirmed that, "NexPrise will be phased out in support of MatrixOne."

In July, struggling Ventro, an e-market-operator-turned-service provider, bought NexPrise for $27 million in stock. Ventro hoped to ride the acquisition into lucrative automotive and aerospace accounts. The loss of Covisint has dealt a serious blow to those efforts. “NexPrise’s future doesn’t look very good,” says Prouty. “I don’t think they’re going away, but this takes a lot of marketing steam away from them.”

As for Covisint`s future prospects, English claimed that revenue was ramping up month-to-month but added that, "We`re not ready to go public," citing secular conditions.

[adson]

Covisint adds MatrixOne app as standard feature

By Dennis Fisher, eWEEK
September 5, 2001 12:18 PM ET


Covisint on Wednesday went outside its not-so-close-knit family of technology partners and chose MatrixOne Inc. to provide collaborative commerce applications for the giant automotive marketplace.

In the short term, Covisint plans to integrate MatrixOne`s Value Chain Portfolio into its Virtual Project Workspace collaboration platform. In the future, the software will also be worked into other Covisint offerings.

"We have received feedback from our customers for advanced collaboration capabilities that address business challenges in the automotive industry. The selection of MatrixOne will enable Covisint to continue to improve our customers` ability to meet the challenges of time to market, quality and cost efficiency," said Kevin English, chairman, CEO and president of Covisint, based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "Covisint has chosen MatrixOne for its proven track record for solving these challenges."

Until now, Oracle Corp. and CommerceOne Inc. have been the main technology providers for Covisint. The working relationship between the two companies has been somewhat less than ideal, with rumors of spats over which company would take the lead position in developing Covisint`s technology platform.

However, Covisint officials have always downplayed these conflicts and maintain that Oracle and CommerceOne will continue to be integrally involved.

Covisint`s platform has been slow to develop, with personnel issues and questions about which of the three founding automakers-DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Co. or General Motors Corp.-would take the lead enveloping the exchange`s early months.

[shila]

@ all

weiss jemand welchen umsatz covisint 2001 machen wird, oder welchen sie bisher gemacht haben? überall liest man etwas über umsätze sind diese für dieses jahr oder sind das prognosen (z.b. GM $96 billion, DC $3billion...usw)?

[sachsenpaule]

Covisint Creates Holding Company,
Sees Increase in Online Auction Value
By Joseph B. White
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
DETROIT -- Covisint Inc., the big automotive industry business to business exchange, saw a substantial increase in the value put through its online auction function during the second quarter, and is pushing to be cash flow positive before 2003, Chief Executive Officer Kevin English told Dow Jones.

Covisint handled auctions for $35 billion worth of goods and services in the second quarter, up from $1 billion in the first quarter, English said in an interview. "We`ll see a steady ramp" from the second quarter level, he said. Previously, some analysts had estimated that Covisint would handle online procurement events for $45 billion of value a year by the end of 2002, English noted.

Mr. English, who took over as Covisint`s CEO in May, said he has spent the first three months on the job meeting with customers, evaluating management and cutting costs at the big online exchange formed by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. and technology companies Commerce One Inc. and Oracle Corp.

Covisint earlier Friday announced a reorganization of top management, creating a holding company, Covisint Inc. The holding company is a piece of a longer term strategy Mr. English has outlined for using Covisint to serve not just the auto industry, but other heavy industry sectors as well.

In an interview, conducted prior to Friday`s announcements, Mr. English stressed that getting Covisint`s auto-industry offerings running smoothly is his first priority. In its first year of operation, Covisint struggled to win acceptance from auto industry suppliers, as it wrestled to build its online auction and supply chain management systems.

But now Mr. English said suppliers are showing more interest, as Covisint has 1,700 companies registered compared to 1,000 earlier in the year.

Covisint`s monthly cash burn rate "has narrowed dramatically," English said. "By more than 2X or 3X."

Covisint is expanding its sales force, adding 14 to 20 people including representatives in Asia and Europe, Mr. English said. And the company is speeding up work to expand its offerings in core areas like supply chain management and engineering collaboration tools. Covisint also plans to build its capability to construct online portals for big suppliers such as Delphi Automotive Systems Corp.

Mr. English said an IPO for Covisint isn`t a top priority right now. "We don`t feel we are ready, and there`s no capital market right now for companies like ours," he said. Perhaps by 2003 or 2004 an IPO will be appropriate, he said. "We`ll be cash flow positive before then."

Covisint has "lots of potential to access capital" without a stock offering, he said.

[friedamaria]

HALLO,

sehr interresanter artikel sachsenpaule!

weisst DU,oder sonst jemand,

wieviel von den 35 Mrd umsatz der covisint-plattform

gehen an C1?

[adson]

@ BMW u. VW bei Covisint dabei ?
Eine Frage der Zeit, oder wie sieht Ihr das???

Covisint aims to create online buying standard
By Tim Burt, Motor Industry Correspondent
Published: November 12 2001 17:46 | Last Updated: November 12 2001 17:49

Covisint, the online trade exchange backed by five of the world`s largest carmakers, is in talks with Volkswagen and BMW of Germany to forge a common industry standard for internet-based parts procurement.

Lars Olrik, managing director of Covisint`s European operations, said on Monday that further talks were planned with BMW this week - aimed partly at overcoming reservations among suppliers about using online auctions and procurement systems.

"We are in discussions how to ensure the systems and codes we are using can provide a common standard for the industry," he said.

The absence of a single standard for internet procurement is seen as one of the major hurdles in convincing suppliers to use exchanges such as Covisint, which is backed by General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Renault/Nissan and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

A survey this year of almost 60 tier-one component and engineering groups in Europe found that nearly two-thirds had no strategy for using such exchanges.

Nevertheless, Mr Olrik said that Covisint planned to increase the number of European online auctions - where suppliers submit tenders over the internet for large component orders - from 380-400 this year to 800 in 2002.

"Our aim is to represent 26-28 per cent of the total global turnover of Covisint, growing eventually to 33 per cent," he said in an interview in London. This year Covisint has handled procurement transactions worth a total of more than $45bn.

Covisint generates earnings through a mixture of fee-based payments for conducting online auctions, and a percentage of the transaction values involved.

In an attempt to reassure suppliers about using the exchange, Mr Olrik said the group had set up a security audit committee, overseen by Arthur Andersen, the consultancy firm, to protect confidential information between carmakers and suppliers.

The committee - in which suppliers and manufacturers can police the online systems - is expected to be rolled out globally in the near term.

Mr Olrik claimed such measures would underpin a steady shift to e-procurement over the next five years, helping to pave the way for a stock market listing by Covisint at the end of 2002 or early 2003.