TRADEPLACE AND HUBSPAN Connect European Manufacturers and Retailers to ACCELERATE SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRATION

Contact:
Ketchum for Tradeplace
Rebecca Jones, +44 (0) 20 7611 3586
David Thompson, +44 (0) 20 7611 3500
Or
Waggener Edstrom for Hubspan
Jamey Chown, 425/638-7005
Or
Hubspan
Jennifer Ruggiero, 206/838-5435

Amsterdam and Seattle, WA, (September 24, 2002) - Tradeplace, a joint service venture between Europe`s largest household appliance and consumer electronic companies, has joined forces with Hubspan, the leading global provider of outside-the-firewall integration solutions, to provide advanced connectivity between European manufacturers, distributors and retailers with the Tradeplace Message Hub (TMH).

Tradeplace - comprising BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, Electrolux Home Products Europe, Whirlpool Europe, Merloni Elettrodomestici and Philips Consumer Electronics - is the industry`s most successful business-to-business joint service venture, with more than 6,000 registered users since its launch in December 2001.

TMH is the first joint service platform founded by competing manufacturers to provide shared, direct integration with distributors` and retailers` business systems. With TMH, retailers can use their own business systems - as opposed to a web-based browser - to access the Tradeplace system. As such, TMH can help reduce supply chain inefficiencies and distribution costs while strengthening relationships with retailers and distributors.

"Ever since its founding, Tradeplace has provided European retailers with real time information from the industry`s leading manufacturers. With the introduction of TMH from Hubspan, our trading partners can access Tradeplace and its benefits leveraging their current systems infrastructure," said Marc Bitzer, senior vice president, marketing sales and services, Whirlpool Europe.

The Hubspan technology platform drives value for manufacturers, distributors and retailers by enabling clear, fast and effective system-to-system integration. Manufacturers benefit by sharing the cost of the integration platform, improving efficiencies in distribution, and enhancing customer service. Trading partners win by gaining access to a broad range of manufacturers via a single connection to the TMH - with real-time information access, increased speed of order-to-cash processes, and reduced processing and integration costs.

Hubspan has deployed the latest in integration and XML technology to provide a secure, scalable and reliable hub that is compatible with Tradeplace users` systems. TMH will serve as a central location for the exchange of both real-time (synchronous) and store-and-forward (asynchronous) business processes between Tradeplace members and their customers - a broad range of retailers, independent resellers and distribution chains across Europe.

TMH automates time-consuming business processes including order placement, inventory availability inquiry, product price inquiry, product information inquiry and catalog distribution. In addition, Hubspan will provide a light-weight on-ramp kit that speeds integration and makes it easy for retailers and distributors of all sizes and levels of technical sophistication to participate in integration.

"Tradeplace offers a unique and revolutionary approach to trading partner collaboration, designed to diminish distribution costs, increase process efficiencies and strengthen relationships between the largest European appliance manufacturers and their retailers and distributors," said Al Higginson, Hubspan CEO. "Hubspan is proud to be the selected integration solution for such a highly strategic business-to-business initiative. Hubspan`s integration tools, network services and world-class transaction processing infrastructure give Tradeplace the security, scalability, reliability and flexibility required to successfully integrate with every member of their trading community throughout all of Europe."

"The robust and flexible nature of the Tradeplace Message Hub will build new levels of integration service for the industry, allowing us to better serve our trading partners and provide significant cost savings from the reduction of manual processes. We are very excited about the significant benefits the Trade Message Hub will bring to the distribution process of home appliances across Europe," added Kurt-Ludwig Gutberlet, CEO and president, BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte.